At what stage of its historical development does Moldova find itself on the eve of its 24th anniversary from economic, political and social points of view? Is the development process normal, fast, slow? What are the lessons we have learned and those we are yet to learn? What are the short-term and long-term prospects of Moldovan society? These are the questions IPN is trying to answer through a series of articles titled “Moldova at 24 years of age: Who are we? Where are we going?”, by speaking to experts from different fields.
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Political scientist Mihai Cernencu says that after 24 years of independence, Moldova is still only halfway through transition and the rule of law is yet to be established. Parties still aren't genuine political institutions and the judiciary is like a caste, a corrupt and mafia-like system. Justice isn't for the people, but for clans. “Unfortunately, the judiciary is probably Moldova's weakest point because it tolerates corruption, destroys the financial system, doesn't protect the citizens' rights and undermines the rule of law”, explained Cernencu.
He thinks Moldova is at a crossroads, after signing the EU Association Agreement, which has already been ratified by all EU members. The biggest issue is to put this agreement into practice. Cernencu says that if it's fully implemented, alongside the necessary reforms, in the next 4 to 12 years, it may put an end to transition and establish the rule of law. The main achievement is that the EU trusted us by signing the agreement and the biggest disappointment is that after 1.5 years, it's still not implemented.
“After 24 years of independence, we are told that we are a captured state. But the country has been captured long ago by the Communists. Today's oligarchs simply took over from Voronin. Only the Association Agreement could help us overcome this situation”, said Cernencu.
The political pundit thinks the country's development process isn't unusual, but simply delayed. “Moldova has never had proper statehood. These are the first steps towards the strengthening of the state. It's something normal. It's for a reason that the Jews wandered through the desert for 40 years, until the last Jew who remembered being a slave in Egypt died. We still have people who think USSR was paradise and tell their children fairy tales about how fine it was to live in the USSR. When all those who long for USSR die, Moldova will finally complete its transition”, explained Cernencu.
In 24 years, he says, Moldova has failed to find alternative energy sources, safe export markets and we are still being hit with Russian embargoes. We have only learned that if we do reforms, the EU can accept us. We have to wait and see how the EU Association Agreement is implemented, because this is, according to the pundit, Moldova's biggest achievement in 24 years.
He feels that at the moment the country's European integration prospects are gloom. If the Association Agreement is implemented in 10 years, we may still have a chance. Romania wanted to bring Moldova in the EU in 2018, but after the recent developments, nobody will promise anything. Nobody is talking about a membership application. If politicians realize that implementing the Association Agreement is the only way to build a normal society, Cernencu thinks we may finally be able to praise the government at the country's 30th anniversary.
Mariana Galben, IPN
