Ukraine PM says No Need for State Of Emergency 11/8/09 7:49am est

The Ukraine Prime Minister has said there is No Need for a State of Emergency For the Flu Epidemic happening.

Two thoughts regarding this:

First it is all about political wrangling happening in the Ukraine and the elections coming up (which I have not put information about that - that is another subject on it's own). If a State of Emergency is called, then the elections can be postponed.

Second - Why the Hell was a National Emergency called in the U.S. by President Obama, when the situation is nothing like it is in the Ukraine? The spread of a disease/flu/plague is not doubling overnight and shutting down the country, like it is in the Ukraine.

From article:

KIEV, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Saturday she saw no need for declaring a state of emergency in the country over a flu epidemic that has killed 135 people.

Late on Friday, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) chief, Raisa Bohatyryova, said there were 'constitutional prerequisites' for a state of emergency amid the epidemic, which had left over 871,000 people infected as of November 6.

Tymoshenko said emergency measures, including quarantine, were being taken in a number of regions.

"Nothing beyond emergency measures is needed - it is only necessary to implement all organizational and medical procedures," the UNIAN news agency quoted Tymoshenko as saying.

Later on Friday, Ihor Popov, deputy chief of the presidential staff and presidential representative in Ukraine's parliament, said the NSDC would soon consider declaring a state of emergency which could delay the presidential polls scheduled on January 17, 2010 until May.

However, Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said neither the opposition Party of Regions, nor Tymoshenko's bloc was interested in such a decision, which would extend current President Viktor Yushchenko's term in office.

"Today, I can see no reason for taking such a decision," Lytvyn said when visiting the Cherkassy Region on Saturday. The city in central Ukraine, where some 4,100 people have been infected with flu, has also been put in quarantine.

Ukrainian election officials registered on Friday the final two candidates for the country's presidential election, bringing the field to 16. The list includes incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko, Tymoshenko and Party of Regions leader and former premier Viktor Yanukovych, who lost the previous vote to Yushchenko following the 2004 "orange revolution."

Both Yushchenko and Lytvyn are polling in the low single digits.

Yushchenko team unveils sinister plans for declaring state of emergency 11/7/09 7:46am est

Western Information Agency: Yushchenko team unveils sinister plans for declaring state of emergency

From article:

Speaking live on the popular 5th TV Kanal Nov. 6, the secretary of the national security and defense council, NSDC, Rayisa Bohatyryova, said the number of flue victims is so large it may be necessary to declare the state of emergence to effectively deal with the outbreak. [According to the health ministry, as of Nov. 5, there were 13 cases of the swine flue by a London lab. The number of Ukrainian who died from all kinds of flue and cold stands at about 100, or fewer than in 2008 – Ed.].

The constitution gives enough legal ground for Yushchenko to declare the emergency, Bohatyryova claimed.

As the country’s politicians cannot join their forced to combat the flue epidemic, the state of emergency may help to do this, Bohatyryova continued. All the causes of why Ukraine found itself amid the flue hurricane must be investigated and perpetrators be brought to account. But the punishment can come later. Not it is important to help the population and not to sow panic, the official summed up.

Another Yushchenko insider, his deputy chief of staff Ihor Popov believes the uncontrolled swine flue epidemic is a good enough reason for putting off the presidential election till May 30, Popov writes in his article “Elections lead to swine scenario” published by the Ukrayinska Pravda.

The flue outbreak has radically changed the course of presidential campaigning in Ukraine. It affected campaign priorities, played havoc with campaign plans, leading candidates’ teams to revise spin tactics to hype their candidates, Popov said.

In his opinion, the outbreak in Ukraine was quite timely, as without all the hubbub and rhetoric about the flue the ratings of presidential candidates would not have changed even by Feb. 7. It is the full-sized epidemic, when all Ukrainians are involved with their emotions and panic, that can affect the voting results, the official claimed.

Popov ruled out the purposeful nature of the outbreak. “Experts proved that the epidemic is here and it will take more than a week to deal with it. Unfortunately, we missed the start of the epidemic, as we did the financial crisis,” Popov noted.

Popov then listed benefits from the state of emergency, saying it will allow to control the distribution of drugs with the help of interior troops, enforce the ban on mass rallies, ensure implementation of decisions by the NSDC and minimize declarations by politicians regarding the flue handling. Also, the vertical chain of staffs set up as a result of declaring the state of emergency will curb red-tape and competition of ministries.

“I hope, the cabinet will be able to deal with the epidemic without declaring the state of emergency. However, if the virus and panic are not brought to heel, the head of the government will be faced with a serious dilemma,” he warned.

“If the state of emergency is declared for 2 months, the new date for presidential election can fall on May 30 to coincide with local elections, something which will save the country a billion hryvnia. Double elections will complicate the work of election commissions but we have to save in the recession,” Popov stressed.

You can not make this up, these are officials saying the virus/plague is quite convenient to the politicians the of the Ukraine! So, before thinking "conspiracy theory" - this information is coming from the Top in the Ukraine! I wonder how convenient it is to those are have gotten sick and have died from this virus/plague?