This year, more than 30 MPs from different parties, factions, and groups, who passed the selection process, joined the programme. They are representatives of Holos, Sluha Narodu (Servants of People), Batkivshchyna, European Solidarity, Deputy Group for the Future, and non-faction MPs.
Values as a guideline
When opening the Parliamentary programme, USPS director Svitlana Matviienko noted that a purpose of the seminars is to lay a foundation for an inter-party dialogue. The parliamentary programme is not about teaching but about value orientations for politicians.
In fact, the first seminar was dedicated to values, and it was opened by Yevhen Bystrytsky, Head of the Department of philosophy of culture, ethics, and aesthetics of the Institute of philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and member of the Supervisory Board of USPS.
He discussed with MPs concepts of truth, identity, and responsibility: why a concept of responsibility has taken a central place in the latest philosophical, ethical research and why truth, identity, and responsibility are important concepts for a politician.
Vakhtang Kebuladze, Professor of the Department of theoretical and practical philosophy of the Faculty of philosophy of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, continued the discussion about values with the parliamentarians.
What reforms are of priority for Ukraine?
The first day of the seminar ended with a meeting with Tobias Thyberg, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to Ukraine. He attended the Parliamentary programme to get acquainted with MPs, discuss an agenda of the parliament, and opportunities for cooperation between Sweden and Ukraine.
Tobias Thyberg also noted that anti-corruption and changes in law enforcement agencies and justice should be priority reforms for Ukraine. And only then it will be possible to discuss opening of the land market or privatisation.
On the origins of politics and values of the near future
Perception of politics has changed in societies over time. But in moments of crisis and confusion, it is worth returning to the origins – to study history of the concept from the depths of ancient Greek philosophers.
On the second day of the seminar, participants of the Parliamentary programme spoke about essence of politics and value of the near future with Andriy Baumeister, associate Professor of the Department of theoretical and practical philosophy of the Faculty of philosophy of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
According to the speaker, in the future, values of solitude and quiet will come to the foreground. After all, when publicity and social control reach terrifying limits, a person will again learn to withdraw into oneself. And then, perhaps, feelings and thinking will become deeper and more sophisticated than they are now – in the era of speed, populism, and pursuit for love of masses?
Is populism good or bad?
Ivan Gomza, associate professor of Master’s programme in public policy and governance at Kyiv School of Economics, discussed populism and its consequences with parliamentarians. Election campaigns in Ukraine and globally cannot do without populism – sweet promises that voters so believe in. It seems to us that populism could only have emerged in the post-truth era. But in fact, it came out much earlier than the election campaigns of Trump or Orban.
How to survive all mistakes and fuck ups during one's term in the office?
MPs are also people, and therefore they can make mistakes. Especially given the busy work schedule, media pressure, and growing voter discontent.
Svitlana Zalishchuk, Oleksiy Mushak, and Victoriya Ptashnyk, newly elected MPs and members of EuroOptimists Interfactional Union shared their experience and life hacks of “survival” in the Parliament.
In particular, former MPs spoke about their failures and moments of success during the parliamentary term in office, as well as what life is like after the Parliament.
How do you communicate your values so that they are understood?
A revolution is not an event but a process. The Ukrainian value revolution began in 2013 and continues to this day.
In this process, it is important to communicate our values – about Maidan, Donbas, and Ukrainian patriotism – so that a western information consumer understands and supports Ukraine.
But how? Participants of the Parliamentary program talked about value messages in the right “wrapper” with Mykhailo Vynnytsky, Head of the Secretariat of the National Agency for quality assurance of Higher Education.
How to remember values from day to day and make them a sense of life?
There are very few people who are ready to participate in the process of changing the country on a daily basis. And this is one of the reasons that these changes occur more slowly than we would like. Those who are conscious and active are getting tired and burn out. It was not enough to hold out during Maidan. It was not enough to allow new people to come to power.
How to remember values from day to day and make them a sense of life? Vitaliy Deineha, Head of Come back Alive, a foundation that emerged as a volunteer initiative in 2014 and now trains the military, influences on state policy as an analytical centre, has a veteran direction and takes care that the war is not forgotten until it is over. He spoke to MPs on his values and how to stand for them.
