“But Natalia Morari has another ace up her sleeve, besides those that were already mentioned. She knows Moldovan traditions and realizes exactly what and how these traditions can be used in the interests of the public good. For example, in case of the fifth column’s victory, the President’s Office could serve as a Big House, as a place of hospitable reception of potential occupiers...”
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Official monopoly on interpretation of history
Symbolically, on May 8, 2024, on the very eve of Victory Day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the decree On approving the Fundamentals of State Policy of the Russian Federation in historical education. The stated goal of the initiative is “to form scientific understanding of Russia’s past and present, which is one of the foundations of identity and collective historical memory of all Russia, as well as to counter attempts to diminish the heroism of the people in defense of the Motherland.
In the current context, starting from the mentioned decree, we should admit that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a manifestation of the heroism of the people in defending Russia from the aggression of the West. Thus, we see that the proverb “a thief cries catch the thief!” can be paraphrased and expressed in a much more nuanced way. For example, in the following way: an aggressor shouts stop the aggression! or fascists shout stop fascism!. That the Putin regime has practically all the defining characteristics of fascism is a fact recognized globally, but also nationally, through the Russian students’ protest against the glorification of Putin’s favorite philosopher – the well-known fascist Ivan Ilyin. Moreover, the Putin regime even crosses the lines of distinguishing fascism from Nazism, when TV channels and official media or deputies of Russia’s ruling party say that, in general, the notions of Ukrainians and Ukraine should not exist, which is, in fact, the purpose of the special military operation, that is, aggression against the brotherly people.
In short, we must understand that through this decree, the Putin regime is trying to legislate on the attribution of its own vices and crimes to its opponents. A difficult task since even in the states that are closest economically and politically to Russia, within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), intellectual circles oppose the unilateral interpretation of history by the Putin regime. For example, independent journalists and political researchers in Kazakhstan believe that May 9 should commemorate the heroes and victims of the bloodiest war, not parades, which are a carnival of death to promote the cult of war. That conclusion is based on the fact that Russian propaganda takes the Great Patriotic War (GPW) out of the context of World War II, resorting to the distortion of history. The mystification lies in the intentional ignoring of the fact that the GPW was only a phase of the World War, which was started, by mutual agreement, by Nazi Germany and the Stalinist USSR. Moreover, Kazakh researchers have the courage to assert that the USSR, in fact, was not their homeland, but an empire in which Kazakhstan had the status of a ruthlessly exploited colony and subjected to extremely dangerous experiments, etc.
How does monopoly on interpretation of history impact the Republic of Moldova?
Although the Republic of Moldova does not have such close ties with Russia as Kazakhstan has, the pro-Russian parties in our country follow steadfastly the propaganda trend of historical exclusivism promoted by the Putin regime. In this connection, it is worth noting that it was Vladimir Putin who revived the use of the concept of the “fifth column”, and the Russian press revealed that the respective columns abroad are to be used in favor of Russia’s interests, as it was done in the interests of the USSR, through the Comintern. This has actually happened openly since 2016, when the branch of the Russian imperial movement was founded in Chisinau. Respectively, the leaders of the Bloc of Communists and Socialists (BCS), who participated in the recent parade on May 9, openly marched at the head of the column, defying the law by ostentatiously wearing the so-called “Saint George” ribbon, which is one of the symbols of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, but also a symbol of Russian revanchism. The latter manifests itself in the gathering of Russian lands and the dispossession of former Soviet republics of the gifts of the Russian people, on the grounds that they illegally left the USSR, as there were no legal procedures for exiting the Soviet empire.
As usual, Putin is lying! The USSR Law No. 1409-I “On the Procedure for Solving Problems Related to the Withdrawal of the Union Republic from the USSR” was adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on April 3, 1990, before the start of the sovereignty parade. Respectively, no Soviet republic left the USSR before the adoption of this law. And this person, who is used to lying, signs a decree to impose a monopoly on the interpretation of history.
It’s true that the fifth column of the Republic of Moldova encounters problems in promoting Russian propaganda narratives, resorting to manipulation and disinformation by omission, such as the absolute overlooking of the aggression against Ukraine, etc. In this sense, it is incomprehensible how one can celebrate victory in a war that took place 80 years ago avoiding talking about a war that is currently going on at the borders of the own country, affecting both its security and its economy.
The Communist-Socialist bloc also faces other kinds of difficulties. Last year, for example, they insisted on a 10-fold increase in the one-off allowances for war veterans to around €5,000, but this year they didn’t even remember their own initiative. Why? Because it turned out that in the Republic of Moldova, on Victory Day, the one-time allowances for war veterans are 5 times higher than in Russia – $565 vs. $107. Obviously, it is not convenient to emphasize such information, especially since in other CIS states, rich in natural resources, but not richer than Russia, one-time allowances for war veterans vary from $1,000 to $4,000. This truth and many other truths are inconvenient as they do not fall within the monopoly on the interpretation of historical events and processes imposed by the Putin regime.
Cracking of fifth column
The difference between a parade and an action commemorating May 9, unexpectedly, stood out in all its glory. Usually, during the commemoration, the participants, in a sober manner, observe a minute’s silence in memory of the fallen. On the other hand, during the parade, the scenario is quite different as the participants tend to show themselves with a lot of uproar at the head of the column so that the world can see them in the leading places. This is what the leaders of the Communist-Socialist bloc did on May 9, just as the Pharisees did – They do all their deeds to be seen by men (Matthew 23:5).
The battle for the top spots at the May 9 parade provoked a bizarre but highly resonant incident. It happened when one of the leaders of the Victory Bloc, which was recently created in Moscow from four clones of the former Shor Party, tried to show himself at the head of the column, along with the Communist-Socialist leaders. Great was his astonishment and indignation, however, when he noticed that the bodyguards of the Communist-Socialist leaders barred his way to the head of the column. In a fit of rage, the Shorist representative was forced to retreat in humiliation, exclaiming helplessly, “Shall four gorillas humiliate me?”. Unfortunately, the Shorist leader avoided displaying his virtues in public, so that the public opinion could find out why he thought he would be allowed to march alongside the Communist-Socialist leaders – Vladimir Voronin and Igor Dodon. Probably, his wounded ego was suffocating as the contributions he made over 15 years to the manipulation of public opinion, on the televisions owned by Plahotniuc, Shor, etc. weren’t recognized. But these achievements proved insufficient for him to be accepted at the head of the parade, and the incident demonstrated that the unity of the fifth column is fissured.
Causes of split between Communist-Socialists and Shorist representatives
No one should be under any illusions about the cracking of the fifth column. The media resources and money that the Russian imperial circles are pumping into destabilizing the Republic of Moldova can clear and plug any crack. For now, the money is pumped, in huge quantities, through the Shorist bodies - a fact confirmed by the law enforcement and security agencies. In such circumstances, the bloc of Communist-Socialists demonstrated, on May 9, its determination to stand firm in order not to allow the Shorists to somehow appropriate Victory Day.
For the sake of truth, we must admit that, for better or worse, the Communist-Socialists have political programs and experience in exploiting both Soviet and religious holidays, even if this can seem paradoxical. The Shorist clones have none of these and resort to the banal corruption of voters, with cash or through so-called social projects. This shortcoming was tried to be removed this year, ahead of the election. In this regard, the fugitive criminal, Ilan Shor, showed himself as a supporter of Christianity, contributing to bringing the Holy Fire from Jerusalem to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection. Moreover, the fugitive Shor also helped bring to Moldova the Eternal Fire from the Kremlin to celebrate Victory Day. Such an impertinent invasion by the Shorists into the field of interests and influence of the Communist-Socialist bloc proved to be intolerable. This explains why the Shorist representative was prevented from going to the head of the May 9 parade, along with Voronin and Dodon.
We see that the fugitive Shor insistently follows in Igor Dodon’s footsteps, trying to replace him in the niche of pro-Russian policies. For now, Shor managed to replace him probably only to a certain extent, as a confidant of the Russian imperial circles, which finance the destabilization of the Republic of Moldova. The Shor group also managed to convert an important group of the Socialist members of Parliament. The irony is that Shor also touched places that are sacred for Igor Dodon – the village of Etulia in Vulcanesti district. The point is that in Etulia Igor Dodon tests his electoral rating and his chances of being elected, by means of guessing through eggs. Therefore, we could assume, taking into account the aforementioned, that it is not at all accidental that the fugitive Ilan Shor found, also in Etulia, a doll – Yevgenia Guțul - for his political projects in the Gagauz autonomous unit and the Republic of Moldova. Coincidence? I don’t think so!
Therefore, whatever Igor Dodon does, the fugitive Shor tries to repeat his actions in order to undermine his positions and replace him on the political scene. Indeed, Shor proved so shrewd that he manages everything, including to get rid of the accusation that he only promotes blonde dolls, showing that he can promote brunettes too!
Fifth column still has a chance through competition of brunettes with blondes
In the abovementioned circumstances, which are quite dangerous for the unity of the fifth column, there are still grounds for reconciliation. The point is that only a few days before the incident that demonstrated the fragility of the unity of the pro-Russian parties, former journalist, Natalia Morari, offered her services to moderate the relations between the opposition parties. This offer painfully hurts the pride of the former governor of Gagauzia, Irina Valah, who last autumn pledged to unite the opposition in order to identify a common candidate for the presidential election of this autumn. But Mrs. Vlah’s efforts failed and she had to change her occupations, pleading for peace but not condemning the war in Ukraine, and then becoming a kind of sociologist who takes an interest in people’s current needs.
In such circumstances, Natalia Morari decided to borrow Irina Vlah’s initiative, exclaiming in public: “There is talk about a unique candidate, but nothing happens... I will initiate a meeting with all the opposition leaders and try to facilitate a frank and open dialogue about the single candidate. I’m convinced that we all have the right to know whether such dialogue exists and for whom personal interests prevail above all. I understand that time is running out, I will move as fast as possible. I personally will address all the opposition leaders, rent a room and invite them to this frank discussion in the near future. For this dialogue to have some chance of success, I will also invite some observers. Later, you alone will decide who is for people, who is for the own interest and who is for Maia Sandu."
We must admit that Natalia Morari’s attempt could be crowned with success. The point is sincerity is Natalia Morari’s trump card. For example, in a fit of sincerity, she admitted that she regrets having contributed to Maia Sandu's accession to power as she became disappointed and wants to contribute to the removal of the latter. Natalia Morari was equally sincere when she admitted that she was used by her partner Eduard Baghirov in the process of degenerating the peaceful protests on April 7, 2009. In fact, these are not the only cases of sincerity, the most revealed one referring to the overflowingly sincere question put to the controversial businessman, Veaceslav Platon, while interviewing him in prison. The direct question she asked was, “Are you a millionaire or a multimillionaire?” Platon, with the spirits typical of him, answered just as sincerely: "Do you want to pick me up?”. Consequently, two sincerities have intertwined in the eyes of the world, and currently they want to do politics in the Republic of Moldova, purportedly also through the Phoenix Moldova Party. This experience of Natalia Morari could contribute to gathering the entire opposition around her and, respectively, to identifying a common candidate for the presidential election of October-November 2024.
Conclusions
Despite the fissures that appeared between the Communist-Socialists and the Shorist representatives on the occasion of the Victory Day parade, there are chances for a successful mediation of the conflicts between the two groups. These chances, as it turned out, depend on the skills of Natalia Morari, who offered her mediation services. But Natalia Morari has another ace up her sleeve, besides those that were already mentioned. She knows Moldovan traditions and realizes exactly what and how these traditions can be used in the interests of the public good. For example, in case of the fifth column’s victory, the President’s Office could serve as a Big House, as a place of hospitable reception of potential occupiers.
