The new election campaign clearly shows again that Moldovan society is divided according to the geopolitical principle. The parties and politicians are also divided into pro-Russian and pro-Western. The discussions about the quality of the economy and internal development opportunities of the country are absent for now. Such a situation has continued for 30 years. Does this mean that we have an insurmountable situation or there is yet a way out? The issue was developed by the participants in IPN’s public debate “Translation difficulties: Why do Russian speakers have reservations about Euro-integrators?”.
Jurist Ștefan Gligor, standing expert of IPN’s project “Overcoming European integration stereotypes through communication”, said the reasons reside in the specific character of the Moldovan political sector. “In Moldova, the doctrinaire approaches when the parties are divided according to the principle of the conception of economic models didn’t take roots. Our situation was generated by historical processes, such as the collapse of the USSR, eruption of the national liberation movement,” he stated.
“Society concentrated on the language, history, historical truth and forgot that the foundations for any state are the economy and social wellbeing. As a result, the wave of national renaissance met with very pragmatic things, turning then into huge disappointment. When the Party of Communists obtained 72 sears in elections, this was like a signal for the other players: it is dangerous to focus on ideas that are far from economic development.”
Ștefan Gligor said the criteria according to which the political class and society are divided in Moldova are primitive. “Some sympathize with Russia, others with the EU and the U.S. There is also a small group that considers it is possible to integrate into the welfare system by uniting with Romania and this is the swiftest path to modernization and entry into the EU. And this is a mistaken idea as both of the sides conceive fully differently the state development models. It is very hard to reach a compromise or to invent the third model that would be based on the own forces and work,” he stated, noting the idea that if we adopt someone’s model or, in general, liquidate the state, everything will be fine it’s absolutely mistaken.
Vladislav Kulminski, executive director of the Institute for Strategic Policies and Initiatives, also considers that the problems in Moldova will persist until a group of leaders appears to deal with development.
“The situation we reached was predetermined by many events from the past. In the USSR, the borders were demarcated and defined so that the situation could not be different. But the only way out of the historical determinism was to focus on the development objectives. Until now, there was no person or party in Moldova that would have said: let’s start with discussions about the creation of a functional economy, development of businesses and later we can deal with everything else,” stated Vladislav Kulminski.
He reminded that Europe, divided by its historical past, could go through reconciliation after World War II, building an economic policy and a development model that was proposed to the citizens. “There was build a construct that had been later modeled during 30 years. We have been stuck in God knows what for as long,” stated the expert, noting that such a state of affairs for a particular group of people is very profitable.
“In the atmosphere of agitation, confusion and separation, the people tailor their “businesses”. They earn well and then invest money in propaganda campaigns that deepen further all the possible geopolitical division points,” stated Vladislav Kulminski.
The head of ITAR-TASS office in Moldova Valery Demidetskii is convinced that the quantity will generate quality and the country’s citizens will start to realize what’s going on.
“When independence was declared, there were practically no great politicians with broad and forward-looking views in our country. At declarative level, they wanted to make wellbeing the main principle and to renounce “the isms”, but when the election campaign began, everyone started to use them again.
Valery Demidetskii reminded that there were three waves of the European idea in Moldova. “The first appeared at the start of the 1990s. That was the first attempt to detach oneself from all the bad things in the East and to subscribe to the positive things in the West. The people were called to protests by such calls – if you want a salary of minister of US$ 3,000 come to the protest of the People’s Front. But after four years already, they got 9% of the vote,” stated the journalist.
“The second wave began when Moldova became a member of the Council of Europe, but that wave ended with the coming to power of the Communists. Until present, many associate the stability and ascent namely with the government of the PCRM. To eliminate the Communists from power, the rivals resorted to chaos. The third wave of the European integration that started in 2009 ended in shame: one of its leaders is a fugitive, the second stayed in jail, while about the third I do not want to even speak. The Communists’ relay race was continued by the Socialists who now dominate the political arena,” stated Valery Demidetskii.
One of the reasons for the failure was the vulnerability of the political class. “When they speak about geopolitical issues, they think superficially, without understanding many processes in the EU. Meanwhile, no one waits for us in the EU, while Russia does not intend to tow Moldova. We should simply deal with the internal problems,” concluded the journalist.
The public debate “Translation difficulties: Why do Russian speakers have reservations about Euro-integrators?” forms part of the series “Overcoming European integration stereotypes through communication” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
