Where is our Right to Choose? 

Dear Reader,
On first glance, it may seem we are trying to talk about the forthcoming elections in the European parliament, the US or in Ukraine as a matter of choice for the public, but there are other choices to be made by us everyday, in satisfying our food, shelter and other needs. We would like to talk about these “little things”. By far, they are vital and more indispensable than the election fever which rocks any country like earthquake, albeit with regular periodicity. 
In this issue we devote a lot of attention to food, agriculture, and related to it civilization aspects of the matriarchal Trypillya — the hub of ancient form of “sustainable development” and “gender parity”. In fact, looking at religion, culture, anthropological and historical evidence we see that peace, harmony, sustainable agriculture and advancement of women are interrelated. A little dip into history not only allows us to romanticize the past, but also opens doors to analyzing the socialist collectivization, artificial famine and other trauma bleeding this land with 40% of the richest black soil reserves on earth. 
The problem with today's food is not lack of supply or choice. Looking at the number of restaurants, various schools of cuisine springing out like mushrooms, supermarkets hoarded with products can or should we complain of choice? No, at least in the countries of East Europe and the former Soviet Union, where each had to waste multiple human-hours and queue up for basic necessities. 
But look at the composition of the foodstuff. There the devil lives, in the details — in the consumer culture promoted by the media and monopolistic nature of the unregulated emerging market. Do you know if your food is GM or GM-free? No. Like in Ukraine the situation in other former Soviet republics is the same. 
People of Ukraine did not have any choice when the Chernobyl explosion happened. And it is still in a precarious state. We know how this worst accident finally led to the collapse of the Soviet regime and accelerated the Green dimension in European politics. The issue with GM is the same, if not worse. Even being one of the biggest actors in the world grain market, Ukraine's position with regard to this polarized GM debate is not noticeable. Traders in GM products are much favored investors in Ukraine; scientists-lobbyists are myopic and have sold themselves to corporations, and in this context, before the policymakers, the anti-GM groups are nothing but troublemakers. Without clear rules in this GM game, the consequences of this “slow holocaust” will be no less than the horrors of famine, totalitarian repression and genocide. 
Wider Europe widened choices for its citizens. Food stuffs have to be marked. People all over the world are saying to their governments — give us the choice — to buy that food which we like and about which we have full information. Give us full economic democracy and not just the right to cast the vote in the ballot box. If we cannot demand this basic economic democracy from those governments, which have failed to respond to the GM issue, where is our right to choose? 

Mridula Ghosh