Their faces are familiar to everyone and their names have become well known brands. The words they are saying do matter. They are informing and forming public opinion. They used to work or are still working on TV. But very soon we might see them in the Verkhovna Rada or as other elective authorities.
The famous Ukrainian journalists and TV presenters are going into politics, and, as they assure, they know why.
Here they are:
Vakhtang Kipiani, program editor of K1 channel, 25 in the bloc of PORA-Reforms and Progress Party.
Andriy Shevchenko, ex-vice-president of First National TV Channel, 5 in Block of Yulia Tymoshenko.
Olga Sumska, TV presenter, 1+1, 3 in the bloc of the European Capital - Party of Industrials and Entrepreneurs of Ukraine, self-nominee candidate for Kyiv mayoral elections.
Here is how they responded to questions as follows:
Vakhtang Kipiani
1. What were the main incentives for you to go into politics?
I have always been a person deeply interested in politics; I was interested in listening and watching the politicians, taking a direct part in social and political life. Why it happened now: the situation we've got after the revolution is joyful and vexing at the same time.
On the one hand thousands of people living in this country felt that they could open up the floodgates, they felt that both their own lives as well as the destiny of the whole country depends on them. I am one of those people. And I believe that the elections we are going to have soon will be the moment of truth. We have a new president and old government, new expectations and old politicians. This is the moment when new expectations can be transformed into new politicians; new political ideas are to become national.
I am completely aware why I am going to politics, because this decision is based on my views. I have known PORA party for many years, I have been following its activity when it was acting as an NGO during the last presidential elections. I know these people. I understood that I would likely vote for PORA and came to them to offer my help as an active citizen. I am a journalist and I am not going to do it at work, since it's not a professional approach to work as program editor and promote the party you are going with. I never did it and I am not going to do it.
So when I came to PORA they were doing primaries and trying to find people who corresponded to their format. It happened so that we made our way to the same point. Then the bloc [PORA-Reforms & Order Party] appeared, Vitaliy Klychko came...
2. What real changes will be made by your political force when it gets to the parliament?
A lot of people who feel disappointed will get an opportunity to mobilize. There are some people in politics, which are not a subject for disappointment. Our team - and now I can say "we" - we are among them. We were developing the "black lists" [lists of corrupt politicians, politicians who discredited themselves], we were doing actions, we were fighting against corrupt politicians. We think that there are several pending issues, which are to be completed through adoption of the corresponding legal amendments, to make sure that such issues like freedom for the mass media would be irreversible.
Accordingly, for us and for me personally such issues as voting for public television, de-nationalisation of press, punishment for those people, who were forcing media to produce biased materials, are of major importance, economist Pynzenyk has his own ideas, lawyers come with theirs...
Also it was our political forces that came out with the initiative to create the future political coalition. Although our party is small, we have sound-minded people in it, and it can offer really adequate ways out to the society. I guess this is the role of PORA.
- Do you mean consolidator?
Yes, a consolidator, as a political force, who can offer something new.
3. What thing did you sacrifice for a political career (except for work on TV)?
I took vacations/time off for the campaigning period. I have not worked as a program editor since the New Year. It's not demanded by the law, it's rather my personal comprehension of two things: first - I have to give out as much as possible to the campaign and second - I don't want people to say that I am doing a sort of political PR at my working place.
- Were there other sacrifices except for your TV career?
Good relations with some people. Because some people have a negative attitude towards those who take part in politics. And I have admitted that I have such people around. But it's not a big deal. It's much worse when somebody hits behind your back.
4. Have you ever had a feeling that you are used as a famous face?
My face is not that famous. But I would never jeopardize my journalist reputation for a political force that I wouldn't like. It goes without saying.
5. What if your political career fails or ceases being interesting to you - will you come back on TV?
Of course I will. First of all, I am not quitting journalism. I am writing for the Ukrainska Pravda and we have a deal with Olena Prytula [the chief editor of the UP] that she will sign my articles "the author is a candidate for parliament". It refers to other columnists who are under similar circumstances. I took my time off at work, though I had some major plans for it.
- so you mean that the journalism will not lose you?
Absolutely. I am interested in that. You see, journalism for me is a very interesting job and I have no intention to quit it.
Andriy Shevchenko
1. What were the main incentives for you to go into politics?
Frankly speaking, I feel myself a sort of
a spy-journalist among politicians. Journalism is a profession that is hard to leave. But for me this situation is very serious. I am sure that you can go into politics only if you know why. I do know why I am going: the new Verkhovna Rada should adopt a law on public television, because the historical mission of the new parliament is in adoption of other laws necessary for de-nationalization of press, Ukraine should say good by to the budget (state-owned) press.
2. What real changes will be made by your political force when it gets to the parliament?
The major thing is it was the first and the only one political force that told me "we share everything you are standing on, we want it to happen, and we are ready to give all our resources to make the things happen". Translating it into simpler language, it means that... I just had a personal meeting with Yulia Tymoshenko; we went through a number of very concrete questions and very concrete answers. I was asking whether the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) is ready to support public television, and I got a positive answer, whether BYuT is ready to announce the freedom of speech as the key issue of its election campaign and I got a positive answer; whether we are ready to promote it [freedom of speech] after the elections and I got a positive answer. It was not a first love, it was not a "marriage for money", it was a sort of a good solitaire when everything worked out.
2. What thing did you sacrifice for a political career (except for work on TV)?
I deliberately refused to participate in all journalists and manager projects I've been offered recently, as I think that combination of professional activities and campaigning is absurd. And I am really sorry that not all my colleagues shared this idea. I think it's totally absurd when a person works as an election candidate till 2 pm and after 2 pm works as a program editor or producer, who hires reporters or editors and explains them that they should report on the elections in a fair and unbiased way.
So I do hope that my colleagues, who are on party lists - and there are very decent people among them - will quit their professional activities for a campaigning period, otherwise it will undermine the trust to the profession.
- And speaking about everyday life?
Maybe for the first time in my life I felt that I've taken some commitments, even in common life. When you are eating sushi, or go for skiing, or just walking down Khreshchatyk, it means that people are considering you not just as a public figure, but as a person, who represents some political force, I mean this is absolutely a new level of responsibility.
4. Have you ever had a feeling that you are used as a famous face?
I think that due to me the profession is using the elections. I know that following Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc, other political forces attracted journalists to their party lists, and I think it's an indicative issue. Another thing is that you should strictly distinguish those people, who are involved as an absolutely decorative adornment in the election lists, - like sportsmen, show business stars, from those people, who are involved into the campaign for achieving totally concrete goals. These people are the bearers of some ideas, projects and they are running for elections, they are going to the Parliament with a purpose to fulfill them. And speaking about - to use or not to use...
You know, when 3 years ago we came to Poroshenko [Petro Poroshenko, co-founder of Channel 5] with the idea to create Channel 5, a lot of my friends told me that I should not do this, that these will use me, use us for their political intrigues, that they are hard to make agreements with, they do not keep their promises... Had we listened to such things before, Channel 5 would never exist. But we took our risks and the country got Channel 5, journalists' revolution, and totally new standards for the profession. So my philosophical belief is - in my life I have never ever thought who was using me and it could not stop me. I do not care so long as the things, in which I trust, are working out.
5. What if political career fails or ceases being interesting to you - will you come back on TV?
Of course journalism will never lose its importance and actuality for me. There is one mega -project of my life - this is public television and my goal is to make it work in Ukraine. And I will be fighting for a right to implement it. And if the society empowers myself to make it, it will be a big honor for me. And for now I am getting ready to start working in the Parliament, in the Committee on freedom of speech, currently I am taking part in the election campaign. I know that everything I am going is approaching the day when public television will start functioning in Ukraine.
Olga Sumska
1. What were the main incentives for you to go into politics?
I think it's just a right time to say more about the things, which hurt me the most. I was always saying that nothing could be worse than the wasting of time. We have lost a lot - I mean these 13-14 years of our independence we were striving for. So, what stands behind? What are the problems? I have been watching the problems existing in our culture - and we have plenty of them: those in the cinema sphere, in the theatre sphere and lots of problems, which concern our youth. A lot of highly qualified professionals are leaving Ukraine. How can we stop them? We need to start the process of cultural revival right now.
2. What real changes will be made by your political force when it gets to the parliament?
There is a program of very profound actions. Talking about development of cinema, we can follow the way, up to some extent, that Russia's done. They didn't lose this time. And now they are 10-15 years ahead of us. I don't want such a situation to go on. Fate gave me a chance to go with this team and if this team has heard my platform, which concerns development of cinema, renaissance of spirituality in the general and cultural level of Ukraine's capital in particular, theater related problems, informal education - I trust this team is hearing me.
- did they promise you any support?
They hear me. You see, sometimes you have to wait for promises to be made till the end of your days. And you always presume that the promises will not be implemented completely, but I think that in my case everything should work out. We work in harmony and if I got this lucky chance, I have to use it and get involved into a social life as an activist.
3. What thing did you sacrifice for your political career? As far as we can see, you are still on TV. Is it hard to combine TV work and political activities?
Why should it be hard? Everything is efficiently combined and distributed. There are people who deal with this. The key issue is - we should effect, we should start, we should initiate. There are a lot of my colleagues - actors and artists in the Verkhovna Rada and in Kyiv council, but we see that so far we have been rummaging in it, but there is no effect.
- What were the other sacrifices? Just in some everyday routine life?
I wouldn't like to talk about the routine, because every routine should be sacrificed for some wonderful programs if you have it in your life. I always depend on something. Another sacrifice is my children, the time I should have spent with them. But it's ok, they will understand. If we do something useful for our children today, tomorrow they will thank us.
4. Have you ever had a feeling that you are used as a famous face?
What's wrong with that? Nothing is wrong. We go as famous faces and if there is an opportunity to combine the role of a famous face and a good platform, why don't you do that? I don't feel that these people are useing me as a face. They treat me differently. Let's say, before, when I was working in different teams I always felt a sort of negative attitude, fear to stop being demanded, but here I am in demand. You see, a person should always be in demand, it's such a great encouragement.
5. At the moment you are developing both careers - political and creative. And what if your political career fails or ceases being interesting for you - will you come back on TV?
I'll figure out when it's time. Although there is some risk. But people are always making their stakes. Õòî íå ðèçèêóº - òîé íå ïº øàìïàíñüêîãî.
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