“Communism for PR’s sake”: what’s wrong with Zelensky’s new program on the railway
фотоколаж: facebook В.Цибулько
The initiative on free travel for Ukrainians is seen by the public as a sign of preparation for the elections. The corresponding presidential program “UZ 3000” is just ordinary populism, which contradicts the strategy of “Ukrzaliznytsia” to stabilize finances and may increase its unprofitability.
This opinion was expressed on the air of “Pryamoy” by Andriy Reva, Minister of Social Policy in 2016-2019, commenting on the government’s initiative offering 3,000 kilometers of free rail travel.
In his opinion, such a step is typical pre-election populism that ignores the real economic challenges facing this state-owned enterprise.
“This initiative has drawn criticism from our civil society, our bloggers, and so on. They see this as a sign of preparation for the elections. And this is being given away for free before the elections…” – shared Reva’s observations.
At the same time, the expert drew a parallel between current politics and Soviet ideas about communism, where all goods are available for free. He ironically noted that Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously positioned himself as a libertarian and opponent of state intervention, is now promoting ideas that completely contradict these principles.
According to the former minister, such a policy not only does not solve the financial problems of the state-owned carrier, but also creates additional pressure on it. He emphasized that any additional passengers, even in “empty” seats, still increase the company’s operating costs.
As a reminder, Ukrzaliznytsia announced the launch of a new support program for Ukrainians – “UZ-3000”, which provides 3 thousand free kilometers for travel . The company is convinced that this initiative will stimulate travel during off-peak periods and make traveling around the country more affordable.
In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the day before that the government is preparing a large-scale “winter support” program, which will come into effect in December. It will include direct payments, social assistance, maintaining fixed tariffs, and free rail travel within the country.
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