There is no national project in Moldova that would unite society that is fragmented based on different currents, such as ‘statalism’ and ‘unionism’. At the same time, about one third of the population is ‘nostalgic’ for the Soviet period because they are dissatisfied that neither the statehood supporters nor the unionists have yet presented a clear project for the Moldovan state. However, the union with Romania should not be regarded as a panacea for the problems faced by Moldovan society as a union is possible only as a result of broad, long-lasting and peaceful evolution. Such opinions were stated by participants in a public debate entitled “Unionists, statehood supporters and ‘nostalgic people”: confrontation of ideas about the right and capacity of the Republic of Moldova to be an independent state” that was staged by IPN News Agency in partnership with Radio Moldova.
Such a theme for the debate was chosen because the Independence Day revealed again one of the old problems related to the deficit of identity of the state and its fragmented society.
Emil Ciobu, expert for external relations of the Public Dialogue Platform “Statehood – Moldova”, said that after the declaration of Independence, no subject was introduced in the school curricula to teach the children what the state is and what its history is. “I cannot be nostalgic. The USSR cannot be rebuilt, but we remained at the level of the political elite with communist thinking, no matter how the party of which they form part is called. If we, before the independence, worked and said that communism was close, now we say that we will soon integrate into the EU and will have everything, that the French people will work and the English people will pay us. But there should be economic integration,” he stated.
Vlad Biletski, head of the Public Association “Honor, Dignity and Homeland”, stated that the national ideal of unionism is to reunite Moldova and Romania so that there was a big state that would dictate its interests. “There is really no conflict in the country. The conflicts are created artificially at the upper level, including in the Transnistrian region, so as to keep the Republic of Moldova hostage and this could not reunite with Romania. Only the country’s sovereignty will be affected after the union. The other things will remain. Nobody will take our land from us. The people will not be deported and no other disseminated aberrations will be witnessed,” he said.
Film director Sergiu Prodan, who expressed the opinion of the current of ‘nostalgic people’, but of which he does not form part, said that during 25 years he has seen the same permanent nostalgia. Someone is nostalgic for the USSR, while others are nostalgic for the Great Romania, but nostalgia is a human state that should be encouraged in parts. “I think that 25 years are enough for making society aware of the country idea and of the political and social project. Those 36% that want back in the USSR are disappointed persons who could not be motivated by this idea. In these 25 years of statehood, we didn’t manage to give a clear meaning to our existence as an independent state,” he stated.
Igor Botan, the project’s permanent expert, said that Romania’s Constitution does not contain an article about the union with other territories, such as the Republic of Moldova, but the Constitutions of Russia and Germany, for example, include such provisions. Romania is a NATO member state that cannot unite with a country that does not control its territory. Neither Romania nor Moldova has political elite that really want the union, while the unionists in Moldova do not act properly. The expert called on those who support unionism to go directly to the ‘coordinator of the government coalition’ Vlad Plahotniuc, who is the first deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, to speak to him about the union because they will achieve greater results in this process this way.
Mihail Lupashko, coordinator of the Public Dialogue Platform “Statehood – Moldova”, said it is for the first time that the representatives of a number of movements were brought together in such a format to speak about diametrically opposed ideas. “Only such discussions will help us overcome misunderstandings. I don’t think that we must ban a part of society from stating their opinion. The dialogue should be yet peaceful. We must exclude those who speculate on fear, who come to power, form coalitions and contribute to greater poverty in the country,” he stated.
The public debate “Unionists, statehood supporters and ‘nostalgic people”: confrontation of ideas about the right and capacity of the Republic of Moldova to be an independent state” is the 59th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture by public debates”, produced with the assistance of the German Foundation “Hanns Seidel”.
