Lustration is when those who were previously in power are no longer allowed near that power. Because they betrayed us when they were in charge. Because we no longer trust them. Because they are likely criminals. Of course, we cannot prove this, but we do not want to have anything to do with them anymore. We will dismiss them forever and take on new ones. Honest, decent, worthy, competent, and sincerely caring for Ukraine. I disagree with this.
Certainly, this view of the situation is understandable if you look at it superficially. Yes, indeed, thieves are guilty of theft, murderers of murder, and corrupt officials of corruption. It would seem logical to assume that by removing them from power, imprisoning them, or eliminating them, we will eradicate theft, violence, and corruption in society.
But let’s analyze deeper. First of all, let’s agree that all these criminals in power, from Yanukovych to the last tax inspector and patrol officer, are also people. Many of them are familiar to you and me. After all, each of you has friends who are corrupt, right?
I am sure they have no horns or hooves. They are not “bad” people. Furthermore, they are not stupid or lazy. They are the most fortunate and energetic, capable of finding ways to enrich themselves in the current situation. They are successful people, that’s the main thing. There is no need to hate or despise them.
With our silent consent, the authorities in this country create conditions where corruption is the most convenient and fastest way to make money. Not production, not medicine, not education, not tourism. It is not necessary to do business in Ukraine now if you want to get rich, but to become an investigator in the Security Service, an inspector in the customs, or an administrator in the executive committee. If this is not clear to you, you are a fool and a lazy person. Those who understand this and act are good.
By changing power and counting on a change in this depressing situation, we should not demand lustration from our new managers: firing the old “scoundrels” and hiring new “honest” people. On the contrary, we should demand the creation of conditions in which it will be unprofitable for these same people to steal, kill, and take bribes.
Then the people who used to work in the Security Service, customs, and executive committee will go into business, production, and agriculture. They, as the most energetic and successful, will quickly figure out where to earn faster and will be the first there.
We should not rely on the honest and naïve, acting from the heart, but on the cunning, agile, and selfish, firmly bound by the framework of the law. If the authorities act in this way, not changing people but changing laws and methods of control over their compliance, they can be trusted. Otherwise, if the authorities lustrate their former comrades, can we trust them?
Put a wolf to guard the sheep. When he kills the first sheep, kill him as someone who has lost trust. And invite a new wolf. This is what lustration will be.
Translated by ChatGPT gpt-3.5-turbo/42 on 2024-04-20 at 14:43
