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Maia Sandu: If the electoral system is not changed, the Democratic Party will probably not enter next Parliament /INTERVIEW
Moldova, at its teenage years, the uninominal vote system, fight with the corruption, future plans. This is what we discussed with the leader of the Action and Solidarity Party, Maia Sandu.
- Mrs. Maia Sandu, how would you describe the Republic of Moldova in its current state?
– The Republic of Moldova is a country in the teenage years and thus, tries to find its own path of development. We are a young democracy and “democracy” is probably too much said, but at least we are trying to find the path of freedom, to build institutions that, in time, would become strong and sustainable to ensure and preserve those citizen liberties. Obviously, we want to have a prosperous country, but we are far from there.
- Teenage means revolt. Is Moldova a rebel or it can wait more?
– In some circumstances, it is rebel. We see that there is still a spirit that tries to oppose some desires of politicians to impose control and more autocracy, but it is not sufficiently rebel. Many of our rebel people, instead of trying to ask for change, decided to go abroad. I don’t necessarily say that it is a bad thing, but this critical mass of people that would be able to put pressure for a change for better is way too small, smaller than if these people were home.
- If we continue the teenage theme, who are the parents of this teenager?
– It is hard to tell who are the parents of this teenager. I believe that we cannot wait to have parents to take care of us. Those who can help us will help only when they see that we are serious and that we want this change. I am talking about countries and governments that understand how important is it for the entire world to develop harmoniously, because we are in an on-going process of globalization. Every country can cause crises that could become regional or even international ones. That is why it is important for the entire world to prosper. From this perspective, there are more governments that understand how important it is to help each other. At the same time, nobody will come to force us and tell us how things are done, what path we should take. We can be helped only when we can prove that we really want this thing, and we did not. When I say “we”, I am referring to a sufficiently big number of people and especially, those from the government, because they take decisions for us.
Candu should start this fight from the PD ministers
- The fight against corruption is an usual topic in Moldova, but the investigation journalists are convinced that corruption is at home at high levels. If the government is not an example, who can we learn from?
– When the corruption is spread everywhere, it is hard to go against the system. The things can be changed through two methods. One is the power of example and education, two is the system of sanctioning. Now, the education system regards the responsibility of the parents and school. We should tell this straight: we see no results from neither of them. The sanctioning system comes from the law enforcement institutions. In order to overturn this situation, we need to start fighting against the big corruption. When we will prove that the people, involved in the big corruption acts, with dramatic impact over the society, are punished, then we will be credible, in order to start the fight against corruption at all levels.
We started the fight against corruption in education, but when we were conducting that fight, one billion US dollars disappeared from the banking system. Obviously, in that situation, we fully lost our credibility. How can you ask disappointed people, that get non-formal payments because they cannot survive with the very small salary offered by the state, when such disgusting things happen around the leadership of the country?
We start with sanctioning those involved in major cases of corruption, save money from these actions, increase the salaries and ask all levels to respect the laws, then we sanction those involved in small corruption.
On the educational dimension, we should persevere, each of us at his own place, parent, professor, to make a good example for the children. Only when he sees that the parents, the professors do not commit these kind of things, only then (he/she) would understand that (he/she) must do the same.
- If we talk about corruption, one remembers the draft law proposed by the Parliament speaker Andrian Candu on the implementation of lunch tickets as a solution against the non-formal salaries that caused an exchange of remarks between you and mr. Candu…
In my opinion, when you have a corrupt government, the best is to keep a simple system. As Americans say- Keep it simple. The moment you start to invent all kinds of elements like these tickets, a new opportunity for corruption opens. In general, I find it ridiculous that the Parliament speaker thinks these lunch tickets are a method of fighting with the non-formal salaries. Are we supposed to understand that, from now on, they will pay the salaries through lunch tickets, medicine tickets transport tickets, cinema tickets? Is this the solution for fighting the non-formal salaries? If we are serious about this, I would recommend Candu to start this fight from the ministers of the Democratic Party. Because, even during the time I was in the Government, there were rumors that some PD ministers received their salaries in envelopes.
“Adopt a vote” offline
- One month ago, a part of the Facebook group “Adopt a vote”, most of it from diaspora, met in Venice, where they discussed the major problems the Republic of Moldova faces and adopted a resolution…
I was enormously happy to learn that the Moldovan diaspora started to organize itself. I think it is the first attempt of the diaspora to speak in one voice. Let’s not forget that, for several years, it has economically supported the Republic of Moldova. We can’t imagine our GDP without the remittances our Moldovan diaspora sends. The letters that the Government sends to the International Monetary Fund always contain the complaint that the remittances are reducing- “this means that we need compensations from the foreign donors”. If the diaspora is so important and the money it sends are comparable to the money the foreign donors provide, why can’t the diaspora ask for conditions n exchange for the enormous support it gives to the development of the country? Finally, the authorities got this conditionality message. Let’s see how they fulfill this promise.
Where did Maia Sandu disappear
- A lot of people consider that you disappeared from the light of cameras, that you are passive, that you easily gave up after the announcement of the elections results. What is happening?
I disappeared from the light of cameras, because the cameras are not upon us. The situation was different in the campaign. Yes, we took a break after the Presidential elections, because the efforts were huge. During this campaign, we had only volunteers and no employees. These people worked 24/24 for free, for several months, and had to search for a job after this. People cannot work for free. We should be realists and understand how things are.
In the winter months, we took a tour through the rural places, we concentrated on the party construction, on identifying people to represent us in each locality. We were not seen, because we did not take the television with us in each village. We’ve been to 30-40 villages, in the weekend, because the locals were busy. We will continue this furthermore- building the party, consolidating the team. We want to raise local and national level leaders and this implies a lot of training.
We were less visible in the dialogue on national level. Now we are back and we are trying to send other messages, but, unfortunately, the government does not take them in account. It is more of a monologue.
“We are ready for every situation”
- In case the uninominal electoral system is passed, will you manage to consolidate your team, to make it strong and visible until the next elections? So far, PAS is only Maia Sandu. At least, this is what one can see.
I want to remind you that PAS is a young party, Maia Sandu is in the public eye since 2012. PAS turns one year in May 2017 and it is natural that it is less known that me. That is why we have the objective to make the image transfer from me to the party, to identify, help and promote all PAS leaders from the regions. We are ready for every situation, but we are conscious that the electoral system change, as the Democratic Party wants it, opens new opportunities for the government, especially for PD, to defraud the elections. We oppose this change, because it doesn’t have the goal to consolidate the democratic process or the increase in representation. It has one objective- to allow them to manipulate and maintain the power. If the electoral system is not changed, the Democratic Party will probably not enter the next Parliament. Thus, we set a goal to become a strong party and obviously be ready for every situation.
- During your visits in the regions, did you find the potential candidates from PAS for the possible single-member district elections?
We are not searching for potential deputies. We are searching for people to participate in the political process and to help us in building a party. We have a correct policy towards the promotion of people in positions, within the party and in public offices. We have a register of the candidates, where people register, where there are certain rules for applying for a public position. This is the register of party members, but this doesn’t mean that we are not open for those outside PAS. Our policy is to promote the best people in public positions. Each candidate submits a CV, then we get some recommendations and then we launch a contest. First of all, they need to prove their integrity, we then measure their professionalism and measure their contribution to the party activities. Depending on these criteria, that we will publish soon because the mechanism is still under discussion, we will choose people that deserve to be candidates for some positions.
Author: Ana Gherciu
VIDEO (Romanian- English subtitles under development):
Important
#WorldForUkraine – a map that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression
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„Today, along with the political and military support, emotional connection with the civilized world and truthful information are extremely important for Ukraine. The power to do it is in your hands. Join the #WorldForUkraine project and contribute to the victorious battle against the bloodshed inflicted on Ukraine by the aggression of the Russian Federation”, says the „about the project” section of the platform.
Go to the streets — Tell people — Connect and Unite — Become POWERFUL
Volunteers have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression. In digital world – it is an INTERACTIVE MAP of public support of Ukrainians worldforukraine.net under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.” There you may find information about past and future rallies in your city in support of Ukraine. This is a permanent platform for Ukrainian diaspora and people all over the world concerned about the situation in Ukraine.
So here’s a couple of things you could do yourself to help:
* if there is a political rally in your city, then participate in it and write about it on social media with geolocation and the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
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The map will add information about gathering by #WorldForUkraine AUTOMATICALLY
Your voice now stronger THAN ever
All rallies are already here: https://worldforukraine.net
Important
How is Moldova managing the big influx of Ukrainian refugees? The authorities’ plan, explained
From 24th to 28th of February, 71 359 Ukrainian citizens entered the territory of Republic of Moldova. 33 173 of them left the country. As of this moment, there are 38 186 Ukrainian citizens in Moldova, who have arrived over the past 100 hours.
The Moldovan people and authorities have organized themselves quickly from the first day of war between Russia and Ukraine. However, in the event of a prolonged armed conflict and a continuous influx of Ukrainian refugees, the efforts and donations need to be efficiently managed. Thus, we inquired about Moldova’s long-term plan and the state’s capacity to receive, host, and treat a bigger number of refugees.
On February 26th, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Moldova approved the Regulation of organization and functioning of the temporary Placement Center for refugees and the staffing and expenditure rules. According to the Regulation, the Centers will have the capacity of temporary hosting and feeding at least 20 persons, for a maximum of 3 months, with the possibility of extending this period. The Centers will also offer legal, social, psychological, and primary medical consultations to the refugees. The Center’s activity will be financed from budget allocations, under Article 19 of Provision no. 1 of the Exceptional Situations Commission from February 24th, 2022, and from other sources of funding that do not contravene applicable law.
The Ministry of Inner Affairs and the Government of Moldova facilitated the organization of the volunteers’ group “Moldova for Peace”. Its purpose is to receive, offer assistance and accommodation to the Ukrainian refugees. The group is still working on creating a structure, registering and contacting volunteers, etc. It does not activate under a legal umbrella.
Lilia Nenescu, one of the “Moldova for Peace” volunteers, said that the group consists of over 20 people. Other 1700 registered to volunteer by filling in this form, which is still available. The group consists of several departments:
The volunteers’ department. Its members act as fixers: they’re responsible for connecting the people in need of assistance with the appropriate department. Some of the volunteers are located in the customs points. “The Ministry of Inner Affairs sends us every day the list of the customs points where our assistance is needed, and we mobilize the volunteers”, says Lilia Nenescu.
The Goods Department manages all the goods donated by the Moldavian citizens. The donations are separated into categories: non-perishable foods and non-food supplies. The volunteers of this department sort the goods into packages to be distributed.
The Government intends to collect all the donations in four locations. The National Agency for Food Safety and the National Agency for Public Health will ensure mechanisms to confirm that all the deposited goods comply with safety and quality regulations.
The Service Department operates in 4 directions and needs the volunteer involvement of specialists in psychology, legal assistance (the majority of the refugees only have Ukrainian ID and birth certificates of their children); medical assistance; translation (a part of the refugees are not Ukrainian citizens).
According to Elena Mudrîi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, so far there is no data about the number of Covid-19 positive refugees. She only mentioned two cases that needed outpatient medical assistance: a pregnant woman and the mother of a 4-day-old child.
The Accommodation Department. The volunteers are waiting for the centralized and updated information from the Ministry of Labor about the institutions offering accommodation, besides the houses offered by individuals.
The Transport Department consists of drivers organized in groups. They receive notifications about the number of people who need transportation from the customs points to the asylum centers for refugees.
The municipal authorities of Chișinău announced that the Ukrainian children refugees from the capital city will be enrolled in educational institutions. The authorities also intend to create Day-Care Centers for children, where they will be engaged in educational activities and will receive psychological assistance. Besides, the refugees from the municipal temporary accommodation centers receive individual and group counseling.
In addition to this effort, a group of volunteers consisting of Ana Gurău, Ana Popapa, and Andrei Lutenco developed, with the help of Cristian Coșneanu, the UArefugees platform, synchronized with the responses from this form. On the first day, 943 people offered their help using the form, and 110 people asked for help. According to Anna Gurău, the volunteers communicate with the Government in order to update the platform with the missing data.
Translation from Romanian by Natalia Graur
A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.
International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.
Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.
Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.
Is it Moldova?
First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.
At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”
What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.
“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.
Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.
Is it a victory?
In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.
Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.
“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”
Is it only about football?
FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.
The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.
Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.
Photo: unknown
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