A group of Nistru war and Afghan war veterans, who are knights of the Order of Stephan the Great, demand that acting minister of the interior Oleg Balan should apologize publicly for the slander against the veterans. Moreover, these demand removing Oleg Balan from the list of candidates for minister in the new Cabinet or they will mount protests.
In a news conference at IPN on July 27, Constantin Boestean, a member of the veterans’ initiative group, said that at the end of May the press reported that the bureau of deputy minister of the interior Ion Turcanu was sealed up by order of minister Oleg Balan. As a result, it was decided to create an initiative group that had a meeting with the minister. The discussions didn’t produce results. Moreover, in the meeting the minister named the veterans of the war for defending Moldova’s integrity and sovereignty ‘drunkards, infirm and crippled people’.
“Should such words be used by a minister of the interior and should this have such an attitude to the war veterans who defended the country’s integrity and sovereignty with firearms in their hands, to the invalids of these wars and to those who were killed in battle?” asked Constantin Boestean. He noted that the minister should be preoccupied with reforms, crime fighting and cooperation with veterans’ organizations and should not denigrate the veterans.
Initiative group member Mihai Tomacinschi said that these calumnies against the veterans cannot be ignored.
“I am one of those who lost an arm in battle, but didn’t stay in offices as others did. I, as chief of general staff, went on the battlefield and fought in Tighina for another ten days, without an arm. Now a minister tells me that I am crippled. I really want him to answer for what he said,” he stated.
Police colonel in reserve Constantin Busuioc, who is also a member of the initiative group, said that things at the Ministry of the Interior do not go right. The veteran, who has over 30 years’ experience of work in the criminal police, noted that a number of loud crimes remained undiscovered owing to the lack of professionalism. According to him, the minister should focus on the work of the Ministry’s bodies and its employees and should cooperate with veterans’ organizations.
To solve this problem, the veterans sent an open letter to the senior administration and the parliamentary parties. After the news conference, the veterans went to protest near the Monument to Ruler Stephan the Great and Holy in central Chisinau.
