Moldova’s independence is still in danger, Ion Hadarca

[Info-Prim Neo interview of the Series “Moldova-20! Whereto?” with First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the 1990s Ion Hadarca] [ – What did the Moscow Putsch that happened 20 years ago mean for Moldova? How did it influence the proclamation of independence from the former Soviet Union in several days?] – In 1990, Moldova proclaimed its sovereignty and it was clear that it will proclaim its independence too. We were a little late then as before declaring our sovereignty, we recognized the independence of Lithuania. The trends in Moldova were clear and I cannot say that the events of August 1991 were a general surprise. The political situation hastened the process of proclaiming our independence. The interpretations that the independence fell from the sky like a gift are not true. The Popular Front had a very clear program in Parliament in the 1990s and the political trends were obvious. But we also faced residence on the part of a kind of hidden putschists. [ – How did the Moldovan political class behave in that situation?] – The political class was much differentiated. The Communists offered resistance in Parliament, showing their obedience to the Center. The Agrarians oscillated and there were separatists. In the morning of the putsch day, President Snegur and Speaker Mosanu were on leave. I was also on leave from August 19. I went to my birthplace in Sangerei, where I was to have a meeting with farmers, centering on the reform of the Land Code, which envisioned giving the land back to the farmers, starting at 9.00. During the discussion, I received a message to return to Chisinau as soon as possible. In fact, I was the first person who took over before the others arrived. I took the first steps in Sangerei. I told the people that if they wanted to remain in that empire and to see their children becoming ‘cannon fodder’ for Afghanistan, they should back the ideas coming from Moscow. If not, we should go together towards independence. I told them to remain clam and wait for our signals. I returned to Chisinau, where an extraordinary meeting of the Parliament’s Presidium was called. The decision was taken for me to deliver a speech on TV live. I said: “Dear compatriots, the sovereignty of Moldova, democracy and the renovation processes are in great danger. The ‘black reaction’ tried to stage a putsch, a coup.” We ordered detaching the special units and ensuring the security of the main state institutions, the national broadcaster and the main entrances to the capital city. The Security Council was convened afterward. It followed the events and the conferences given by the putschists. Things were very unclear then. I was empowered by the Security Council to go secretly abroad, together with the foreign minister, and to represent the Government in exile, in case the democratic processes failed. I had been abroad for about a week and returned on the eve of the day the independence was proclaimed. [ – What was the behavior of society? Did society influence the politicians or vice versa?] – Society supported us a lot through meetings and we could count on the people. There was cohesion, union. There were a lot of people in the Great National Assembly Square. A meeting took place in the evening of August 19. Other events of the kind followed. Many leaders who shared the Communist ideas and the nostalgia for the empire disappeared. [ – How close were we then to a general bloodbath, civil war or another kind of large-scale conflict?] – The night I went abroad, on August 20, 1991, we took our children at relatives and friends and I went to my parents. My mother asked me what they should do. They went through deportations and that fear was still in their minds. If the putschists had introduced the army and arrested people, the situation would have been much the same. [ – What lessons can we now learn from those events?] – We must draw many conclusions. We established economic relations, but we are still dependent on this eastern area owing to the military presence and the pressure that is exerted on us. Not all the dangers that threaten the independence and sovereignty of the state were removed. There are parties that are nostalgic for the empire and that dictatorship. We witnessed such management experience in the period of the Communist government, which resulted in young people’s protests of April 7, 2009. Those protests showed that there are reactionary forces as well as will to go towards Europe, freedom and values that can give consistency to a healthy society. [Irina Ursu, Info-Prim Neo]