The Liberal Party does not intend to satisfy a whim by the initiative to ban the use of the Ribbon of Saint George on Moldova’s territory as this way it makes effort to avoid hotbeds of separatism that can appear under the umbrella of this symbol, Liberal MP Valeriu Munteanu said in the public debate “Ribbon of Saint George that unites and divides: motives and solutions” that was staged by IPN News Agency in cooperation with Radio Moldova.
Valeriu Munteanu stated that the Ribbon of Saint George is a foreign symbol for Moldova and its presentation as a symbol of the victory in World War II is mistaken. Moldova probably has the largest number of people who are nostalgic for the USSR among the ex-Soviet states. Therefore, effort is made to import symbols. The state should thus ensure its security as the separatists in Ukraine fight under this symbol.
The lawmaker reminded that a bill that bans the broadcasting of propaganda by news and debate programs on Russian TV channels is now being discussed in Parliament because Russia interfered in Moldova’s internal affairs during the parliamentary elections and the Bashkan elections in Gagauzia. The outcome of the legislative elections would have been different if the posters showing the Sociologist leaders together with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin had been banned. “We must stop imperialism because it prevents us from developing,” he stated.
Valeriu Munteanu noted that the Liberal Party registered in Parliament the bill to ban the use of this ribbon and drew a parallel with the provision according to which the people are fined if they jaywalk. “It is dangerous for their life and the life of other participants in traffic. It is similar to wearing the Ribbon of Saint George. We consider that discussions should be held on different platforms by which to see how we can defend ourselves from the great Russian imperialism,” he stated.
The public debate “Ribbon of Saint George that unites and divides: motives and solutions” is the 38th of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates”, organized by IPN with support from the German foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
