MP Dubinsky criticizes government quarantine restrictions

The stricter quarantine measures, introduced by
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers on Apr. 6, violate the Constitution and confirm
the “low intellectual and moral level” of the current government, People’s
Servant MP Oleksandr Dubinsky said in an interview with the Politeka YouTube
channel published on Apr. 9. “We need to understand that the Cabinet of
Ministers resolution on the quarantine is illegal because fundamental
constitutional rights can never be replaced. Locations, to walk or not to walk,
in pairs or in threes. It’s not for you to decide how I will walk,” he said.

Rather than providing citizens with the necessary
supplies to combat the quarantine, the cabinet’s quarantine deprives citizens
of the means for survival, Dubinsky said. “In the event of an ecological
catastrophe or epidemiological situation, which requires such decisions to be
made, the Cabinet of Ministers is required by law to have supplied the reserves
fund the means for providing citizens with the materials for individual
protection,” he said.

Recall, Dubinsky is widely recognized to be among the
leaders of the parliamentary group of MPs, numbering about two dozen, who are
loyal to billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky. Among the founders and shareholders of
Privatbank, Kolomoisky is widely recognized to be engaged in blocking
parliament from approving legislation forbidding the bank’s return to his
ownership. This week, more than 16,000 amendments were dumped to the finance
committee, a record level, to delay the second reading of the bill, which is
being required by the IMF.

Zenon Zawada: For
Dubinsky, and anyone associated with Ihor Kolomoisky, to lecture anyone on
intellect and morality is quite amusing, to say the least. The arguments he
delivered are quite hollow, considering how Ukraine’s medical system was
already suffering before the coronavirus crisis hit, and considering how
corruption remains a large problem with the production, supply and delivery of
medical equipment. In making the State Reserves Fund the center of the debate,
and target for criticism, Dubinsky has borrowed a narrative that pro-Russian
activists promoted earlier this week with a demonstration at the building.

We thought President Zelensky had broken his ties with
Kolomoisky when he dismissed in February Andriy Bohdan, the billionaire’s
former personal attorney. Then Zelensky dismissed his Prime Minister Oleksiy
Honcharuk in early March, which was largely speculated to be on behalf of
Kolomoisky’s interests. Now Kolomoisky’s entourage is waging a political battle
against Zelensky for his decision to pursue the IMF loan program (and prevent
the billionaire from regaining Privatbank). It’s unfortunate that this gang is
exploiting a health crisis for political purposes.

Kolomoisky has always had the approach of forming
numerous political alliances on all sides of the spectrum, and at the same
time, in order to hedge his positions. This situation is no different. With
Zelensky failing to defend his interests in Privatbank, others like Dubinsky
and MP Yulia Tymoshenko have stepped up to compensate. We don’t rule out
Zelensky later regaining Kolomoisky’s favor.

As for Zelensky, his game is about merely surviving
the next day’s storms, which are many. And all his policies, and loyalties,
have been short-term, one-off deals. Right now, he understands he desperately
needs the IMF. And he also understands that peace in Donbas is on the back
burner. PM Denys Shmyhal appears to be leaning towards billionaire Rinat Akhmetov
as support to offset the fury of Kolomoisky.