Thursday, April 09, 2009
Vindictive Voronin
Unimedia, citing ProTV (story here in Romanian), reports that the government has assessed the damage from the destruction and looting of the Parliament and Presidential Palace at 300 million lei, or roughly 27.2 million US dollars at today's rate.
Voronin has apparently stated (Unimedia cites ProTV, which itself cites official news agency Moldpres for this, but I couldn't find anything on Moldpres's admittedly not very reliably updated website) that repairs to the damaged buildings will be repaired using state funds which had previously been designated for the institutions of higher education at which [some of] the protesters are students.
If this is true, it is difficult to imagine a more petty and irresponsible answer by the head of state to this week's protests. Not only this statement provocative in the immediate term, it would also, if implemented, contribute to one of the major causes of frustration among the youth - an educational system rendered dysfunctional by corruption, which is driven at least in part by a dearth of funding.
The attitude displayed here by Voronin - again, if the story is true, although even if it's someone's provocation the fact that it's so plausible speaks volumes about Voronin's customary demeanor toward the people he governs - goes a long way toward explaining the level of frustration among young people in Chisinau.
Apparently more protests are being planned for tomorrow, and- coincidentally? - the country's main electricity provider is planning blackouts in a number of regions for "repair works."
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6 comments:
Lyndon, Thank you, thank you for your updates. For someone who knows nothing about Moldova, your posts have been very helpful.
I agree, if this story is true Voronin will only dig a deeper hole for himself vis-a-vis students.
It will be interesting to see how the students and other youths figure in the negotiations between the opposition parties and the Communists. My guess is that they will be sidelined, only reproducing youth disillusionment. But time will tell . . .
Btw, something to include in your next posts, OpenDemocracy has translated some of Morar's blog and have an article on the situation.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/email/blog-for-democracy-from-the-streets-of-moldova
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/email/transdniestria-and-moldova-unloved-unresolved
I don't know if you caught them.
It is worse than petty; it's dumb, and semi-treasonous.
Moldova urgently needs to improve its relatively low educational human capital (by European standards) if it wants to move onto something better than exporting overly sugary wine. This would just be digging it further into the ditch (and churning out more pro-Romanian nationalists).
Sean, thanks, I'm actually in Chisinau now and will try to write more from today's protest.
Sub Oblivion, you had me right up until the sugary wine part. Come for a visit and drink some real Moldovan wine. The sugary / fortified stuff is the shit they send to Russia ("Buket Moldavii"). Here normal people don't drink that garbage.
You're missing SO's "point," Lyndon. You see, anyone who would even think of questioning the wonderful paradise that is Russian domination is psychiatrically ill and should be institutionalized. Or simply shot and killed.
Moreover, if an American says that Russia makes nothing of the remotest interest to the Western world and is a backward, useless joke of a country, then they are "racist" but if a Russian says such things about any other place, they are merely capturing the truth.
Probably it's the fact that you were not blessed to be born with a Russian brain that prevents you from following the deep, ultimate insights offered by such individuals.
Lyndon,
Thanks for the invitation. I'll pop by if I'm in the area. ;)
Ok the temptation is simply too great - I'll feed LR.
The thing is, it is actually she who is psychiatrically ill and confused. If Moldova makes nothing of value, then why would I support Russia dominating it?
As a matter of fact, I don't mind whether its under Russian, Romanian or Moldovan "domination" (a term I use loosely, because it has pejorative connotations, whereas many older people would prefer Russian "domination", and many youngsters have strong affinities to Romania, and many would prefer for Moldova to strive to preserve itself as a multi-ethnic neutral border country). That's is something Moldovans would have to resolve for themselves, preferably in a civil and CONSENSUAL way.
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