The Moldovan families housing Ukrainian refugees need support from the state or from international organizations, while the politicians can do more to encourage solidarity in society and the political players that divide society should stop doing so at least in times of crisis, like the current one, activist Andrei Lutenco, a member of the volunteer group “Moldova for Peace,” said in IPN’s public debate “Refugees: Ukrainian exam for Moldovan society’s resilience”.
The activist noted that despite the problems faced by the Republic of Moldova, it is actually a liberal democracy in which the people respect the needs and rights of other persons and this refugee crisis showed this once again. “We know what a person in need means, what large groups of vulnerable people who fled from war mean and I think the mobilization of society shows that our country has such a quality,” stated Andrei Lutenco.
He said the volunteers in time developed particular capacities that enable them to mobilize swiftly. “For example, the group of volunteers with whom I work has been involved since the start of the pandemic and was mobilized to provide the older persons and other vulnerable people with what they need. During several days, they designed and implemented a mechanism,” said the activists, noting the Moldovans have close ties with the people in Ukraine and are empathic with them and this is a very important resource that should be managed correctly.
According to Andrei Lutenco, the way in which the refugee crisis is managed at present will increase the resilience of Moldovan society for future crises, no matter what kind of crises they are. The communication built at present, the coordination of efforts and mobilization of volunteers and of donors’ funds will help accumulate experience that will be useful in the future.
The activist also said that the current refugee crisis showed the risks related to a society that is divided according to different criteria are not so big. “Those messages that were introduced into the public sphere in a controlled way to give a negative impression of the refugees remained marginal and didn’t change people’s perception of what they see daily themselves,” he stated, noting that this crisis will not deepen division, but will show that these differences can be overcome when it goes to human sufferings and to people who need help.
The public debate titled “Refugees: Ukrainian exam for Moldovan society’s resilience” was the 227th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is implemented with support from the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
