10 January 2011, 13:45
Mykola Tomenko: The Verkhovna Rada should be the Supreme Legislative Body of the Whole Society, not merely the Authorities
At the today´s briefing after the Conciliative Council, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated that the political year 2011 started like 2010. "Everybody lives their own lives: the authorities lives in the country of well-being and stability, the opposition in the state of the political repressions, while the society in the state of unpredictability and economic insecurity", he stated.
Still, Mykola Tomenko hopes that "the Verkhovna Rada will become the supreme legislative body of the whole society and the opposition, not merely the authorities." According to the Deputy Chairman, the opposition suggested that the authorities stop celebrating and focus on the domestic problems and challenges.
Mykola Tomenko reminded that the opposition shall protect its rights and the rights of the Ukrainian people not only on Wednesday, "Our position is the same: tomorrow, on January 11, the Verkhovna Rada shall scrutinize Resolutions on the Report of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, and on the Report of the Ombudsperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine concerning political repressions in Ukraine. " Then the opposition will decide whether to continue participation in the plenary sittings of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament explained that the opposition suggested listening to the report of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine during the Government Question Hour due to the persecution of the opposition members and a high crime rate in the country. The opposition will recommend the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to use the available funds to fight banditism instead of the opposition. "They shall stop murdering businessmen, in Odesa region for example", M. Tomenko explained. "The crime rate in Ukraine is extremely high, so we hope to convince the Minister of Internal Affairs to start his day not from the list of politicians to be imprisoned but from the tasks to protect each citizen in Ukraine", the politicians stressed.
Mykola Tomenko announced that the opposition attached great importance to the issue of dual jobholders. "If the President failed to dismiss the officials involved in the ‘December battle´, we will try to deprive them of a People´s Deputy status at least", M. Tomenko explained.