Promoting poverty in media is disastrous, Minister

In the Moldovan media there is a tendency to promote a reputation for Moldova as a poor country, or in particular Europe's poorest country, which is disastrous for the country. Media outlets should rather provide success stories and show people that hard work and an innovative approach can make both themselves and the country richer. Agriculture Minister Vasile Bumacov formulated this opinion at a public debate on the theme “The Print and On-line Media from the Perspective of Political Culture: Responsibility for the Tamed-2”, organized by Info-Prim Neo. “I am very much concerned by this culture of idealizing and promoting poverty. Let me just give you the example of a publication which is supposed to attract tourists to Moldova, but which starts with the assertion that “the Republic of Moldova is the poorest country in Europe”, which is actually not true. We've instilled this idea into our heads and and are talking about it as if we're taking pride in it”, said the Minister. Vasile Bumacov recalled an anecdote from the 1917 Revolution when crowds in the street were chanting slogans against rich people and wealth, much to the bewilderment of an elderly woman who said: “And I thought we were supposed to fight poverty...” “Who doesn't want to get rich? Everyone wants this, we just have to make the difference between those who got rich fraudulently and those who got rich through elbow grease and achievements”, said Vasile Bumacov. The Minister noted that in other countries people are proud of their successful co-nationals, whom they promote as models. In his opinion, the Moldovan media should also encourage people to be successful. The public debate themed “The Print and On-line Media from the Perspective of Political Culture: Responsibility for the Tamed-2” is the 12th event in the series “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates”, organized by Info-Prim Neo with support from the German foundation Hanns Seidel.