On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of Moldova’s Independence, IPN News Agency decided to depict the portrait of the current Republic of Moldova. For the purpose, we challenged a number of people, including state officials, politicians, businessmen, civil rights activists and persons without posts and titles, but who have what to say. The generic picture is entitled “Thoughts about and for Moldova”.
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Igor Dodon, president of the Party of Socialists: The government and some of the people seem to have given up on the country, they decided to consume what’s left of it and give it to strangers
– Mr. Dodon, how does Moldova look after 25 years of independence? What are the biggest accomplishments and the biggest failures?
– It looks like an old man on his deathbed. Our country has been abused and destroyed by most of the governments we’ve had so far. The failures started with the ruining of the Soviet heritage, which contained some valuable assets, then the fueling of inter-ethnic hatred, the fratricidal war on the Nistru River, replacing Moldovan symbols with Romanian ones, even the anthem for some time. We neglected our villages, the demographic situation, we encouraged corruption and mass emigration. We did not know how to govern this country efficiently.
A big achievement is that we still exist, that we did not disappear as a territorial state, that we did not succumb to attempts to annex us to Romania, started by Snegur and Druc, that we did not give up of name of Moldovans. A big accomplishment is that despite this ugly, depressive, corrupt present, we still have a future and something to look forward to. Given how much our country has suffered, it’s amazing that we still have our Moldovan statehood and identity. It means we will have the strength to build a better future, which our country and people deserve.
– At what stage of development does Moldova find itself? What are, in your opinion, the mistakes of previous governments and of the people?
– The stage in which Moldova finds itself today can be called unconsciousness. The government and many people seem to have given up on it, decided to consume whatever is left of it and give it to strangers. The government is stealing and cheating without any qualms and many people are leaving abroad for good, while others have embraced the poisoned idea of uniting with Romania and wish for the disappearance of our country and others have fallen into depression and despair. It’s bad.
Politics has become a business and the most corrupt field, it’s totally compromised. The economy is several times weaker that it was during MSSR times, culture has become a beggar, tourism transformed into sex-tourism, health care is without qualified doctors, education has been rocked by the closing of schools and inefficient reforms, while agriculture and villages have degraded and are in a worse situation than in the ‘50s.
The governing parties’ fault is that they saw their position as a chance to fill their pockets, as a temporary situation they had to make the most of on a personal level. The majority of people who have been in power also lacked proper professional training and had no responsibility towards the people. The citizens’ fault is that weren’t wise enough to save what was good in the Socialist period and instead looted and ruined former farms and kolkhozes. They became easy prey for ultra-nationalist messages, gave up Moldovan identity for the Romanian one, voted populists into power and did not learn to cooperate, to do things with their own forces, on a local level, where they had the power to decide and to change things. The biggest blame though lies with the leaders. Our worst problems, including the loss of Transnistria and destruction of economy, come from them.
– What should be done for Moldova to be the way you want it to be?
– A Moldovan state, a Moldovan people, Moldovan language and history, Orthodox Christian religion, a reintegrated territory, well-developed agriculture, strong economy, booming demographics, flourishing villages, young people choosing to say and work here, inter-ethnic peace, order, happy children and elderly people provided with everything they need. That is how I want Moldova to be now or in the near future. To achieve this, we need a government of patriots, of competent, committed and responsible people.
– Do you think this fall’s presidential elections can change the situation? What are your expectations about the ballot?
– People urgently need a change of leadership. If they could, they would replace the corrupt government with worthier and more hardworking people today. This is possible only through normal or early parliamentary elections. Directly electing a new president will bring only partial satisfaction to this desire of the people. If a representative of the leftist opposition is elected, it will be a guarantee that things will change in the country, that the status quo convenient to ruling oligarchs won’t be preserved, that the socio-political life will become more dynamic and people will realize that there are other ways to solve the problems in this country. I think this fall will bring an important turning point in our political history, which will be good for our statehood and future as a people.
– How independent is Moldova? Are we still dependent on someone or something?
– There are no fully independent countries in the world because each of them is dependent one way or another on its economic, geopolitical, military and cultural relations with its neighbors. Especially small and weak countries cannot be fully independent and Moldova today is small, weak and fragile. We are affected by the consequences of the fratricidal war on the Nistru River. Chisinau is dependent on the indications received from Bruxelles or Washington, we are dependent on the Russian export market and the energy resources imported from there, we are under the siege of pro-Romanian unificationist propaganda, which wants to wipe out the Moldovan state, we are suffocated by a corrupt government, which puts its interests above those of the people.
Too many bonds and influences make us prisoners of geopolitical conflicts and circumstances. Even after 25 years, Moldova is not fully independent and capable to strengthen its Moldovan identity and statehood. We have a lot of work to do in this regard, a lot of gaps to cover, including by the future president.
– If a child asked you why should he or she be proud of being a citizen of Moldova, what would you answer?
– Moldova has a long and rich history, with centuries full of glorious events and victories, but also tragedies, losses and troubles. However, we proved as a people that we can resist, fight, survive and endure. Thousands of other peoples have disappeared in history, but the Moldovans did not lose their identity and statehood. Today, the Republic of Moldova offers us the great chance to promote our identity and statehood, to have a proud future, to last as a people for centuries to come. We have our own land, our own country, our independence, things many other unlucky peoples only dream of. We have what to be proud of and what to protect. It is difficult now, but we have what to remember from the past and what to aspire to in the future. Moldova has a future for our children and grandchildren, I’m sure of it.
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Igor Dodon is a politician and economist, member of the Moldovan Parliament since 2009. He was Minister of Economy and Commerce between 2006 and 2009 and First Deputy Prime Minister în 2008-2009. He is the president of the Party of Socialists.
Mariana Galben, IPN
The articles of the series “Thoughts about and for Moldova” started to be published on July 18. Among the protagonists are: Dumitru Alaiba, Iurie Ciocan, Ana-Maria Tulea, Ion Manole,Olga Gagauz, Stella Ciobanu, Iurie Leancă, Victor Parlicov, Doru Curosu, Igor Meriacre, Valeria Seican, Ciprian Raetchi, Andrei Nastase Ghenadie Galca, Arcadie Barbarosie,Valeriu Matei, Eugen Doga, Dumitru Postovan, Petru Macovei, Tatiana Negrus, Maia Sandu, Viorel Soltan, Valentin Gutan, Gheorghe Erizanu, Mariana Onceanu-Hadarca, Viorel Cibotaru, Iulia Iabanji, Aureliu Batrînac, Petru Bodarev, Sergiu Prodan, Igor Dodon etc. When contacted, Nicolae Timofti, Andrian Candu, Pavel Filip, Marian Lupu, Vladimir Voronin, Mihai Ghimpu, Renato Usatyi, Valeriu Turea and others also agreed to give interviews.
