Bohdan HUBSKY: “Science does not presume to forecast the consequences of the political reform”

“What did you discuss with the president?”

“In particular, we discussed issues relating to the political reform. The president’s initiative to implement the reform has been very timely, and I’m convinced that what has begun will be completed. The overriding goal of the reform is to bring Ukraine’s system of power into line with European standards, whereby people elect the deputies, who form the government and bear joint responsibility for everything. That is, the system of the branches of power will be more balanced.”

“Have you discussed the activity of the Ukraine-21st Century Intellectual Cooperation Fund?”

“Yes. Several years ago the fund launched a program to return to Ukraine the regalia of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, meaning his flag, which is kept in the Swedish Royal Museum, sable and mace, which are in Poland, and some things that are in Russia. Since most of them are state-run museums, the issue should be addressed at the highest international level. Otherwise, this process could drag on endlessly. These relics had been on display in Ukraine for a whole year, and anyone could come and see them. Now we are working to have the regalia returned to Ukraine for good. Recently a set of postal stamps depicting the hetman’s regalia has been printed. In all the 189 countries of the Postal Union these stamps will popularize Ukraine, our history, spirituality, and culture.

“We also discussed problems of the youth. As you may know, our fund is implementing several educational programs to find talented young people and create conditions for their schooling. Currently, the fund pays tuition for over 400 students in universities across the country. In the Kyiv University alone there are over fifty such students. We are implementing this program together with the Ministry of Education and Science, Union of Ukraine’s Rectors, and Academy of Sciences. But to only teach the person is not enough. Every condition should be created for the person to get a job consistent with his or her education. This is a far more serious problem than even the brain drain. The president became interested in the problems I outlined, and we have planned specific steps to address them. In particular, this is to be done by means of the relevant laws and presidential decrees.”

“Do you agree that we lack logic and scientific pragmatism in state management?”

“Scientific approaches are no doubt required when it comes to making decisions on issues of statesmanship, above all from the viewpoint of a system. Science is not only about proven formulas. Law is a science, passing bills is a science, and implementing laws is also a science. It is impossible to reform the system of power where democratic institutions have not been built. We need an effective system based on the scientifically proven European model. Political science has a short history in Ukraine. Under the Soviets, pluralism of political thought was out of the question. Hence, the humanitarian sciences, which study various political models and their implementation, did not begin to develop in Ukraine until the mid- 1990s, since more attention was paid to economic revival in the early years of independence. The science of the system of power has existed in Ukraine for only a couple of years. Each country has its own specifics, and it is impossible to copy their experience, no matter how positive, mechanically without taking into account the local specifics.”

“Will the political reform improve the structure of power?”

“Today it is difficult to say how the reform will influence different processes in the country. Science addresses more global problems. Thus, it is difficult to specify in which sector and in which way life will improve after the reform.”

“What does philanthropy mean to you?”

“To be a philanthropist means to hand out daily bread. Targeted aid is, of course, also important, but such measures are one-time aid, while we need a system. Under conditions of a system we could make philanthropy advantageous. Accordingly, the number of philanthropists would increase.”

“Are those whom we call the affluent mature enough to invest in science, education, and art en masse?”

“People are reluctant to part with hard-earned money, which is only natural. Thus, this kind of activity should be made advantageous and prestigious. For example, we could pass a law on philanthropy, under which at least some of the expenses on charity could be written off taxes, which has become a practice throughout the world. Unfortunately, our system of executive power is yet to understand this.”

“How profitable it is to invest in Ukrainian science today?”

“Money should be invested in intellectual potential before anything else.”

“In your opinion, what will be the role of scientific potential in the upcoming election campaign?”:

“Science has much to work on, above all this applies to the specialists in the humanities. We must shape a clear model for Ukraine’s socioeconomic development. The successful presidential candidate should work to implement this particular model and forgetting about his own ambitions.”