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Pandemic of Carelessness and Reinventing of Moldova. Op-Ed by Ala Tocarciuc


https://www.ipn.md/en/pandemiya-nebrezhnosti-i-pereosmyslenie-moldovy-op-ed-ot-aly-tokarchuk-7978_1076667.html

„...we can reinvent ourselves from this point, including as a country. Maybe now's the most opportune time to start writing a plan to get out of the pandemic.? Pragmatic. Realistic. Constructive. Smart. Are we ready for trying to reinvent Moldova?!...”
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Two weeks ago, there was a logical event in our country, the National Philharmonic burned down.

Why logical? Because the pandemic we have, the drought we have, the floods we had, we were missing a fire. And now we have this.

But it makes sense to say logic for other reasons. Logic means a consequence of carelessness! And carelessness is practically everywhere.

Drought is a logical end to carelessness in agriculture

We have very fertile lands, lands, which have been fruiting for hundreds of years. It was raining from God. We'd just sow and dig, and then we'd cut the corn, reap the wheat and other grains.

But it's not raining anymore! And it's not God. We humans cut down the trees, destroyed the reservoirs, stopped irrigating. We kept stealing money from the ecological fund, which for decades had been allocated for irrigation systems. Now are we complaining about the drought? Drought is a logical end of carelessness in agriculture!

Carelessness in health care – we are pandemic leaders on the continent

The pandemic brought out above everything that was most rotten in the health system. Are you going to tell me that doesn't make sense? The worst all the time comes out! He's out now! Who did all this? People! All of us! We thought we were immortal. But we're not! Now we're going to die! Many of us! Neglect does not forgive. Logical evolution, if you destroy health – you get sick!

Accessing the Worldometer site, you will see the number of active cases and the number of serious cases with COVID-19 in the world. The data are absolutely truthful and statistically conclusive. In the world now 1% of active cases of COVID-19 are serious cases. We have almost 744 serious cases and that's the truth. The serious ones are all in the hospital and that's 1%. So, we have more than 74,000 active cases now. Most of the active cases are like aerosol spreaders with virus particles and 4 out of 10 are without a mask.

We have come to be leaders in Europe in the number of new cases per 1 million population and in the number of deaths per 1 million population. Moreover, if we look at the death data, we'll see that most deaths occur within 6-8 days of hospitalization, which is very quickly. Neglect kills our parents and makes our children sick!

The carelessness for culture burned the Philharmonic

Over many centuries we have been overgrown from different parts. But every Empire, which annexed us as a territory, also brought something good here. And 100 years ago, when that Philharmonic was built, someone very much wanted to bring a touch of culture to this city from the edge of empires. Now this building has burned and with it they have burned unique musical instruments. And the 100 years of our culture's life have burned. Why is that? Negligently! A new building had to be built for the Philharmonic a long time ago, because we once called ourselves the European Capital. The instruments were to be saved, and the notes were to be preserved, and continuity in the creation of beauty would be maintained. Now what could be worse? The worse is if we do not build a new one!

Carelessness has become pandemic

Our generation, and here I am referring to all those, who were mature at the time of the proclamation of Independence, tend to destroy it all,  and then they took the plane and left. After us either flood – it became a kind of traditional Moldovan slogan.

But the disaster has come everywhere now. And that's just a start! What's worse is waiting for us yet. We can't run to Mars! This is where we're going to have to live.

Neglect forgives no one. Did we tolerate a small evil? Now we're face to face with a big evil. We've forgiven a small theft, now we're looking for billions.

We closed schools, hospitals, destroyed everything we could, for the reason - there was no money. But it had to be thought of the other way around: how to earn this money and keep everything that was built by our parents! And the money was there! If they weren't - they wouldn't be stealing!

Exactly 20 years ago I was going to the Supreme Court with a lawsuit from a state-owned enterprise and a foreign private agent. We lost the trial then, even though by law we had to win, and the money would stay in the country. The lawyers of the foreigners were from Moldova, they were not foreigners. After the trial, one of them, seeing me cry, said, among other things, that this state dies, if someone pulls a suitcase of money out of it, and 1 billion is enough to get it out. It was 2000! Was it only that lawyer thinking that way? I think he said what he actually heard in his circle from someone, and three billion de facto were taken out of this country. The aliens didn't come to steal from us, all ours did.

A crisis can be a moment of reinvention for Moldova

We have experienced several existential crises in a relatively short period of time. The good thing, in my opinion, is that we still are! Sun-dried, beaten by the virus, burned by fire, stolen from all sides, sold by many, but we still are.

We have land. We've got a head. We have hands and feet. What else do we need?! The desire to work and change things for the better here. And I know there are many people here and now who judge the same.

We are a people with a very high coefficient of intelligence, our children abroad prove it to the full. But we're still neglect and careless. A learned carelessness continues to destroy and generate despair in our country. If we turn carelessness into something more human-friendly, we could achieve a revival.

A fire can turn everything into ashes. But that can be viewed from a different perspective. A fire burns what's old, freeing up space for something new.

So, we can reinvent ourselves from this point, including as a country. And maybe now is the most opportune time to start writing a plan to exit the pandemic? Pragmatic. Realistic. Constructive. Smart. Are we ready for trying to reinvent Moldova?!