UKRAINIANS MARK ‘HOLODOMOR’ IN KL
They commemorate millions of victims of Great Famine in 1932-33 under Soviet rule
THE small Ukrainian community in the country solemnly commemorated the Holodomor recently. The Holodomor (or death by hunger) is an annual day of remembrance that falls on the fourth Saturday of November, observed by Ukrainians since 1998.
It is also held as a tribute to the millions of victims of the Great Famine, regarded as one of the horrifying atrocities suffered by Ukrainians during the 1932-33 period under the Soviet Union rule.
Staff members of the Ukrainian embassy in Malaysia, led by counsellor Denys Mykhailuik, joined a dozen-odd Ukrainians to observe the Holodomor near the confluence of Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang near Masjid Jamek recently.
The gathering saw them holding lit candles and stalks of wheat.
Ukrainian ambassador Olexander Nechytaylo said the Holodomor was a result of the communist regime seeking to exterminate millions of Ukrainians.
“The Great Famine of 1932-1933 was one of the most heinous, yet least known crimes, committed by the communists during their 70-year rule in Ukraine.
“The term Holodomor was coined from the Ukrainian noun holod (hunger, or starvation) and the verb moryty (to kill).
“Documents provide conclusive evidence that the (Soviet leader Joseph) Stalin-masterminded famine of 1932-1933 meets the definition of genocide as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Prevention of Genocide, adopted by the General Assembly on Dec 9, 1948.
“The facts reveal that the communist-led extermination policy was directed against the Ukrainian people,” he said.
For decades, he added, the previous Soviet Union tried not only to hide the truth about the Holodomor
in Ukraine, but also to destroy its memory.
“The Holodomor was a taboo in the Soviet media, academic research or even family conversations.
“I have some experience about it.
“When I asked my history teacher in high school about the Great Famine, based on my grandmother’s story describing some of her siblings dying of hunger in 1932, it caused a great deal of distress and for the first time, it made me realise the hypocritical nature of the Soviet regime.
“No doubt, any careless word may indeed ruin one’s life,” Nechytaylo said.
However, despite all the dangers, there were people who realised they had a responsibility to tell the truth and could not remain silent, he added.
“Ukrainians are honouring the memory of those killed by the famine and expressing deep gratitude to all those who broke through the ‘iron curtain’ of propaganda, preserved the memory of this atrocity, and restored the truth about the Holodomor.
“The horrible tragedy of the Holodomor in the end changed the course of history for our nation.
“Thirty years after the proclamation of independence, Ukraine stands tall as a democratic nation despite continuous efforts to take away our freedom.
“Our identity is defined not only by the unique historical experiences, language and songs or cuisine, but also by a centurieslong political culture, ultimate value of personal liberties and deeply-rooted sense of belonging to the wider European family,” he said.
Nechytaylo added that by sharing the truth, no matter how hard it might be, they could make sure that the world never forgot or saw such a tragedy happening again.