In Moldova, there is no communication in parts between the subjects with a geopolitical impact – promoters of the orientation to the East and promoters of the orientation to the West and between them and society. Currently, we are witness to inefficient communication and, unfortunately, it seems that there are several parallel worlds, Angela Kolatski, lecturer at the Department of Political and Administrative Sciences of the State University of Moldova, said in the public debate “Geopolitical genes” of Moldovans: between myth and reality” that was staged by IPN and Radio Moldova.
According to the lecturer, there is a myth that this division between the East and the West is recent, but the Roman Empire was actually divided into the Eastern part and the Western part and our ancestors were at the limit of the two. There cannot be geopolitical genes, but the collective mentality of the Moldovans of the 21st century embodies features of the national character inherited from people who coexisted here during centuries. The geopolitical changes in Moldova are so slow because the process itself is programmed in the geographical position of the state.
Angela Kolatski said two worlds meet in the Republic of Moldova – the Western one and the Asian one – and these both exist in any Moldovan. “When we ask ourselves why reforms are done so slowly, we should take into account the existence of the two worlds. The Western world says: “we exist, because I exist”, while the Eastern mentality says: “I exist because we exist”. The difference resides in who is placed in the forefront – the personality with its interests, when the community conforms, or the personality with its interests is ranked second,” she stated.
“In the Republic of Moldova, Western mentality is based on the value of private property from which the other values derive, such as human rights and freedom of expression. If the private property is not a value for the people, the things related to rights are not vital. We are now a society in transition – from a society that wasn’t founded based on property to a society that depends on the human factor. Therefore, the process is long-lasting.”
According to Angela Kolatski, the geopolitical face of Moldova is only being shaped. Society often forgets and expects that the politicians will be preoccupied only with the interests of the people and will forget about the personal interests. “The politician is first of all a human being. When we speak about interests, we also speak about political interests at individual and group levels and about the national interest, which is the highest form of interest. In reality, there is a combination between the personal, group and supreme interests expected by some of us,” she said.
The lecturer noted that the geopolitical message in the Republic of Moldova is increasingly radicalized by politicians because the interminable transition creates the sensation of vulnerability and expectance of concrete and simplistic answers understood by the people who are not experts in politics. That’s why political myths appear amid problems and vulnerabilities in reaction to difficulties. “In such a situation society can do a very simple thing: to develop critical thinking and to realize that my interest can be achieved as I want only by me and by no one else,” stated Angela Kolatski.
The public debate “Geopolitical genes” of Moldovans: between myth and reality” is the 73rd installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture by public debates” that are staged with financial support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
