The president’s bill on the prevention of threats to the national security associated with the excessive influence of persons with significant economic or political weight in public life (oligarchs) will not work to destroy the oligarchy in Ukraine, but will bring total control over the media closer, leader of the Ukrainian Strategy of Groysman party, ex-prime minister Volodymyr Groysman said at the Freedom of Speech by Savik Shuster on Ukraina TV channel on June 4.
Groysman did not rule out that there is a political will to actually get rid of oligarchic influences, but most of the terms and articles of the bill concern not the oligarchs, but the media, the press service of the politician reported.
“I suppose that this is an unprofessional gift for the Day of Journalists. This is not a fight against the oligarchy, but a fight for the authorities to control 100% of the media space of Ukraine,” Groysman said.
According to the politician, the correct political will is to overcome the oligarchy. “But we must fight for the best political solution, protect freedom of speech. Journalists should work calmly, and Ukrainians should determine and choose… Get your hands off freedom of speech,” he urged.
Groysman said that the bill should include at least three main things – freedom of the media, the announcement of official-oligarch meetings, and the possibility of polygraph testing of officials for corruption.
“Submit a high-quality document – do not give this crudely-written obscure document,” the leader of the party said.
