IPN interview with the president of the Party “Action and Solidarity” Maia Sandu on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the declaration of Independence
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– What is the most important accomplishment over the 27 years of Independence in your opinion and why? What didn’t we manage to obtain as a state during these years?

– The most important accomplishments are probably the freedoms we gained after we obtained independence. The people struggled to obtain these freedoms and succeeded! Certainly, the fact that our community sought rights and managed to gain them together by unity and courage is an as important accomplishment. Regrettably, the freedoms gained with difficulty 27 years ago and that seemed almost impossible to be gained before the declaration of Independence are constantly attacked by those who should be their guarantors – representatives of the government. We should now again struggle not to lose the basic civil rights. It depends on us, each member of society, how we want our country to look like and to remember, based on the experience of the years  before the obtaining of Independence, that the freedoms are gained with great difficulty, sometimes at the cost of someone’s own life, but are lost very easily.

The institutions that should represent and defend the citizens form the foundations of the democratic state. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to build powerful institutions that would serve the common interest. These were and remain weak and vulnerable before the politicians or rich people who use them in their interests.

– What did the Independence for citizen Maia Sandu and her family mean?

– Independence meant for us first and foremost the recovery of the national, Romanian values and also the understanding of democracy, which is as important.

– How will the 28th, eventually, the 29th and 30th anniversaries of the declaration of Independence differ from the current anniversary?

– I will not make predictions. To a great extent, the way in which we will feel in a year, two or three years depends on what we will do meanwhile. We have the option to struggle for a state of everyone that will be based on the rule of law or to allow things to deteriorate further.  We make the choice.

–Why should a citizen of the Republic of Moldova feel proud to be a citizen of this state?

– Even if our state today offers sufficient reasons for being proud of it in the community of which we form part, there are also valuable persons owing to whom we feel proud to be part of this community. The people around us, either they obtain important international awards or teach whole generations of children to become responsible adults, day by day, with devotion, despite low salaries, either they are craftspersons, musicians, doctors, professors or entrepreneurs, these parsons make us be proud daily. These people are the Republic of Moldova.

Elena Nistor, IPN

Note: IPN News Agency conducted ‘mirror’ interviews (with similar questions) with representatives of the government and opposition leaders.