Журнал Viche 2011 №7

№7, 2011

Volodymyr LYTVYN: “To my Native Village I run at full tilt”

The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has repeatedly admitted that he gets very tired with policy and politicians. And then he goes to Sloboda-Romanivska to see his parents as if he runs at full tilt. Thus it doesn’t matter for them whether he is the Chairman of the Parliament or not; for them he is just a son. By the way, both mother and father could not remember which position Petro occupied in the army. Is it important for them? Parents are more concerned about stirring life of their sons who rarely visit them. When mother listens to what is happening in the Verkhovna Rada, she says her son “to give up that damned work and go home, because such a good potato has grown...”

Dear Mr. Lytvyn!

You are going to celebrate your 55th birthday. You are honoured by friends and relatives, fellow party members, parliamentarians, government officials, representatives of the international community.

You made your first steps into the great life on the floor of your father’s house in the village Sloboda-Romanivska which is in the Zhytomyr region. The sacrament of christening took place there and there you were named Volodymyr which is an ancient Russ name.

Getting older you learnt with interest the world around, the traditions and everyday wisdom of fellow villagers-Polishchuks, plunged with head into the book world of the local library. Thirst for knowledge and curiosity led you to the Shevchenko University. There you continued a productive scientific research, later defended candidate and doctoral dissertations, became an author of over 270 scientific works and books, won the State Prize of Ukraine.

Wisdom and prudence used to distinguish and still distinguish you also at the state work: when you were the head of the Presidential Administration, and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, and the leader of the People’s Party. For outstanding personal contribution to the development of state-building in Ukraine, reforming of political system, and promoting the ideals of civic unity and harmony in the society you have been given with the highest rank – the Hero of Ukraine.

Your relatives and friends, your countrymen, you do not lose the links with, are justly proud of you. Tired of politics and politicians as if you had wings you fly to your village, to the parent house. Because this is the place where you feel in a family way and connected to earth, you breathe full breasts the air infused with mother's motley grass, and get a surge of adrenaline and enthusiasm to the new heights of prosperity in the name of mother-Ukraine.

Many happy returns of the day!

The editorial team of the “Viche” magazine.