Moldova is in a period marked by multiple serious crises, similar to political, social and economic quakes that required the declaring of a state of emergency. In such conditions, it is normal to look for solutions that would help each and all overcome this crisis. A part of the political elites and of opinion leaders suggest that one of such solutions is to start to be better, more attentive, more understanding, wiser, more forgiving and more generous towards each other. In official terms, we should reach a higher level of solidarity and social cohesion than until now. In fact, we should just learn about the experience of other states and society. The experts invited to IPN’s public debate “About state of spirit of nation during states of emergency and war” discussed how much Moldovan society needs solidarity and if it is capable of showing solidarity, IPN reports.
According to the standing expert of IPN’s project Igor Boțan, as of February 24 Moldova has been in a state of emergency, which was decreed by Parliament decision. The state of emergency is a set of political, economic, social and public order maintaining measures taken during a provisional period of 60 days. From historical viewpoint, the country is under the third state of emergency. “Currently, there is a danger to national security and constitutional order and a state of emergency was declared therefore. All the parliamentary groups and MPs agreed to declare a state of emergency. During the state of emergency, particular freedoms are limited and these freedoms in the international legislation are defined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” stated the expert, noting solidarity is a tie between gropes and persons that determines a unity of concepts, actions and interests.
In another development, Igor Boțan said that division owing to the historical and socioeconomic developments of the past 200 years is typical of Moldovan society. After the Conference of 1988, when the Communist Party of the Soviet Union adopted the Resolution on the democratic development of Soviet society, which enabled to introduce multipartitism in Moldovan, a movement for supporting perestroika was founded, but this fell apart in only a year. Separatist conflicts and other division lines among the natives followed and these revealed the division according to identity, language, integrationist criteria.
The expert said the basis of the Judeo-Christian civilization is an important factor for the state of spirit of society that unites everyone. In Moldova, over 90% are Orthodox Christians even if not everyone goes to church. The war that started in Ukraine on February 24 transmits worrisome signals as the Moscow Patriarchate justifies the Russian invasion. In Moldova, there are also priests who justify Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Ștefan Gligor, president of the Party of Change, said the absence of new politicians in the political and social life of Russia imposed the necessity of developing state propaganda for justifying control over financial, economic flows by this group that has ruled for three decades. “In such societies, the existence and formation of public opinion by televisions and other media outlets controlled by the state create disproportionate reflection in society. Consequently, several generations were brought up in a partially free society, being profoundly influenced by propaganda,” he said, noting the solidarity model in Russian society represents solidarity around ideas spread by state propaganda.
On the other hand, the solidarity of Ukrainian society is of free type. It is society in which, despite the oligarchic presence that controls media sources, there is free press, there is competition between the media outlets and this competition generates sparkles of independence and objective presentation. The Ukrainians live in a much freer society as regards the coercive restrictions imposed by the Ukrainian state, where power changes. This is a solidarity model produced by a free society that is in a profound process of democratization.
In Moldova, society is divided. Until recently, one press holding controlled 85% of the media. Power was usurped by one person or a narrow group of people. The people united for a short period of time only to neutralize this group, against the politicians’ will. Currently, Moldovan solidarity at political level is unhealthy. The war against Ukraine is the second episode of solidarity. Society reacted faster than the authorities to support the Ukrainian refugees. But this episode of solidarity will come to an end when the effort of volunteers and civil society is used up, stated Ștefan Gligor.
Political pundit Eugen Muravschi said Moldova as a model is much closer to Ukraine that, as Moldova, is a country switching over from the Soviet model to the European one. What happens in political culture and society in Ukraine is relevant for Moldova too.
“That’s why I think the national solidarity model is based on the European values and tolerance is one of the main values. This is often not accepted in society, is associated rather with a kind of extremism of the left, but tolerance is what enables us to live now in Moldova together with people who want to join Romania, to become part of the EU or who consider the EU is experiencing moral degradation. Nevertheless, we can all cohabit. The same is true about the general acceptance of discussions in any language, in Romanian, Russian, on the street, in the shop or elsewhere,” stated Eugen Muravschi, noting Moldova follows the correct path in terms of solidarity and such issues as ethnicity and language now matter less and people who formed an opinion about the Russian propaganda and the war in Ukraine accepted Ukrainians refugees into their homes.
According to Eugen Muravschi, it is important to realize that beyond political opinions that are ultimately the result of failures in the information security policy of the state, the people who are hostage to Russian propaganda behave in a solidary way in the real life, in inter-human relations. If Moldova wants to be a European country, it should start from tolerance, from common points or national solidarity according to the European model will not be built. The model of ethnic solidarity will create conflicts, tensions, vulnerabilities that will be definitely exploited by the Kremlin. The people will never have similar political thinking and preferences and this ideological uniformity should not be mixed up with solidarity.
The public debate entitled “About state of spirit of nation during states of emergency and war” was the 233th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
