From Alliance for Democracy and Reform to Alliance for European Integration – analogies and differences. Info-Prim Neo analysis

[The Alliance for European Integration (AEI)] The leaders of the Democratic parties, Vlad Filat, Mihai Ghimpu, Marian Lupu and Serafim Urecheanu, signed an agreement to form a government coalition called the Alliance for European Integration in front of the press on August 8. By going into partnership, the PLDM, PL, PDM and AMN assume responsibility to bring such areas as democracy, justice, economy and the social sphere to normality, restore Moldova’s authority at internal and foreign levels, improve the relations with the own people and the foreign countries damaged by the Communist regime. They pledge to ensure the freedom of the mass media, including of the public broadcaster, appropriately divide the powers in the state, guarantee the independence of the legal system, reform the law enforcement bodies, thoroughly and objectively investigate the April 7 events with the assistance of foreign experts, overcome the economic crisis, eradicate poverty, fairly manage the public money, eliminate the abusive involvement of the government in economy. The coalition also aims to solve the Transnistrian dispute, bring Moldova closer to the European family, negotiate and sign the association agreement with the EU, abolish the visa regime for Romanians, sign the Convention on Small-Scale Border Traffic with Romania. The four leaders are sure that the Alliance for European Integration will not fail as they discussed all the subtleties concerning the future government. According to them, the important decisions will be taken in concert, no matter what posts they will hold. [The Alliance for Democracy and Reform (ADR)] The Republic of Moldova has already seen an alliance of the Democratic forces, formed in 1998 by the Democratic Convention of Mircea Snegur, the Movement for a Democratic Moldova of Dumitru Diacov, the Party of Democratic Forces of Valeriu Matei and the Christian Democratic People’s Front of Iurie Rosca. The coalition was named the Alliance for Democracy and Reform. It died in nine months after ‘assassinated’, according to experts, by the then president Petru Lucinschi, the Communists and Iurie Rosca. [What the AEI should not take over from the ADR] It is very important that the Alliance for European Integration keep the promises made to the voters and be based on honesty and mutual respect, which was absent in the Alliance for Democracy and Reform, two of the founders of the ADR - Valeriu Matei, ex-deputy speaker of the Parliament and president of the Moldova-EU Cooperation Committee, and Valentin Dolganiuc, former first deputy prime minister of the Government created by the ADR - have told Info-Prim Neo. Valeriu Matei said that the situation in 1998 was different. Then, the country’s president Petru Lucinschi, who was to held the post for several years more, was hostile towards any democratic coalition, but influent enough to obtain the appointment of his Prime Minister – Ion Ciubuc, “who was docile and blackmailable”. After making Rosca an ally, Lucinschi managed to destroy the ADR. “We inherited pension arrears of 2.2 billion lei from the Agrarians, while the default in Russia seriously affected the budgetary sector. Overnight, the dollar rose from 4.5 to 10-11 lei. Even so, the ADR succeeded in maintaining economic stability without consuming the central bank’s reserves as the Communists have done,” Valeriu Matei said. According to Matei, the ADR managed to promote the Moldovan exports on the European market and, more important, obtained the support of the European Union. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the EU was not ratified when the ADR was formed, but it was signed soon. As a result of talks, Moldova obtained the EU’s assurance that in parallel with the finalization of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, it could negotiate and sign the association agreement with the EU, simultaneously with Romania. The accession to the EU was to take place in January 2007. Matei said that 138 legislative documents, the Penal Code and the Civil Code had been adjusted to the European legislation. The Europeans were expecting the application for accession from Lucinschi, but he did not lodge it. The MEPs discussed with the head of state, but all in vain. “Understanding that Iurie Rosca was playing an important role, the ambassador of Germany, which held then the presidency of the Council of Europe, contacted him. After leaving Rosca’s office, the ambassador said that she did not know whose interests he was promoting, but that weren’t the interests of Romania and the EU. After suffering defeat, the ADR decided that the application for accession should be signed by the Premier. One weak before Prime Minister Ion Sturza was to go to Helsinki to file the application, the ADR government was dismissed with the effort of the mentioned players, including Iurie Rosca. Shortly afterward, Rosca moved to Lucinschi’s side and, together with the Communists, dissolved the ADR, the former deputy speaker said. For his part, Valentin Dolganiuc said that the orders were given from outside, the players played their own parts, but aimed at the same goal. “This game destroyed the ADR and brought the Communists to power”. Dolganiuc said that Russia, through the agency of Lucinschi, Ciubuc, and Rosca, stopped the European integration process in Moldova. When created, the ADR inherited an ugly bequest from the Agrarians, who tried to install dictatorship, the quoted source said. While the ADR had governed, the pension arrears were reduced, talks had been held with the EU over providing US$15 million in assistance, which started to be disbursed in January 2001, Moldova became a fully-fledged member of the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe and obtained significant financial resources. After implementing the territorial-administrative reform, the expenditure was cut, and, when Moldova already had financial resources to pay the pensions and salaries, the Communists came to power, enjoying the benefits. Valeriu Matei said that the AIE is in a different situation as the country is illegally headed by a hazardous person who lost credibility, a man who would not have taken on this post if the medical commission that examined his condition had been a principled one. Matei said that “Voronin suffers from Deliriuhn Tremens, which has collateral forms of manifestation, one of which is the fixed idea of establishing dictatorship”. “Moreover, the Communists Party re-legalized by Petru Lucinschi is criminal. It promotes the ideology of a party that liquidated millions of people and installed dictatorships that were more atrocious than the fascist autocracy,” Valeriu Matei said. Valentin Dolganiuc considers that the lack of information and the indoctrination through the national television channel changed the people’s mentality. “They go to the church, pray and then go and vote for the Communists who killed people, deported whole families, assassinated priests and destroyed churches. The people do not understand that Voronin does not pay pensions from his pocket. This is their money lent to the state during their lives,” Dolganiuc said. [What the AEI should take over from the ADR] In order to work without impediments, the AIE should stick to the principles of morality, correctness and honesty. The country should be governed according to an algorithm, taking into account the number of seats held by each party in the Parliament. The algorithm used in all the democratic countries is based on the criterion of representativeness, the two politicians consider. “There is a lot of work to be done. There should be only specialists. Many great minds left the country while the Communists have governed the country,” said Valeriu Matei. According to him, the judges cannot be forgiven for their turpitude as they passed illegal sentences according to the indications of the Communist administration. Matei considers that “the Constitutional Court headed by Pulbere is incapable and ignorant”. The two experts consider that the first steps that should be taken are to immediately change the discredited persons working for the public broadcaster and to reform and depoliticize the law enforcement bodies. The persons that will carry out talks over the settlement of the Transnistrian dispute should be really interested in Moldova’s fate. Valentin Dolganiuc said that over a half of Moldova’s population voted for a change and counts on the wisdom of the four leaders. “If they disillusion the people, they will be sanctioned as the PPCD was and it would be hard to ever get rid of the Communist plague,” Dolganiuc said.