Expert Igor Boațn said political consensus should exist as regards the fight against the pandemic. There should be consensus among all the sections of society as to the measures that should be taken to overcome the current crisis and for the post-crisis period. In the other areas, there should be held debates. Also, the opposition should be more incisive if it has solutions to the current situation, but should act decently. The political debates in a decent framework are also welcome, the expert stated in a public debate entitled “Pandemic and Politics, barriers and chances of consensus” that was staged by IPN News Agency.
Igor Boțan reminded that Prime Minister Ion Chicu on March 17 presented himself in Parliament and in the name of the Government asked to declare a state of emergency that limits the people’s right to movement and right to assembly and implies the fight against fake news – distortion of the situation concerning the pandemic. The consequences derive from those limitations and they include the halt in economic activity, and not only, for many institutions and there is consensus only within the limits of the Government’s mandate. But the problems that appear in such a situation are related to political culture, the general culture of people who should obey the state of emergency and those limitations.
The IPN Project’s standing expert said the equipping of medical institutions is among the witnessed problems. This is a problem of the whole society, not only of the government. Another discussed problem is the fact that 1/5 of those confirmed with COVID-19 are doctors, who are in the frontline in the fight against the pandemic, and society should take care of these people. Different problems appear in parallel with the pandemic and the fight against it. “There should be consensus in containing the pandemic, but the other things should be debated,” stated Igor Boțan.
The expert considers political debates in times of a pandemic are not wanted, but those who rule the country should not provoke political actions if they don’t want such debates. The assumption of responsibility by the Government is a political action and it should have an appropriate response. The same is true about the statements and meetings of President Igor Dodon centering on the Easter holidays, the Holy Fire or the celebration of the Victory Day. These are political actions and it is normal for a reaction to them to exist.
Igor Boțan noted President Dodon does not have many powers in the fight against the pandemic, if only minor coordination powers. He yet appears as a doctor before the people and makes calls to them. Society needs calls from the upper level in times of a pandemic, including like those not to take part in religious services, and Igor Dodon is a politician with the highest popular approval rating. The people would have probably devoted less attention to these calls if they had been made by the chief doctor of the country given that there is such a political culture in society.
According to Igor Boțan, the Government and the Commission for Exceptional Situations have instruments for managing the crisis situation within the legal and constitutional limits. In the fight against the pandemic, the medical personnel should do their job, while the government and the opposition should think about post-pandemic actions.
The debate “Pandemic and Politics, barriers and chances of consensus” was the 129th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.