The behavior of some of the real and potential participants in the formation of a government coalition is appropriate to the situation in Moldova, while of others is not appropriate. It’s yet definite that the current political class is rotten, the government system needs to be changed, while the early legislative elections could not bring about the necessary changes. However, things cannot be left like this, while civil society that includes the extraparliamentary parties has a say and can influence things. Such opinions were stated in the public debate “How appropriate the behavior of the real and potential participants in the negotiations on the formation of a government coalition is in the current situation in Moldova: extra-parliamentary views”, staged by IPN News Agency in partnership with Radio Moldova within the series “Developing political culture by public debates”.
Marin Livadaru, chairman of the Progressive Society Party, said the current government is in fact the same government as 20 years ago. The ruling politicians and parties discredited themselves as they in 2009 promised they will penalize the Voronin clan for the committed irregularities, but formed a tacit alliance with Voronin. “The old system is like a factory for forming the same type of politicians. If we try to keep the current system, we will further produce the same kind of politicians. If we do not change the system, we will commit the same mistakes. We must demand transparency. A new government is now being negotiated, but we forget that lustration is needed and that there should be transparency as regards each proposed candidate,” he stated.
Sergiu Mocanu, who heads the People’s Movement “Antimafie”, said the type of behavior adopted by the government perfectly fits Moldovan society. “We have anemic civil society. This cannot react to the situation in the country and to the behavior of the politicians. We have extraparliamentary parties that do not fit the context owing to the insufficient resources they possess. We have very rich parties in power. I think the population’s patience is so great that the rulers afford to do what they want now. They see no problem in behaving like this as they will anyway not be penalized because there is no on who can penalize them,” he said.
Mihai Godea, head of the Democratic Action Party, said thing stand as they stand because society is patient and because the people showed that they can endure any illegality committed by those who are in power. “We are witnesses to grotesque, miserable settling of accounts at the upper level, which consists of blackmail, threats and abuse. The people probably behave correctly as they think that they do not belong to this settling of accounts. They are indifferent because they know that a pro-European or technocratic coalition government will be ultimately invented, but this will not serve the state interests as they say one thing, but do another thing,” said Godea.
Anatolie Prohnitschi, chairman of the Green Ecologist Party, said Moldova is a state that does not have politicians because those who call themselves like this behave like ‘scalpers’ and didn’t yet reach the status of state official. The negotiations cannot have another ending than the planned one. “We had been witnesses to such negotiations. We have not a political class, but a genetically modified government that knows only how to lie to the people. The oligarch Plahotniuc (Vlad Plahotniuc, ex-first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, e.n.) pushes us towards his own scenario – an alliance with the Communists and the replacement of the foreign development course,” he stated.
Vasile Costiuc, who heads the Democracy at Home Party, said that in a society where everything is economically and politically monopolized, success and development are impossible. “Before 2009, there was direct subordination to one political clan, but two clans came to power afterwards. In 2009, we said that everything is sad and serious and put hope in our politicians. In six years, after harsh struggles between them, one clan is now again in power and this clan controls everything. I think the government is appropriate because our society is fully inappropriate. Society should have opposed such behavior and should have removed the rulers, not smile at them. It’s said because the politicians reproduce and the new generations of politicians are similar to them. I’m afraid that we will have the same political class during the next five-ten years,” stated the party’s leader.
Igor Botan, executive director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), who is the permanent expert of the IPN project, said that there are five groups in Parliament, but only one, the Socialist group, behaves appropriately. These initiated the non-confidence motion so as to dismiss the Government and cause early parliamentary elections. The Party of Communists behaves inappropriately as they initiated the no-confidence motion, but do not want early elections. The Liberal Party has also behaved inappropriately because they said that they do not care if the Government is dismissed, but the next day invited those who were dismissed to negotiations. The Liberal Democratic Party’s behavior can be considered neither appropriate nor inappropriate because this party was made a scapegoat. “I’m inclined to believe that their behavior is appropriate as the Lib-Dems took a break to recover after they were humiliated. If they came yet to negotiations with a list of proposals that would contain the de-politicization of the law enforcement bodies and of the media sector and would try to convince the possible partners that they really want these changes, we could say that such behavior is typical of a political party,” stated Igor Botan.
The public debate “How appropriate the behavior of the real and potential participants in the negotiations on the formation of a government coalition is in the current situation in Moldova: extra-parliamentary views” is the 45th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture by public debates” that are supported by the German foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
