[lg policy] Ukraine: The Draft Law =?windows-1252?Q?=91On_the_Principles_of_the_State_Language_Policy=92_?=is a Significant Step in Ensuring the Democratic Rights and Freedoms

Fri Dec 2 16:57:37 UTC 2011

The Draft Law 'On the Principles of the State Language Policy' is a
Significant Step in Ensuring the Democratic Rights and Freedoms
29 November 2011

The Institute of Russian Language and Literature named after N.V Gogol
believes that the Draft Law 'On the principles of the state language
policy' is a significant step in ensuring the democratic rights and
freedoms of the Ukrainian citizens.

This Draft Law was initiated by people's deputies of Ukraine Serhiy
Kivalov and Vadym Kolesnichenko.
This is stated in the expert opinion of V. Zvinyatskovskiy, Doctor of
philological sciences, professor, Director of the Institute of Russian
Language and Literature named after N.V Gogol of Ukrainian Academy of
Russian Studies on the Draft Law 'On the principles  of the state
language policy' (No. 9073 from 26.08.2011) which was initiated by
people's deputies of Ukraine Serhiy Kivalov and Vadym Kolesnichenko.

Particularly, in the expert opinion it is stated: 'The first and the
most important idea of the proposed law is emphasized in the preamble
- strengthening the status of the state Ukrainian language is a key
factor in creating the national identity of the Ukrainian people, a
guarantee of its national and state sovereignty. It is very important
that this Draft Law is directed forward a guaranteed strengthening of
the status of the Ukrainian language, approving its prospects as one
of the most widespread national languages in Europe (by the real
media) (Article 6).

The concept of the native language is the most important idea, clearly
carried out in all clauses  of the bill, 'Native language - is the
first language the person is captured in early childhood' (Article 1)

'It should be noted that the practical use of this correct democratic
principle of the definition of the native language can come upon the
subjective and objective obstacles, which, anyway shouldn't embarrass
anyone or shouldn't interfere. Furthermore, their very existence is an
argument for the correctness of the letter and spirit of the bill
under discussion'.

'The decisive moment has come in the history of the Ukrainian
language. This moment comes earlier or later in the history of any
language: when extralinguistic, not linguistic factors determine its
fate. Thus, the adoption of the Draft Law, which is now under
discussion as the primary law, providing the language policy in the
country could be very necessary and important primarily in
guaranteeing the security of existence, now and henceforth a necessary
and sufficient number of carriers of the correct, uniform, normalized,
literary Ukrainian language in Ukraine. That is - for the public to
ensure linguistic and general cultural education to those citizens
whose native language is not actually coincides with the state,
primarily in order to qualitatively (from scratch!) to teach these
people the correct model of the state language ', - it is stressed in
the expert opinion.

'The mechanisms for determining the need for getting education in a
particular language and for an appropriate educational services are
clearly fixed up at the Draft Law. (Article 20, Clause 3 - 6, 11).'

'The adoption of this Draft Law (based on comments above) is a
significant step forward in ensuring the democratic rights and
freedoms of the Ukrainian citizens, in strengthening the status of the
Ukrainian language as a state language, in real establishment and
development of both - the state - Ukrainian - language and the real
multilingualism. This can surely improve and meet the needs of the
Ukrainian citizens, in general and language education. That would
firstly meet the current European standards and, secondly - the
objective conditions and subjective needs', - scientists summing up.

Vadym Kolesnichenko, people's deputy of Ukraine, co-author of the
Draft Law, expressed his sincere thanks to everybody who worked
constructively on changes to the Draft Law 'On the principles of the
state language policy', as well as on the analysis of its rules in
order to improve

'I would like to assure you that the objective and the legal
observations must be taken into account when drafting the Draft Law in
parliament', - the people's deputy said. 'Sincere thanks to scientists
for whom science, the rule of law and human rights are above political
expediency' - summarized Vadym Kolesnichenko.

We'd like to admit that the Draft Law 'On the principles of the state
language policy' earlier was also supported by the National Linguistic
University, the Ternopil National Pedagogical University, the National
Pedagogical University, named after M.P. Drahomanov, Odessa National
University named after I.I.Mechnikov, community organizations of
Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine, and approved by
representatives of 18 organizations of national minorities of Ukraine
in their letter to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.

http://r-u.org.ua/en/news/419-news.html

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