Political leaders and analysts worried about possible abuses by SIS on parties and mass media

Political leaders and analysts are concerned about the consequences of President Vladimir Voronin’s statements that the Security and Information Service (SIS) has the task to combat illegal political and mass media financing. [Government starts doing bad things] Igor Klipii, secretary general of the Social-Liberal Party and vice chairman of the parliamentary commission for national security, defence and public order, told Info-Prim Neo he is convinced that the present government “started to do bad things” and already goes beyond what is legal and beyond the common sense. The given statements prove that the government wants to regain the power at any price, he said. The involvement of SIS in this activity was prepared beforehand – its budget was increased, a person close to the President was appointed as director of the Service, there was adopted a law that gives it the exclusive right to intercept telephone conversations. This confirms the fact that the government will insolently use the law enforcement bodies, including SIS, in the political fight. As to mass media, Klipii said that the press would be harassed and terrorised through different inspections, examinations, by withdrawing the licences and suspending the activity, and this would last throughout the election campaign. The pro-Romania press will be possibly subjected to a malevolent treatment, Klipii said. [The message is disturbing] The message is disturbing, the member of the same parliamentary commission and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Vlad Filat stated for the Agency. He said that the head of state should refer more to the dangers that come from the Transnistrian region, from the part of Russia that does not observe Moldova’s constitutional norms etc. But all the efforts are channelled into one direction – to create mechanisms to maintain the Communist regime in power at any cost. The message is tendentious and indirectly suggests to the SIS employees that the fight against the political opponents is their key task. It is regrettable that Voronin continues to make the situation tense, Filat said. He expressed his certitude that the President will take part in the meetings of the Boards of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), of the Centre for Combating Corruption and Economic Crime (CCCEC) and other institutions to deliver the same message to the law enforcement agencies that possess instruments for intimidating and exerting pressure on the media outlets and political opponents. [We should ring the bells] “The knife can be used to slice the bread, but also to cut the neck of the neighbour,” said the political analyst Arcadie Barbarosie. The same can be said about the SIS, MIA, CCCEC, which fulfil oppressive functions. All of them can be used to achieve goals that run counter to the initial objective. Vladimir Voronin’s instructions can be used against the Opposition. This is a problem and the political parties, the civil society and mass media should think how to solve it. Among some of the solutions would be a better law on party financing, the transparence of party and mass media financing and the observance of the legislation, the analyst said. He stressed that the election campaign for the 2009 parliamentary elections is approaching and the parties would not yet receive financial resources from the state during it, so that some of the parties will be favoured and the SIS will try to fulfill its duties to the detriment of certain parties and media outlets. There is a great risk. The society should discuss the problem and ring the bells, said Arcadie Barbarosie. According to a communique from the presidential press service, attending the meeting of the SIS Board, Vladimir Voronin said that the Security and Information Service has the task to combat illegal political and media financing, including from abroad. The Opposition parties play an important part in a democratic society, but only in the circumstances in which their activity is not directed against the state, Vladimir Voronin said. At the same time, the President stressed that the Service must not get involved in political processes, but fulfil its duties in strict compliance with the law, says the communique published by Info-Prim Neo in detail on Friday morning.