Press Release
on the organization of the debate “Pro-European Government: labor pains and quality of society in the role of midwife”, the 37th installment of the “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” Series; Public debates series held by the news agency IPN in its conference room with the support of the German Foundation “Hanns Seidel”
The 37th debate had two essential elements: 1. The quality of the new government of Moldova in terms of its capacity to satisfy the wish of the majority of people to continue Moldova’s European course, and 2. The capacity of Moldovan society to impose the will expressed in the November 30, 2014 elections on the government. Surely both of the elements are very important and in direct interdependence, but the participants, given the project’s specific features, referred more to the society’s capacity to promote its interests in the relations with the political class by post-electoral methods and instruments already.
We decided to lay emphasis this way for a number of reasons: 1. They spoke a lot about the quality and responsibility of the political class at this post-electoral stage and the issue will be surely yet discussed for a long time on; 2. The specific feature of our series is the political culture, which refers especially to society, population, the ordinary members of a political system who also have a say; 3. It’s opportune to sum up the results of a discussion initiated within the IPN debate of the same series, of December 17, 2014. We then had together, at the same discussion table, the representatives of a number of civil society platforms involved in the dialogue with the pro-European parties, which, for their part, were holding negotiations on the formation of the pro-European government, in accordance with the mandate offered by the majority of the people in the November 30, 2014 elections. In particular, those persons represented the Initiative “For Responsible Governance”, the Civil Society Platform “Pro-Europa”, the National NGO Council, the National Participation Council, the Platform of 27 NGOs working in the areas of justice and human rights that represented several hundred civil society organizations.
We are thus able to assess the quality and effect of this dialogue of civil society with the components of the new government, to see its pluses and minuses, the responsibility borne by civil society for the poor quality of the dialogue and, respectively, by the pro-European government, and the measures taken to remedy the situation.
In general, the representatives of a number of civil society platforms consider that the current government, which declares itself pro-European, lost voter’ confidence following the formation of a minority government and the developments in the banking sector. They said the authorities had an active dialogue with civil society before elections, but now turned their back and ignore people’s dissatisfaction.
Oazu Nantoi, a member of the Civic Platform Dignity and Truth, said that in fact Parliament represents the mirror of society. The pro-European parties lost voters’ confidence and the behavior of the political players, especially of those who declare themselves Europeans, causes repugnance in society. The people feel the necessity of having a representative that will express their dissatisfaction as it is evident that internal pressure is developing in the form of a mute protest. According to him, it is very important that the voices be coherent and be heard.
Lilia Snegureac, secretary of the Civil Society Platform “Pro-Europa”, said it now seems that the government does not know what democratic government and democratic institutions mean. Those who are in power also do not know what public dialogue and social dialogue are and political culture cannot be sought from the ordinary people at a time when those who have managed the country for many years do not know what it is. The dialogue with civil society was active only before the elections and with only some of the representatives of civil society. “As to the dialogue between civil society and the parties, the political class, I think civil society discussed with the three monkeys of Gandhi – ‘I don’t see’, ‘I don’t hear’ and ‘I don’t say’,” stated Lilia Snegureac.
Ion Dron, who heads the Association “Justice and Uprightness”, said the political class and civil society represent in fact a whole. “They are our mirror and we must not make this difference when we speak about the problems of the community in which we live,” he stated, adding that civil society is also in ‘labor pains’ as it is dispersed and is not coherent. However, the political crises witnessed until now had also a positive effect as the number of those who criticize the government is higher now than four years ago and civil society was mobilized. “We are making effort to find a straight line from which to start, to find a consensus. We should give up uttering slogans and should come and demand that they do concrete things in the form of strategies and programs worked out by us, and we should prove that we are better than they are,” stated Ion Dron.
Igor Botan, executive director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT), who is the permanent expert of IPN’s project, said that given the illegalities ascertained lately and the thefts committed by those who are in power, society has no other way than to oppose this hybrid government. An increasing number of protest centers appear. This protesting potential should be kept for the local elections and should be concentrated in a common front that will make the government understand that they cannot permanently lie to the people. “This potential should be manifested decently so as not to allow a short circuit as during April 2009. With the help of this people’s front, the government should be removed in a legal and decent way,” he stated.
The Agency published 4 news stories on the debate (see the English version of www.ipn.md): on 03.03.15, “Current government lost voters’ confidence, IPN debate” - http://www.ipn.md/en/arhiva/67946; on 04.03.15, “Igor Botan: We have a hybrid government” - http://www.ipn.md/en/arhiva/67950; “Oazu Nantoi: After ratification of Association Agreement with EU, pro-European coalition died” - http://www.ipn.md/en/arhiva/67951; “ Ion Dron: Civil society must have its eye on government” - http://www.ipn.md/en/arhiva/67952.
Valeriu Vasilica, director of IPN