The Ukrainian NGO Чесно or “Chesno” which has made a pretty good attempt at identifying each RADA MP in the previous parliament with their numerous personal integrity failings in the past, be they issues of swapping political parties, corruption, illegal voting, being oligarchy puppets etc., etc, and has arrived at a similar graphic display for the new parliament, which is as yet to take up its role.
Even the new parties that have never been in the Ukrainian parliament before are not without their nefarious members - due to the fact that politics in Ukraine is not run by ideology but by individual MPs political survival, and thus any party will do if you are a politician who is up for reelection as long as that party will offer you a better chance with them of being reelected.
The net result? - Every party in the next parliament is tainted by previously perceived corrupt MPs amongst their ranks.
In short, of the 450 RADA MPs that form the new Ukrainian parliament, 331 have been previously named and shamed for their nefarious activities. One can only presume that the remaining 119 thus far untainted MPs, will soon learn the rules of the integrity-less cesspit they are about to enter.
Who wants to place a bet that by 2017 when the next parliamentary elections occur, Chesno will have a figure far higher than the 331 mired MPs which begin this parliament as already tainted? Will more than a handful actually manage to remain clean throughout the next 5 years of the new parliament?
(Oh and before I sign off for the day, remember this I wrote a few days ago relating to the 2013 budget? Well today it was passed by the out-going parliament as I intimated it would be, with 242 votes in favour. The vote breakdown was PoR 187, People’s Party 20, OU-PSD 5, Reforms for the Future Party 19 and a total of 11 independents in favour of the 2013 budget and 69 votes against.)