The parties and politicians that form the political class are the most important component of the mechanism of influencing things in society and the state, but simultaneously are the least trusted ones according to all the polls conducted after the declaration of independence. This is mainly due to the discrepancy between deeds and words. The quality of the Moldovan political class leaves to be desired and its reformation would be a breath of fresh air in Moldovan politics. Related issues were discussed by participants in the public debate “Quality of the political class: importance, current state and ways of improvement” that was the 78th installment of the series “Developing political culture by public debates”, staged by IPN News Agency and Radio Moldova.
ADEPT director Igor Botan, the IPN project’s standing expert, said the quality of the political class in Moldovan society leaves to be desired. The people’s attitude is reflected in opinion polls that are influenced by the discrepancy between words in the election campaign and post-campaign deeds. “This discrepancy is seen in the election campaigns of parties that are represented in the legislature. The people hear one thing, but then travel through the world and see how other people live and then come home, take part in elections, remember the electoral promises made by the main political forces, see this discrepancy and their assessments find a reflection in surveys,” stated Igor Botan, noting that the British political class in the case of the Brexit did things to its detriment so as not to allow for discrepancy between deeds and words.
Socialist MP Grigore Novac said things should not be generalized as the consistency in acts is different from one party to another. In Moldova, there are many political parties that were registered officially by the Ministry of Justice, active parties and parties that do not distinguish themselves. In the best case, these make themselves seen in the election campaign and state their opinion as to how the country should be governed. “On the one hand, there is politics. On the other hand, there is the citizen who accepts this path. I don’t think we can devote increased attention to those who point the finger at us and tell us what to do when a large part of the current political leaders, forming part of a coalition or another, Cabinet or those who are behind parties did business with oligarch and now struggle against them. This is at least cynical,” he stated.
Radu Marian, a member of the National Standing Bureau of the Party “Action and Solidarity” (PAS), said there are debates between the opposition and the government, but these do not center on policies and solutions, on the real problems. They center on political games and games behind the curtains. “I think it’s time to change this state and this can happen together with the appearance of a new generation of parties. The PAS brings the long-term country development view that has been absent during the past 26 years. We hope to deliver this view to the people. We will discuss solutions only for periods of four years and hope the next parties will try to have a long-term view,” he stated.
Vitalie Gamurari, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Moldova, said the Moldovan politicians represent the real state of society and this applies not only to Moldova, but also to any state. The political class should realize that it should not bring politicians from abroad, but should come to terms between them. The promotion of young people and new persons in politics will be to Moldova’s benefit. “The truth is that the people lost confidence in politicians during 26 years. I don’t say that those who are in power or in the opposition are perfect, but the attempt to reach a consensus was made at least by the Democratic Party during the past year and a half. It tries to be open for dialogue so as to be appreciated by the people. This is a situation by which the political class in Moldova could be modified in the future. I mean quantitatively and qualitatively as well,” stated Vitalie Gamurari.
Chiril Motpan, secretary general of the Political Party “Platform Dignity and Truth”, said there is now a big discrepancy between the political class and the people in Moldova. The political class created an authoritarian state, political police, submissive institutions and obedient media outlets. Therefore, the assessment of the political class is very relative. In the European states, the political class is built during many years, while the lack of professionalism in politicians generates lack of communication between the ruling political class and the extraparliamentary parties. The replacement of the political class is indispensable given that the situation now is absolutely detrimental to society.
Sociologist Vitalie Spranceana said the “microspore” examination applied at the level of the political class should be applied to parties apart so as to see how a part of society works. The parties recruit political leaders and engage them in the struggle for power. A difference should be made between party bureaucracy and those who hold political posts. If such a distinction is made, we see asymmetry of power, for example, inside the party, between the administration and members. The role of youth organizations and women’s organizations in providing new leaders should also be analyzed. In their speeches, the politicians during many years centered on such issues as the integration into the EU, entry into the Russian area or union with Romania. The renovation of the political class implies the renewal of the public narrative.
The public debate “Quality of the political class: importance, current state and ways of improvement” was the 78th installment of the series “Developing political culture by public debates” that are organized with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
