Regardless of the nationality, the knowledge of the language of the country in which you live is a form of respect, said journalist Lilia Burakovski. According to her, the name of the language in Moldova is used by politicians to gain political advantages. In a public debate hosted by IPN News Agency, the journalist said the division of society according to the linguistic criterion implies risks, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Lilia Burakovski noted that the disputes on the name of the official language should disappear as 31 years have passed since the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence. The young generation realized the necessity of knowing Romanian and the opportunities enjoyed when knowing several languages.
According to the journalist, she earlier considered that the state didn’t do anything for the people to study Romanian but now sees concrete steps taken in this regard – the Romanian language teaching curriculum for lyceums changed. But as long as the name of the language is used by the politicians as a political instrument, tensions and speculations will exist in society,” stated Lilia Burakovski, noting the young people now realize that they can remain in the country and will have a future here if they know more languages, including the official language.
The journalist said the Russian speakers wish to study Romanian. A large part of the adults speaking Russian need to know Romanian so as to get a job, while the Romanian language courses attract an increasing number of persons. Knowing the language of the country in which you live is a form of respect for the country and the people. It does not matter if this country is rich or not, if it offers what the person wants or not. The state does not have policies for the grownups who realize the necessity of speaking Romanian. The courses are for money and free courses are provided only for small groups of people. Over 1,000 applications to study Romanian were filed and this shows that the people want to learn.
According to the TV presenter, the war in Ukraine affects Moldova from economic, energy and informational viewpoints. The security of the information space should be a priority for the Moldovan authorities so that the citizens are protected from propaganda elements and disinformation. This space hasn’t been properly secured for 30 years and has been used for political purposes.
The public debate entitled “How does the Romanian language function as an instrument for harmonizing the social relations in the Republic of Moldova? The authorities’ role and citizens’ expectations in this process” was the 261st installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
