There is a new article posted over at abdymok, an interview with Cabinet of Ministers veteran Viktor Skarshevsky. He’s telling the Kyiv Post what the government needs to do next, and why Yushchenko’s pick for Prime Minister is so important.

KP: What should be the new government????????s first steps?

VS: Overhauling the nation????????s moribund judiciary system, defending businessmen and foreign investors from arbitrary harassment by state law enforcement, and the like.

I would start by introducing legislative change or repealing laws granting certain enterprises privileges and preferences, including tax breaks. For example, the country????????s two dozen or so ???????free economic zones??????? need to be dealt with comprehensively. Leveling the playing field, however, will require the joint efforts of both the prime minister and the president, and the assent of a parliament majority.

Adopting measures to protect minority investors is also a priority, along with the 2005 budget, which should be redacted to minimize the Hr 8 billion deficit. Renewed emphasis should be placed on social programs, where possible, if only to demonstrate that the country????????s new leaders work for the people, not themselves.

The Cabinet is governed by the resolutions it adopts, and the president can issue decrees. But the most important documents are laws because they are the legal instruments used to provide privileges, preferences, etc. The president can declare anything he wants about privileges, but there are 450 lawmakers, many of whom will be reluctant to vote against their vested interests.

That all sounds like a good start. Skarshevsky is laying out a good basic foundation for the economic growth of Ukraine over the next several years of Yushchenko’s presidency. But he leaves out one thing, and it should be the ruling issue of this entire term: the securing of free, democratic elections for 2006.

I cannot stress this enough. Electoral fraud is why the Orange Revolution took place. Yushchenko needs to make the transparency and fairness of the electoral process his very first priority that is fixed and cleaned of corruption.