Things in the Republic of Moldova evidently go wrong. Practically all the areas need to be reformed and developed and investments need to be made for Moldova to return to the normal development course, said candidates running in single-member constituency No. 49 or their representatives. These noted they know how to stop the degradation in the country and how to develop the Republic of Moldova. The opinions were state in the public debate “Elections 2019: Please elect me MP on behalf of the Eastern diaspora because...”, which was the 105th installment of the series of debates “Developing political culture through public debates” staged by IPN News Agency.
Nicolae Pascaru, the representative of Gheorghii Para, who runs in single-member constituency No. 49 on behalf of the Party of Socialists, said new people became involved in the current race and this is something beneficial. The new people could stop the tragedy experienced by the county which is daily left by 60 young people. The number of young people who left during the past four years rose to 300,000. “Many people with young families left and they will not return home. This is a tragedy for the Republic of Moldova as we will not be able to ensure a balance in the demographic situation in the country. The problem resides in the corrupt government that cannot organize a normal life in the country,” stated Nicolae Pascaru.
According to him, the financial-banking protection was destroyed during the last few years. The banks were destroyed and the people no longer believe in the future. The education system was destroyed, the schools were destroyed and the people no longer believe in this system. Moldova also has many problems in the medical system. The health insurance system also does not work. The state authorities should ensure control.
“We need honest people in politics. We need special services that would control corruption among state officials. We are a country with corrupt officials and new people who would change the situation should come to politics. We must create all the conditions for our citizens to return home. Not many of those who left arranged their life and are happy there. We should do our best to bring them home, as the Jews return home in Israel,” stated the representative of Gheorghii Para.
Valery Klimenko, who runs in in single-member constituency No. 49 on behalf of the Shor Party, said their party not only knows how to solve these problems, but already solves them. As to the social protection of the population, the candidate said in Orhei the local councilors, under the guidance of mayor Ilan Shor, during the last few years worked out a social protection system for the people. This system works partially all over the country, where there are 15 social stores where war veterans, people from socially deprived families and persons with disabilities can buy food products at much lower prices. They can also buy medicines at accessible prices and enjoy other benefits in Orhei town. “We build homes in Orhei, transmit them to those who cannot buy them and the owners of these apartments during 30 years pay by 500 lei a month into the local budget. We want these projects to work all over the country and social dwellings to be build. The children in kindergartens should be given food made at restaurant, of a high quality, not porridge with worms,” stated the candidate.
As to the economic development, Valery Klimenko said the new economic policy implemented in Orhei allowed increasing the town budget three times during the last three years. The country’s economy does not work and there are no money for supplementing the state budget, but the budget needs money for social and economic programs. “We know what to do at Government and Parliament levels for Moldova to double its budget. This money could be used to develop all he sectors,” he stated.
The candidate noted that if the legal system had worked properly, the EU wouldn’t have allocated €40 million to Moldova for improving the situation in the justice sector. The Shor Party suggests creating colleges of jurymen so that not only one judge takes a decision, who can be easily bribed, but also people from society, alongside judges.
The Shor Party also pleads for allowing the people to elect judges. “Now the judges know that their mandate can be extended by the President and if they are told to pass a particular sentence, knowing that their fate depends on functionaries, these will take that decision. If the people could elect judges, they will not choose corrupt and dishonest people as they know who of the judges take bribe,” added the candidate.
Vladimir Bolea, the representative of Dorin Frăsîneanu, who runs in single-member constituency No. 49 on behalf of the electoral bloc ACUM, Platform PAS and DA, said the representatives of ACUM made a broad analysis and ascertained that Moldova is seriously ill in all the areas – economy, justice, health and education. ”Nothing good will happen in the country if the rule of law is not ensured. This notion is now fully absent in Moldova. The economy, health system and education will not develop and no citizen will return to the Republic of Moldova as long as we don’t build the rule of law. A number of 106 people daily leave the Republic of Moldova. If the same government remains after February 24, this figure will double. Not people who do not have what to eat, but persons with apartments leave because they are desperate and consider things in the Republic of Moldova cannot improve,” stated the representative.
Vladimir Bolea promises that during the first months after entering Parliament, the MPs of the bloc ACUM DA PAS will draft a law providing that the judges and prosecutors in the Republic of Moldova, the prosecutor general, the minister of justice and other high-ranking officials from the justice sector should be tested for integrity and professionalism. “These will have to prove the origin of their property. The decisions of the commission that will test the functionaries will be mandatory for the Republic of Moldova,” he stated.
“We have the so-called National Integrity Authority that is fictitious. This should be completed with European judges and prosecutors and representatives of civil society. All the public functionaries, judges and prosecutors should go through this “purgatory” and prove zero tolerance of the theft of public money. If these cannot prove the source of their assets, everything will be confiscated in favor of the state and the persons will be arrested and tried in accordance with the law,” stated Vladimir Bolea.
He noted the law that makes the repayment of the stolen billions the people’s burden should be annulled. “We will publish the KROLL II report so that everyone knows the personages involved in this theft and their property is confiscated and the money is returned to the state. The state should develop the offense investigation system, not the system for covering them,” noted Vladimir Bolea.
The bloc ACUM will also modify the Superior Council of Magistracy and the prosecutor general and the minister of justice will be excluded from this and these will be replaced with representatives of civil society as the judiciary should be really independent and serve only the state and the people.
Dumitru Pogorea, independent candidate in single-member constituency No. 49, said his electoral program starts with education. “Everything should start from education so as to grow up upward people. We drafted the education program together with psychologists who consider the state should become involved in the education of children before these are born. Different groups should be set up for the pregnant women to listen to music and to perform educative activities,” he stated.
In the social sphere, the candidate promises the pension will be accumulative. “The citizen should have a pension accumulation card and should be able to withdraw 50% of the accumulated money after working for 20-25 years so as to invest it in business. The banks should offer the pensioners loans for business development. This will make the people stay home,” stated the candidate.
In the banking sector, Dumitru Pogorea proposes that the banks should offer loans at an interest rate of at most 6% to those who run businesses in retail trade. For businesses in agriculture and production, the loans should be interest-free for ten years. When starting a business, the entrepreneur during the first five years should be trained by state institutions and should not be subject to inspections.
As to the justice system, the candidate said the judges and prosecutors should be named by the Parliament’s commission for justice or these should be elected. “If we do not change the judicial system and the education system, nothing will change in the country. A number of 106 citizens leave now, but 506 persons will daily leave the country then,” he stated.
IPN Agency invited to the debate all the seven candidates running in this constituency, but the representatives of contenders Ina Sîrbu of the Democratic Party of Moldova, Nicolae Țîpovici of the Our Party and independent candidate Igor Ticuș informed that these cannot take part and cannot delegate representatives mainly because they perform electoral activities in the constituency.
Constituency No. 49 Eastwards Moldova covers 11 states where there will be established 27 polling places. These states are Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
The series of debates ”Elections 2019: Please elect me MP on behalf of the Eastern diaspora because...”, forms part of the series of public debates held by IPN News Agency as part of the project “Developing political culture through public debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
