Government funds “Moldova Suverana” and “Nezavisimaia Moldova” because they mirror its policies better – top communist politician

The newspapers “Moldova Suverana” and “Nezavisimaia Moldova” (denationalised in 2005) reflect the Government’s policies better, so that it has the moral right to support these editions, head of the Parliamentary Commission for culture, science, education, sports and mass media, communist MP Victor Stepaniuc told “Jurnal de Chisinau” newspaper. According to the publication, quoted by Info-Prim Neo, Stepaniuc’s opinion was asked in concern with a Government’s recent decision to allocate from the reserve Fund almost half a million lei as “unique financial assistance”, in order to enable the two newspapers to pay off their debts for the printing. As Stepaniuc says, the practice to finance the newspapers that “mirror the Government’s policies more clearly” is a common occurrence in other countries as well. At the same time, he thinks that the Government should not support opposition newspapers too “as long as there is a financial crisis in the country”. As he asserts, a fair part of the opposition newspapers does not work to the benefit of Moldova, “they say they represent the opposition media, but are in fact promoting some neighbour countries’ stances”. On the other hand, democrat MP Dumitru Ivanov, member of the same Commission, says the statements labelling these newspapers independent is mere misinformation. Certainly, some governments do fund newspapers, but in Moldova this is done just to have obedient newspapers, he said. Another member of the Commission, AMN MP Anatol Onceanu considers as inadmissible to allocate money for the mentioned purpose from the reserve Fund of the Government. This is an abusive decision. As he claims, all the central institutions are obliging their employees to subscribe these newspapers, and there are indications that serious advertising is placed in exactly these publications, he stated. Head of the Journalists’ Union Valeriu Saharneanu stated in turn that this decision proves the government’s recognition that the two institutions which underwent the so-called privatisation continue to serve, as previous, as “propaganda tools”. The Government decided at its last year’s session to allocate from the reserve Fund 376,800 lei for “Moldova Suverana” and 81,300 lei for “Nezavisimaia Moldova” as “unique financial assistance”. The denationalisation of the two governmental institutions was one of the PPCD’s terms forwarded to Vladimir Voronin in exchange for the support in electing him as President.