Moldova's Independence as seen by Valeriu Matei

[Info-Prim Neo story from the Series “Moldova-20! Whereto?” Year 1991] [Each of the 20 years of Moldova’s Independence has its specific and a role in what has happened and what is yet to happen to this country and its people. Analysts, experts and politicians evaluate for Info-Prim Neo the main events of a certain year and their impact on the country] Years 1987-1990 as seen by writer and politician Valeriu Matei July 29, 1987 – Ion Druta published an article entitled “The green leaf, the water and punctuation” in the Moscow publication “Literaturnaya Gazeta”. October 30, 1987 – The meeting of the Writers’ Union adopts a resolution demanding the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova to create a scientific commission in order to adapt the Moldovan writing to the language’s specific and Latin origin. Marks the beginning of the struggle for restoring Romanian language in Moldova. April 26, 1988 – The first meeting of the literary-musical and socio-political circle “Alexei Mateevici”. June 3, 1988 – The Democratic Movement for Supporting the Reconstruction is founded. [May 20, 1989] – The People’s Front of Moldova is created. [August 27, 1989] – The first Great National Assembly. [August 31, 1989] – The laws on languages spoken on the Moldovan SSR territory and the Latin writing are adopted [February 25, 1990] – The first democratic elections for the MSSR Supreme Soviet. [June 23, 1990] – The Declaration of Sovereignty of the Moldovan SSR. [December 16, 1990] – The second Great National Assembly. [March 17, 1991] – Mihail Gorbaciov’s referendum on the Union Agreement in which Moldova didn’t participate. [Writer and politician Valeriu Matei] says that the Moldovan Independence has its roots back in 1987. That spring, the first articles about the main problems in the Moldovan SSR appeared in the Moscow publication Liternaturnaya Gazeta. The articles were signed by Moldovan writers, who worried the Chisinau authorities. “That’s how the writer’s revolt kicked off. The initial request was to replace the leadership of the Writers’ Union, which led to other demands: declare Romanian the official language, return to the Latin writing, protect the environment, because the excessive use of chemicals in agriculture and other wrong methods harmed the whole society”, said the writer. Valeriu Matei says that the Great National Assembly on August 27, 1989, with hundreds of thousands of participants determined the Supreme Soviet to adopt laws that declared Romanian the official language and reinstated Latin writing. “The fall, winter and spring of 1989 were marked by the electoral presidential and parliamentary campaigns. The candidates supported by the People’s Front became members of Parliament. 137 of the 368 elected parliamentarians formed the Village Life faction. Some of them voted with the democratic MPs, others sometimes voted with the Communist Party. This is what marked that first Parliament elected in the spring of 1990”, said Valeriu Matei. The merit of that Parliament is the annulment of constitutional stipulations about the governing role of the Communist Party and the decision to adopt the Tricolor as the national flag. At the end of 1990, the second Great National Assembly, presided by Valeriu Matei, was organized. “We rejected the union referendum announced by Mihail Gorbaciov for March 17, 1991. The referendum didn’t take place here. We rejected other attempts to impose on us the so-called Union Treaty as well. Of course, Moldova proposed the x+0 variant and thus checkmated Gorbaciov, who had no de facto legitimacy to lead that process”, said Matei. “The year 1991 wasn’t an easy one at all. Moscow encouraged separatism in Moldova. Gorbaciov said it in December 1990: “If you sign the Union Treaty unconditionally, you’ll have no problems. If you don’t, we’ll create two autonomies on your territory and they’ll exist”. These two republics were created and after the massacres in Tbilisi and Vilnius, Gorbaciov’s true face was revealed”, recalls the writer. Matei described Moldova’s progress after Independence as involution. That’s why Moldova hasn’t yet reached the position to start negotiations to become an associate member of the EU. “This communist hiatus came and set us back a few decades. Today, we must start all from the beginning. Unfortunately, because of arguments between the governing alliance leaders, we can’t reach a consensus”, he said. According to the writer, too few good things have happened since the Independence. Changes are needed in the economic and social spheres. “We have always been in a kind of crisis. We must focus our efforts to bring the brightest minds together and learn what to do next”, stressed Valeriu matei. Valeriu Matei was one of the protagonists of the events of 1987 at the Writers’ Union of Moldova, which started the national renaissance process. In May 1989, he becomes one of the founders of the People’s Front, a member of the Council and of the Permanent Bureau, as well as spokesman of the faction. In August 1989, he writes the final document of the first Great National Assembly. In August 1991, he is one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova. He participated in the creation of the French Alliance in Moldova and has been its honorary president for 12 years. In 1998, he is reelected as parliamentarian on the list of the Democratic Forces Party, Deputy Speaker and head of the Moldova-EU cooperation committee. [Dumitrita Ciuvaga, Info-Prim Neo]