The quality of life in the Republic of Moldova is proportionately low compared to the quality of citizens' participation in the decision-making process, according to the Mayor of Sangerei, Arcadie Covaliov. This statement was made during the public debate organized by IPN News Agency titled “Citizen Involvement in Community Decision-Making: Interaction Between Local Public Authorities and Citizens”.
According to Arcadie Covaliov, there is significant rebuilding of trust in local public authorities (APL) in Sangerei. Citizens are involved in decision-making, informed about issues or projects via social networks, a Viber group, and the alerte.md platform. These platforms also facilitate consultations with citizens on problems, leading to collective identification of solutions.
"Step by step, we are moving away from the 'homo sovieticus' mentality. Unfortunately, however, a new type of person has emerged, the 'homo independentus,' shaped by their relationship with power", the mayor said. He observed that over the past 30 years, governance has been flawed, and citizens have not been prioritized.
Arcadie Covaliov firmly believes that citizen participation in decision-making is essential. He emphasized that anyone claiming that problems can be solved without citizen involvement is lying. Regardless of how competent council members are, public debates, hearings, and discussions between the mayor’s office team and any citizen of Sangerei are indispensable for rebuilding the trust lost over the past three decades.
"For me, the national program is the citizen, the national idea is the citizen," noted the mayor. Covaliov argues that no one understands the city’s problems better than the citizens themselves, and the best solutions will come from them with support from the mayor’s office staff. In Sangerei, residents can access information about their city at any time, such as how the budget is managed, and can participate in public hearings and debates.
The mayor stressed that the primary sanction citizens can impose for a lack of transparency in the decision-making process is their vote. "It does not reflect well on us if a citizen has to go to court to challenge the mayor's office", added Arcadie Covaliov.
The public debate on the theme “Citizen Involvement in Community Decision-Making: Interaction Between Local Public Authorities and Citizens” is part of the project “IPN News Agency for Social Cohesion and a Pro-European Moldova” funded by IMS.
