{"id":449042,"date":"2020-12-14T20:31:26","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T20:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/?p=449042"},"modified":"2020-12-16T06:10:27","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T06:10:27","slug":"can-fake-populism-divide-the-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/can-fake-populism-divide-the-society\/","title":{"rendered":"Can fake populism divide a society?"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

For years, the Moldovan society has been struggling with sorting out highly polarized matters. Moldovans have big troubles when choosing the ‘correct’<\/em> language to speak, nationality to identify with, political (or geopolitical) position to take, holidays to celebrate, and a lot of other public concerns that have always caused collisions, determining people to use hate speech and violence against each other, separating them according to the best divide et impera<\/em><\/strong> practices.<\/p>\n

That is exactly what corrupt politicians in power need in order to make the population forget about the real issues of the country – a continuously rising level of poverty, wages and pensions below the subsistence level, ubiquitous corruption, a precarious judiciary, emigration of labour force, a public budget deficit dependant on international financing, food crisis, hindered freedom of speech, the Transnistrian region with a foreign army on its territory, a pandemic that causes the death of thousands of people and determines the healthcare system to go beyond limits… The list can continue.<\/p>\n

Of course, fake populism can divide a society and draw it’s attention to something less important or even insignificant. Still, is it for a long time? It won’t last forever and, bit by bit, the actions of such politicians risk to be discovered and denounced. Believing that throwing a bone to some ‘undereducated<\/em> people’<\/em> could work every time is a big mistake.<\/p>\n

After the presidential elections, the current (unconfirmed) government formed of socialists, the Sor Party members and some ex-democratic turncoats proposed for voting several highly controversial populist bills. One of them was related to the Russian language usage in the state institutions of the Republic of Moldova, another one was about the Gagauzia status, one more about whom the Republican Stadium site should belong to – the US Embassy or Ilan Sor. The latter has big plans to build a new amusement park there (see OrheiLand).<\/p>\n

The last missile – a new legislative initiative brought up by socialists today, insisting on changing the date of Europe Day celebration from May 9 to May 8, as now Europe Day is celebrated on the same day as Victory Day.<\/p>\n

See also: Two different ways of celebrating May 9: Victory Day vs Europe Day in the time of COVID-19<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Some Moldovan politicians really seem disconnected from reality. There is a special saying for them – to fiddle while Rome is burning. This strategy is less and less effective though, if even Irina Vlah, Governor of UTA Gagauzia, a Socialist Party member and a fierce supporter of Igor Dodon, claimed, in a recent interview<\/a>, that there has been too much controversy related to the official language in Moldova and that she learns “Romanian”<\/em> as as a sign of respect for the country in which she lives.<\/p>\n

For a part of the Moldovan society, activists, international officials it already became clear: the politicians from Parliament seek to throw dust in public’s eyes, give them reasons to hate and fight each other, while avoiding to take care of real problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peter Michalko emphasised, during the 2020\u00a0Moldovan European Integration Forum<\/a>, that hate speech and geopolitical matters do not influence people as much as in the past, while \u201cfight against corruption, rising living standards and the future of children seem to matter more.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

“Regardless of ethnicity, people are beginning to understand that their goal is a better future and a country where they can feel free and prosperous, where they can rely on the judiciary. The positive aspects are stronger than the negative ones. The are tens of thousands of positive people and units of those who anchor the country in poverty and corruption. The stronger the voice of the former, the less the power of oligarchs and corrupt politicians,”<\/em> said Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova.<\/p>\n

Therefore, positive changes are observed when it comes to Moldovans’ common mentality and beliefs. Is it because of the wind of change blowing after the presidential elections? Because of President-elect messages focused on integration, tolerance, acceptance and openness that are very different from what was heard before? It could be. But that is an incentive only. The real change lies in the people of Moldova.<\/p>\n

Photo: unknown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>For years, the Moldovan society has been struggling with sorting out highly polarized matters. Moldovans have big troubles when choosing the ‘correct’ language to speak, nationality to identify with, political (or geopolitical) position to take, holidays to celebrate, and a lot of other public concerns that have always caused collisions, determining people to use hate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":449043,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,3,4,56],"tags":[940,115,35,27,233,677,939,95],"class_list":["post-449042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-politics","category-society","category-reportaje","tag-change","tag-corruption","tag-important","tag-moldova","tag-parliament","tag-politicians","tag-populism","tag-society"],"content_social_share":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

For years, the Moldovan society has been struggling with sorting out highly polarized matters. Moldovans have big troubles when choosing the ‘correct’<\/em> language to speak, nationality to identify with, political (or geopolitical) position to take, holidays to celebrate, and a lot of other public concerns that have always caused collisions, determining people to use hate speech and violence against each other, separating them according to the best divide et impera<\/em><\/strong> practices.<\/p>\n

That is exactly what corrupt politicians in power need in order to make the population forget about the real issues of the country – a continuously rising level of poverty, wages and pensions below the subsistence level, ubiquitous corruption, a precarious judiciary, emigration of labour force, a public budget deficit dependant on international financing, food crisis, hindered freedom of speech, the Transnistrian region with a foreign army on its territory, a pandemic that causes the death of thousands of people and determines the healthcare system to go beyond limits… The list can continue.<\/p>\n

Of course, fake populism can divide a society and draw it’s attention to something less important or even insignificant. Still, is it for a long time? It won’t last forever and, bit by bit, the actions of such politicians risk to be discovered and denounced. Believing that throwing a bone to some ‘undereducated<\/em> people’<\/em> could work every time is a big mistake.<\/p>\n

After the presidential elections, the current (unconfirmed) government formed of socialists, the Sor Party members and some ex-democratic turncoats proposed for voting several highly controversial populist bills. One of them was related to the Russian language usage in the state institutions of the Republic of Moldova, another one was about the Gagauzia status, one more about whom the Republican Stadium site should belong to – the US Embassy or Ilan Sor. The latter has big plans to build a new amusement park there (see OrheiLand).<\/p>\n

The last missile – a new legislative initiative brought up by socialists today, insisting on changing the date of Europe Day celebration from May 9 to May 8, as now Europe Day is celebrated on the same day as Victory Day.<\/p>\n

See also: Two different ways of celebrating May 9: Victory Day vs Europe Day in the time of COVID-19<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Some Moldovan politicians really seem disconnected from reality. There is a special saying for them – to fiddle while Rome is burning. This strategy is less and less effective though, if even Irina Vlah, Governor of UTA Gagauzia, a Socialist Party member and a fierce supporter of Igor Dodon, claimed, in a recent interview<\/a>, that there has been too much controversy related to the official language in Moldova and that she learns “Romanian”<\/em> as as a sign of respect for the country in which she lives.<\/p>\n

For a part of the Moldovan society, activists, international officials it already became clear: the politicians from Parliament seek to throw dust in public’s eyes, give them reasons to hate and fight each other, while avoiding to take care of real problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peter Michalko emphasised, during the 2020\u00a0Moldovan European Integration Forum<\/a>, that hate speech and geopolitical matters do not influence people as much as in the past, while \u201cfight against corruption, rising living standards and the future of children seem to matter more.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

“Regardless of ethnicity, people are beginning to understand that their goal is a better future and a country where they can feel free and prosperous, where they can rely on the judiciary. The positive aspects are stronger than the negative ones. The are tens of thousands of positive people and units of those who anchor the country in poverty and corruption. The stronger the voice of the former, the less the power of oligarchs and corrupt politicians,”<\/em> said Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova.<\/p>\n

Therefore, positive changes are observed when it comes to Moldovans’ common mentality and beliefs. Is it because of the wind of change blowing after the presidential elections? Because of President-elect messages focused on integration, tolerance, acceptance and openness that are very different from what was heard before? It could be. But that is an incentive only. The real change lies in the people of Moldova.<\/p>\n

Photo: unknown<\/p>\n

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