PSL disagree with a range of actions of leadership of Chisinau

Social Liberal Party (PSL) disagree with a range of actions of the leadership of Chiosinau, considered to take place in order to prepare for local general elections of 2007. At a press conference of Wednesday, 1 March, PSL chairman Oleg Serebrian was disturbed by the tough intervention of central authorities, and especially of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (METS) in school curriculum, in order to exclude the Romanian History and accepting Integrated History. Serebrian mentioned that lately there were organised meetings with the teachers’ staffs of the counties Ocnita, Hancesti and Leova, where the teachers informed him about this situation. According to information he has, today in county Leova it is organised a seminar with the presence of the METS leadership, where all the history teachers of the county are invited, trying to convince them to give up the Romanian history. “These interferences of the government will lead to split the didactic staff at local level,” in the same time mentioning that ”this fact also represents a deviation from the moratoria principles imposed to Moldova by the Council of Europe, for years ago, through which the leadership of the country was warned not to touch two problems in the country – that of the language and Romanian history,” he also noted. Oleg Serebrian was very surprised by the fact that there are no reactions in the parliament on this issue. In the same context, he mentioned the strange exclusion of the course of Civic education, which became an optional one, and of the course Life Habits. Exclusion of civic education is in Serebrian’s opinion a politic gesture, made under the pretext to depolitise the school, as now “there is no state of European Union where this object lacks of the school curriculum”. In the same context, he noted that it was not necessary to withdraw the course “Life Habits”, but only to change some chapters. PSL chairman also was disturbed of the reconstruction works of the Memorial Gloriei Militare, where different constructions are demolished and trees are cut. „I do not understand why ecologists reaction comes late, as there is no decision of the municipal council regarding trees cutting or land allocation, as in this zone there are foreseen extension works, for building a cemetery,” Serebrian said. According to him, now it is not known when and where it was decided to allot resources for reconstruction of this monument, as money for this was not foreseen in the budget. Oleg Serebrian mentioned that this fact was noted during Monday meeting of the parliamentary meeting for external policy, its members mentioning allocation of 30 million lei, and money is managed by non-governmental organisation Vece, run by deputy Nicolae Gutul, who also required tax exemptions on import for marble and granite, imported – according to Serebrian – from “Russian friends of Carelia”. This fact cannot be reiterated, according to Serebrian, in the context that in the budget cannot be found money to increase teachers’ salaries, reconstruction of architecture monuments, and especially for construction of a monument of the independence. He noted that he would require examination of this question during Thursday parliament meeting. Another fact is the incident that took place during yesterday meeting of the parliamentary commission for security and defence, where the Communist deputies required to exclude the order Stefan cel Mare of the list of decorations for which are paid pensions, because of money lack, Serebrian underlined. At the question of the deputy Igor Clipi where the money is coming from for reconstruction of the Monument Gloriei Militare, on the base of the incapacity to increase the pensions, the Communist deputy Mihail Mocan warned that “it will be taken very serious measures and such curious questions will not be addressed anymore”. During the press conference, Serebrian also announced that reactions to PSL proposal made a month ago regarding the merging of politic liberal sequence were without answer. Previously, asked to comment this initiative, representatives of mentioned parties by PSL said that creation of an anti-Communist coalition is a problem, as that party gave its vote on 4 April 2005 at the presidential election to a Communist candidate.