Published below is a statement of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine ( Соціал-Демократична Партія України  ) in response to the Russian aggression in the Sea of Azov and deceleration of Martial law in a number of regions of Ukraine.  The SDPU has been a growing party in Ukraine with close links to the trade union movement. 

Declaration of the Chair of the Council of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (SDPU)

“Concerning the introduction of martial law in individualregions of Ukraine”

The suffering of the people is increasing and there are two fundamental causes for this suffering: Injustice and War.

War is a huge economic burden on the people, and brings with it victims, misery and despair.

However, injustice is worse than war – honest work (either by the worker or by the entrepreneur) is not rewarded, whereas theft is not punished — this destroys Hope.

The only thing that gave people Hope was their right to choose their own path. But the Ukrainian government, whatever its political colours, is single-mindedly focused on destroying the democratic young shoots created by the Ukrainian people. The right to democratic elections has been destroyed  by the qualification of property, because the only people who can take part in elections are those who have the means to put down a financial pledge, which is not possible for the majority of people. Basic democratic freedoms are being destroyed by the creation of ever new repressive organs and now it is not civil society which is controlling the government, but a police state which is controlling civil society.

The latest step along the path to the definitive triumph of the police state over Ukrainian civil society has been the introduction of martial law in almost half of the oblasts in Ukraine.

The SDPU is aware of the threats brought about by the external aggression against Ukraine. Now, with the “Stabilisation Fund of Russia” coming to an end, the policy of the Kremlin will become significantly more aggressive.  Freedom was the main driving force behind Ukraine’s triumph over aggression. A country which has three times our population, 10 times more territory and 15 times more in gross domestic production but doesn’t have Freedom, could capture only one third of the territory of Ukrainian Donbas, because the people who opposed them had already gained Freedom.

It is that very Freedom which became the main strategic and civilizing triumph of Ukraine over the aggressors; it was fundamental to its victory, the core of invincibility of the “cyborgs”, the heroes of Donetsk airport, and of the thousands upon thousands more unknown people. And now the President and the government of Ukraine are attempting to destroy this advantage by restrictions on Freedom through the introduction of martial law.

The Social Democratic Party of Ukraine resolutely condemns themilitary aggression against Ukraine by Russia, which had in fact committeditself to guaranteeing its territorial integrity. But the SDPU no lessresolutely condemns the growth of Injustice, the most glaring example of whichis the ten-fold growth  of wage arrearsin the past four years. The people’s cup of suffering overflows.  The SDPU believes that the only way out ofthis current crisis is through the development of democracy and the protectionof the inalienable rights and freedoms of Ukrainian men and women.

The Social Democratic Party of Ukraine demands the urgent adoption of the following measures:

  • the repeal of all restrictions on rights and freedoms that were adopted on the eve of the elections, and in particular martial law;
  • the adoption of a new electoral law, the main element of which will be the removal of the property qualification, so as to allow for the unfettered access of all Ukrainians to participate in elections;
  • the liquidation of all former and newly created punitive organs designed to exercise control over the activities of civil society and, on the contrary, the establishment of ruthless control of civil society over executive power.

The fundamental cause of the suffering of the Ukrainian people is the abuse and neglect of their inalienable rights and freedoms, whereas the people will gain a better life through Freedom and Justice!

Yuri Buzduhan

Slavutych

30 November 2018