What Moldova's Roma want and can achieve today. Info-Prim Neo Interview with Ion Bucur, president of the Roma Movement, in the series “19 years of Independence”

[ - The Roma in Moldova have become more active this year, both socially and politically. Is it because your rights have been violated on a larger scale than before, or because you have been empowered with greater capacities to protect them, or for other reasons?] - 2010 is a historic year for the Roma community in Moldova. On March 31, a new political movement was registered with the Ministry of Justice to represent the interest of the socially disadvantaged, including the Roma people, who represent the largest portion of this underprivileged category. Until recently the Roma were often manipulated by civil society representatives and by the authorities. The Roma were used only in sterile ethnic and cultural events, where they featured in dancing and singing performances, for which they were rewarded with aid in kind. Still, the everyday problems of the Roma, mainly stemming from poverty, remain unsolved. The Roma communities have got the poorest infrastructure, their homes are not connected to electricity, gas, not to mention water supply. The lack of jobs and stable earnings for the parents have led to low school attendance rates among the Roma children and a poorly balanced diet, which deprives our children of a happy future. These problems have been known, yet unkindly hidden from the authorities. With the establishment of the Roma Sociopolitical Movement these problems have been revealed, the Roma have become aware of the need for a fair attitude on the part of the government towards them. With the engagement of the Roma people in Moldova's political processes, their problems will become visible on the current governmental agenda. [ - What do Moldova's Roma want and what can they do to change their lives for the better from now on?] - The Roma people, like most people in Moldova, want political stability, unobstructed access to free education, adequate healthcare, free access to information, and a positive and impartial image in the media. This can be achieved with the active participation in the national political processes, as a result of which we will have a permanent representation within the local public authorities, Parliament, Government and the judiciary. This is the only way for Moldova's Roma to change their lives for the better. [ - The representatives of various nations in different countries in recent decades chose to abandon their homes to seek a job abroad, adopting, to some extent, the centuries-old way of life of the Roma people. When will the Roma start returning to their homes to set an example for others?] - The achievement of political stability will lead to foreign investment in the national economy, which will create opportunities for new jobs in Moldova for all its citizens. The Roma have been always forced to migrate in search of occasional earnings, but with the advancement of the economy and the promotion of small and mid-sized enterprises, there will be preconditions for Roma and other migrant workers from Moldova to come back home. The government should not try to stop migration but rather eliminate its roots. [ - Could you continue the sentence: “After 19 years of Independence, Moldova is for me...”?,] - The country and the common home of all the nationalities that form the Republic of Moldova. [Valeriu Vasilica, Info-Prim Neo]