Pryvit!

It appears that yesterday, Day 17, will for all history be known as the last day of the Orange Revolution. Yes the elections are still ahead of us, but the fact that Yushchenko's demands laid out on November 22nd have all been met signals a victory for the movement (in Yush.'s eyes anyway). Demonstrators have been asked to go back to their home cities and to promote the Yushchenko campaign. Tent villages, Presidential Admin. Blockade and stage on Maidan will all remain until final victory for which all of our help is required. If you have the interest and the ability to be an election monitor (no experience required), or to support an election monitor, and have not yet received any applications, please let me know.

Parliament (Verkhovna Rada)
In the morning, of DAY 17, Danyo was able to get us into parliament for the session (courtesy of Member of Parliament - MP Ivan Stepanovych Pliushch). With our newly printed passes we were permitted past the fence and onto the main courtyard in front. It was a strange sight to see the masses of demonstrators from the "other side", behind the line of police separating them from the Parliament building. The passes worked (despite my internal doubts) and soon we were milling around with the MP's on the second floor outside the session chamber. It felt strange being in a suit after 16 days in combat boots and army pants. When the MP's started filing in we went upstairs to the balcony and found a spot in the second row that was soon surrounded by photographers and video cameramen. Good view of the MP's desktops that were littered with newspapers, photocopies of the laws up for vote, and crossword puzzles. "Just another day at the office" said Danyo. Virtually all the MPs were present. A record attendance of 446 out of 450. Yushchenko entered the room with a serious, non-festive demeanor. Chatting here and there with various MP's.

Lytvyn controlled the crowd of unruly MPs like a school master. Kuchma entered the room and was (strangely) greeted with applause. He first announced that he had accepted the resignation of the General Prosecutor of Ukraine --- more applause. It was strange being so close to Kuchma, he was right below us. I felt like Forrest Gump. Danyo says "we had the opportunity to yell HANBA! Across the whole room". That temptation existed but somehow "ne vypadalo". Kuchma watched the law packet be passed, MP's of all fractions cheering, and then signed the laws right there on the podium, with Lytvyn before disappearing out the back door. I won't go into the details of the laws, it's seems to be well covered elsewhere.

Another highlight of the session was the voting for the new members of the CEC. Kivalov was actually proposed for the new CEC staff. When his name was announced the chamber erupted in "Hanba! Hanba!" chants. Nasha Ukraina MP's were slamming their fists on their desks. He was soundly voted down. When the voting results were shown the Hanba chants erupted again and some MPs even did these flicking away motions with their hands directed at Kivalov. (sidenote; today I was told by someone that Kivalov's payout was 2.5 million USD -- seems low to sell out 48 million people doesn't it?)

The session ended and we went down to the second floor lobby areas and watched all the key MP's get interviewed. Each interview had one TV camera per MP, except Yulia in the corner. There must have been 20 TV cameras, dozens of voice recorders, microphones, etc…aimed at her. The gist of her statement was that it is an undeniable victory, but she still doesn't agree with the constitutional changes, and will fight their legality in the court system.

FINAL NIGHT ON MAIDAN
The final night on Maidan was a testament to Yush. ability to a draw crowd at the snap of his fingers. Maidan was refreshingly mobbed again. Like the "old" days of the revolution a few nights back. Taras Chubaj led us in singing Chervona Ruta (yes all of Maidan singing Chervona Ruta), and then an UPA song Lenta za Lentoyu. They started the speeches by giving the mike to Dr. Brukhovetskyj (Dean of Kyiv Mohylanska Academia). He officially lifted the university's political strike and quoted Skovoroda who once said that "Ukraine is a country that is asleep. But one day it will awaken."
He also said the Kyiv Mohyla will spearhead the "Orange Revolution Museum" and made a request for all the "artifacts", signs etc. to be submitted for the museum, where we will one day take our grandchildren. Yushchenko's speech consisted of thanking multiple different people, organizations, etc.. then he reiterated his 22.Nov demands which were all met. He did not go into the details of constitutional reform, or whether or not he considered it a compromise etc.
Then a teary-eyed, loud and strong: "Sche ne vmerla Ukraina". After which the speakers cranked out the songs of the revolution…Ukraina (actually sung by Petrenenko on stage), My Idemo (actually sung by Marija Burmaka), and about four other songs while fireworks exploded overhead. Yush, Yulia, and the others on stage were dancing around and gyrating to the beat! Ola and I were actually standing near the stage where Yush exited and entered in to his Mercedes. There were two human chains creating a corridor for the car and a convoy of other cars to leave the area. (on the attached crappy picture…you will at least see Yushchenko's. fingers in a "V" sign under the windshield). Then, suddenly MP Yuriy Lutsenko (probably my favorite player in the revolution) took the mike and announced the pres. admin blockade would remain and that tonight everyone is authorized an temporary exemption from the no alcohol principle and should drink 50 grams to accompany the toast "KUCHMA KAPUT". Of course, we headed to a local pub to comply!

RECAP
What has the Orange Revolution achieved? For one thing if the people did not come out on Maidan, Yanukovich would be president right now. TV stations would still be allowing their programming to be censored. And the Kuchma/Medvechuk/Akhmetov team would continue exploiting Ukraine and selling it out to Russia (in fact, of all the parties in this struggle, Putin lost face more than anyone) without any accountability to anyone.

I am not sure yet what the philosophical impact will be in the long-term. I guess that remains to be seen. My feeling right now (which is not reliable since I am sleep-deprived and emotional) is that some of the "heavy aura" that starts when one lands in Borispil has at least partially dissipated. Ukraine appears different to me already. I believe people will be less scared to state their opinions, and more convinced Ukraine can be built honestly, with dignity. Can this really happen overnight though? Time will tell.

For me? It has been an honor to stand on Maidan shoulder to shoulder with regular Ukrainians that had the guts to finally say enough is enough and to standup to a regime which is frightening in its disregard for human life and for Ukraine as a country. Singing Sche Ne Vmerla Ukraina on Maidan with hundreds of thousands of people, with a leader on stage that I believe is actually proud to sing it, had an affect on me that I will always remain a part of me. I am proud to be Ukrainian in a different…somehow new way.

For now it's time to pack up my revolution hat for Brukhovetskyj's museum, shave my revolution beard and get some sleep. In the morning I will drive the kids to school. It was on just such a drive a month ago that Romchyk said "Tato, of course Yushchenko will win."
"Why is that Romchyku?"
"Because all of the leaves are voting and look at their color…they're orange!"

Thank you for all of your emails, your thoughts, your interest and support of Maidan. As one student in the tent city told me: "the Orange Revolution is all of ours, together".

Svobodu ne spynyty!

Petro over and out.
Kyiv, December 9th, 2004

Epilogue
Around midday today, Day 18, I took a stroll back to Maidan and Khreshchatyk. There was line by the tent city where the students were still feeding people. The stage remains (as promised) but the big diamond vision screens on both sides have been removed. In front of the stage were a few dozen people circulating around, taking pictures of each other leaning on the fence directly in front. I actually saw a couple of different groups gathered around these weary, but smiling, individuals that were explaining what it was like in the first few days of the Orange Revolution. "The snow, the freezing cold, the fears of attacks by bus loads of drunk hooligans from Donetsk…" I paused and looked around at the oddly empty Maidan: dozens of colorful hand made signs covering statues and traffic light posts sticking out of virtually every conceivable place. Countless banners, stickers, and graffiti everywhere. Omelchenko likes a tidy city, and soon the cleaning crew will come through. But no matter, things will never be the same here again. Ever.