Journalists Indict!

IPN.md

19 May 2008
21:14

The Moldovan Union of Journalists (UJM), in partnership with a number of independent media institutions, launched on Monday, May 16, a report of anti-press acts committed by the Communist government during 2001-2008, called “Journalists Indict!”, Info-Prim Neo reports.

The report’s authors indict the Communist government for waging war against the independent press and for violating citizens’ rights to information. UJM chairman Valeriu Saharneanu has told a news conference that the intention of the project is to draw the society’s attention to the fact that the press in Moldova is unable to develop because of an anti-press policy promoted by the Communist government since it took power until present days. The saddest finding of the report is that the official policy in the area of mass media is restricted to disinformation and censorship. “This seal on our reality can explain why Moldova is Europe’s poorest, most corrupt and democratically immature country”, the UJM chairman pointed out.

According to Valeriu Saharneanu, the results of this state policy are that the space for public debates has been maximally limited; the capacity of the free press to produce effects on the public opinion is weakened; the sources of propaganda used by the ruling party and its allies have increased in number and diversity. The report finds that the bodies which are engaged the most in exerting control over the press are the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS), the President’s Office, the Government, and the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC).

The UJM chairman complained that since 2001 until present the BCC has regarded the independent press with hostility. The Council is guilty of the fact that Teleradio Moldova Company hasn’t yet become a truly public national broadcaster. “We regard this as a crime against the Constitution, of the state and the people, and we are dismayed by the fact that the law enforcement bodies haven’t done anything about that”, said Saharneanu.

At the same time, the journalists warn of unfriendlier conditions for the free press in this pre-electoral year and express their fear that the Communist Party’s craving for power will bear upon them. Val Butnaru, the director of “Jurnal de Chisinau” newspaper, thinks that this year will be extremely tough for the press, giving the agony of the Communist government, which makes it increasingly dangerous. It is now the time that journalists start sending clear messages to the West, which doesn’t understand yet that a latent dictatorship exists in Moldova and therefore is inclined to trust the authorities.

The report “Journalists Indict!” will remain open for the next two weeks. Until May 30, when the UJM Congres is to take place, all the editors and directors of media institutions can contribute to the report.

valeriu saharneanu despre constatarile raportului.mp3

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Iurie Tap: The APL reform must create authorities capable of providing services to the population

by Iana Josu 28.07.2026

The reform of local public administration must lead to the creation of functional local authorities, capable of financing their activity and providing quality services to citizens. The statement belongs to Iurie Tap, doctor in administrative sciences, and was made during the public debate “How is the effectiveness of local public administration reform assessed: by costs, quality of services or the level of development of territories?”, organized by the IPN Press Agency.

According to the expert, the current administrative system does not allow many local authorities to effectively exercise their duties. He argues that over 70% of the 898 first-level administrative-territorial units fail to finance their own administrative apparatus, which limits their ability to provide public services and implement projects for communities.

“People’s question is: why do I need an authority that cannot provide me with the necessary services?”, said Iurie Tap. He mentioned that numerous localities fail to provide basic services, such as water supply and sewage. In his opinion, a functional local administration should be able to cover at least half of its budget from its own revenues.

Regarding the second level of local public administration, Iurie Tap believes that sufficiently strong structures need to be created to manage services that cannot be efficiently organized by each community individually, such as education, health and institutional social protection. According to him, decentralization represents both an efficient method of administration and a political reform intended to contribute to the democratization of the state and society.

In this context, the expert advocates for the organization of the country into three administrative regions – North, Center and South -, which should have their own competencies in the field of regional development. These are expected to be governed by councils elected by citizens and accountable to them. In his opinion, such an organization could contribute to reducing development disparities between regions.

At the same time, Iurie Tap criticized the transfer of some competences from the local level to the territorial structures of the central public administration, mentioning that the establishment of new agencies does not automatically guarantee more efficient public services.

In the expert’s view, the future administrative-territorial units should be balanced in terms of population, area, and financial capacity, taking into account demographic, economic, territorial and cultural criteria. He believes that the reform can be prepared in the remaining period, but its success depends on the existence of a clear vision and the will to implement it.

Disclaimer: This material was developed by the IPN Press Agency, within the project “Local Government Reform in Dialogue”, financed by the Ministry of Culture from the Media Subsidy Fund.