The OPPOSITION BLOC prepared a five-point plan that would lead Ukraine out of the crisis. “We need a radical change in the political and economic course, we need clear and carefully planned steps to resolve the crisis,” Lovochkin said.
“Ukraine lost three points in the new Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum taking the 79th place among 140 nations - between Guatemala and Tajikistan. This is a clear marker that indicates that the government is rapidly losing its credibility abroad, and only new leadership with a new program can give Ukraine a better prospect,” one of the leaders of the OPPOSITION BLOC Serhiy Liovochkin said. According to the politician, the OPPOSITION BLOC has such a program and is ready to implement it.
“Loud reform statements of the current government went down the drain. Not only did they fail to improve the situation in the country, they actually made it worse,” Lovochkin believes. “Ukraine's position worsened especially on those indicators, which the government is trying to take credit for - corruption and the quality of public institutions. Add to that the loss of political and macroeconomic stability, a financial and banking crisis, the contraction of the domestic market, and you get a full picture of the collapse of the country, which is absolutely unattractive for doing business.”
According to the MP, cosmetic measures will not save Ukraine. “We need a radical change in the political and economic course, we need clear and carefully planned steps to resolve the crisis,” Lovochkin said. - “The OPPOSITION BLOC offers a five-point Ukraine recovery plan developed by our party.”
Step one is to stop the war, ensure lasting peace in Donbas and civil accord in the country, the politician said.
“The Donbas problem should be resolved exclusively at the negotiating table. This will save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, preserve the infrastructure of the region, cut military spending by 35 billion and increase Ukraine’s attractiveness for investors,” the MP said.
According to him, the Opposition Bloc will prepare a peace plan that will reliably unblock the impasse, take into account the interests of all parties to the conflict and allow to achieve civil peace based on recognition of identities of all regions of Ukraine.
“Step two is to ensure the rule of law in the country and stop the lawlessness of radicals,” Serhiy Lovochkin said.
“Extremists terrorizing the country must be stopped,” - the politician believes. - “The OPPOSITION BLOC guarantees complete disarmament of all radical groups and their legislative prohibition, arrest of the most odious individuals and increased criminal penalties for extremism. Either we put an end to extremism or it will destroy the state. There is no other choice.”
Step three is the indexation of wages, pensions and social benefits to inflation. “The official inflation rate since early 2014 will soon reach 100%; meanwhile, the government gave Ukrainians an election sop in the form of 13% indexation. Such indexation cannot restore the standards of living of Ukrainians or bring consumer market to life,” the politician says. - “We plan to adjust the pay rate, including salaries, pensions and social benefits to meet the official inflation rate of 73%. This solution would raise the minimum wage by 900 hryvnias, not 160, as the current government did.”
Step four is the freezing of utility tariffs and prices. “Unrestrained growth of utility tariffs and prices for all goods has driven a significant part of Ukrainians below the poverty line. This cannot continue anymore. The OPPOSITION BLOC considers it its duty to stop the growth of utility tariffs and prices for socially important food products,” Serhiy Lovochkin said.
Furthermore, according to him, the party plans to introduce strict state control over pricing and transparent calculation procedures for utility tariffs. In addition, the new policy will facilitate talks with EU energy suppliers, which will allow to stabilize energy prices.
Step five is the recovery of economy and job creation. “The government has no right to ignore the economy as they do now. We plan to restore systemic support for domestic producers, raise the issue of revision of quotas on Ukrainian exports in the Association Agreement with the EU and use all means stipulated in international treaties protecting the leading industry sectors from the influx of imports,” the MP said.
“This is the only way to restore the Ukrainian economy and create jobs. This is the only way to restore confidence of Ukrainians in their future,” Serhiy Lovochkin concluded.
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