Pension Reform……..Again

Well dear readers, it has been a while since I have mentioned Sergiy Tigipko…..I guess he has been too busy for press statements of late or is wiser than most politicians and when he has nothing to say….he says nothing.

Interfax-Ukraine
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Policy Sergiy Tigipko has said that the parliament’s decision to postpone the consideration of pension reform as the sabotage of the country’s reform drive.

“The [parliament] lacks the political will to assume the responsibility for unpopular reforms. It is inappropriate populism, populism in the ‘best’ political traditions of the past years,” his press service quoted him as saying on March 18.

“The need to raise the retirement age is in fact obvious to all experts. The opponents of this have only political playacting and the desire to please somebody, and they have no serious arguments,” Tigipko said.

He also said that any delay in pension reform would be an obstacle in the fight against poverty in the country, and as is well known, the poorest Ukrainians are single, old age retirees.

“It means that there will be no funds to pay pensions and salaries,” he said.

He added that a delay in reform would seriously complicate the process of the implementation of cooperation programs with international organizations and be an obstacle to the European integration of Ukraine.

Well, he is quite right of course.  Another nettle that the RADA seems unwilling to grasp despite the absolutely obvious and critical need to do so.

Maybe some other politicians should take a leaf from his (and Yatseniuk’s) book and say nothing when there is nothing to say.  Any statement they then make has far more impact than the incessant droning on and on of certain others.

Simple fact is that the State pension fund does not raise enough money to pay the State pensions looking forward.  Let us not forget the reason Ms Tymoshenko is allegedly in the smelly brown mire, is borrowing money from environmental funds to pay State pensions.  Last year part of the IMF loan was used to balance the State pension funds.

This year and possibly next, will be the last years of IMF funding that can be artificially used to bail out the pension fund.

Unless it is reformed not only will there not be enough money to actually meet the current demands, there will certainly not be the money available to raise them in an effort to even attempt to combat the inflationary pressures Ukrainian pensioners face…..in effect reducing the worth of an already meager allowance.

This week is turning into a week of failed opportunity in the RADA (from politicians of all colours) who are playing to either their own personal interests (anti-corruption laws) or populism (pensions)…….in neither case doing the nation any favours today or for the future.

Very sad!

It’s still awkward…….having Mossad on the train

Yes, yes.  I know I have mentioned the story about the suspected removal of Mr Sisi from Ukrainian soil and his reappearance in an Israeli jail once or twice this week already.

As I said in my last post on the subject, the Ukrainian Prime Minister is currently in Israel at the moment and was sure to have the issue raised.

Here is a little snippet from an Harretz interview with him whilst in Israel during which this incident was put to him:

Can you respond to reports that the Palestinian engineer, Dirar Abu Sisi, was kidnapped on Ukrainian soil by Israeli intelligence agents?

We don’t have clear information right now. The matter is being investigated by officials responsible for state security. Until we know something for certain, we can’t respond.

Theoretically, if the information turns out to be correct, what would that mean?

I don’t want to imagine that such things are carried out on the soil of a friendly state.

An obvious inference that, as far as he is concerned, Ukraine was not informed of this action.

I will keep my eyes peeled and ears to the ground for the formal Ukrainian response to the UN……when it has worked out what to say!