The people from Bessarabia who took part in the deportation of compatriots and those who came from elsewhere to contribute considered that they did something good as they acted in accordance with a doctrine that claimed to be scientific. “The Marxist-Leninist theory says that capitalism should disappear, while those who oppose this process should be destroyed. This serious problem with the indoctrination of citizens persists among the current population of Moldova,” expert Igor Boțan stated in a public debate staged by IPN News Agency.
According to the project’s permanent expert, the persons who took part in the deportations were sure from ideological viewpoint that communism was the bright future of mankind. They didn’t even imagine that this regime can fall and they would bear responsibility for what they did. “We see that things are more profound. For example, the leaders from Cambodia, Communists who studied at Sorbonne in France and were very well trained from theoretical viewpoint, reached the conclusion that the supporters of the old mentality must disappear so that the mentality also disappeared. Those things were indoctrinated and we therefore shouldn’t be surprised at the fact that in the Republic of Moldova, we still have not very educated people who say that everything was done in accordance with a doctrine that at least claimed to be scientific, under the management a Leninist party,” stated Igor Boțan.
He noted that many aspects need yet to be discussed in society so as to see how such a situation was reached, but having discussions on the essence of deportations and other acts of repression committed by the Communist regime, which would be supported by scientific research based on documents, is the only valid instrument.
The expert reminded that the Government on August 21, 2019 adopted a decision by which August 23 was instituted as a day of remembrance for the victims of the Stalinist and Nazi regimes, based on the European Parliament’s Resolution of April 2, 2009. “Step by step, at national and international levels, things are brought in order and for us discussing these problems is really important for realizing what Bessarabia went through under Soviet occupation,” he stated.
Igor Boțan noted that id Moldova wants to get rid of the influence of the space that causes such horrors. Everything should start from school so that the new generation knows the drama experienced by the people from Bessarabia. “The ensuring of democratization of society and of our country’s security is the next step as we all remember how Bessarabia in 1940 was occupied by the Stalinist regime. We should also make effort for our country to become part of the European Union as the history of the formation of this Union shows that its goal is not to allow wars and crimes against humanity,” concluded the expert.
The public debate entitled “Stalinist deportations: echo of the past, for present and future” was the 12th installment of IPN’s project “Impact of the Past on Confidence and Peace Building Processes” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.
