20/05/2005 3:18:19 pm
A Revolution of Freedom is the Start, Not the End. On Saturday, the Eurovision Song Contest will be broadcast from Kiev, Ukraine. Last year, when Ruslana won - I voted for her (not the song) - the country was still under authoritarian rule. Now, after the fabulous orange revolution of freedom, it seems like a sign of new times to have Ukraine in the center of Europe. The impact of the revolution, also in many other countries such as Lebanon, can hardly be overestimated. It was a classic heroic struggle. But getting rid of the old regime is just the first step, that is when the long and hard work begins. Now, a hundred days have passed since Yuchenko came to power. What has happened? Anders Åslund of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace just wrote in the Washington Post about the economic policy. He is not known as the most optimistic of analysts, but he points to measures that have been taken which clearly point in the wrong direction. Companies are to be re-nationalised, state wages have been dramatically raised, price controls have been imposed on gasoline and the government is looking for ways to increase its tax revenues. One cannot draw conclusions from 100 days. And it may be a highly selective samle of measures. But those steps are in contrast to those taken during Yuchenko′s period as finance minister. The Ukrainian economy has been going very well in recent years, they have privatised much and have a flat tax. And now they have fought for not only economic but also political freedom. This is what many of us have been so impressed with. Ukraine has shown the way, and the opposition parties in Sweden have chosen orange as their colour. Hopefully, the Yuchenko government will continue to impress by having the boldness to stand up for further liberalisation.

Read Åslunds artcile - >