Gabriel Bejan on the festering wounds of Romania's revolution (România Liberă)

Twenty-one years ago on December 21 violent protests against the Ceauşescu regime began in Bucharest which hailed the end of the dictatorship. Romania will be hounded by its past as long as it fails to resolve the problems bound up with it, writes Gabriel Bejan in the daily România Liberă: "We still passionately discuss the revolution because we don't know what happened back then. For example after the flight of the Ceauşescu couple on 22 December 1989 over a thousand people died, but no one was condemned for this or even put on trial. The subject was deliberately buried, probably forever. But it leaves an open wound that is festering and flares up every year in December. ... The past won't leave us in peace. ... Moreover our relation to the past is an old ailment of our politicians, even the young ones. They look back because it's even harder to look to the future and make plans as long as the present isn't secured: by good and long-lasting laws, an effective administration and reforms." (21/12/2010) » full article (external link, Romanian) More from the press review on the subject » History, » Weltanschauung, » Remembrance culture, » Romania All available articles from » Gabriel Bejan

On December 1st -among others' Romania's birthday- I thought a translation of a related article, by Bradford University Professor Tom Gallagher might do! I would have shared some thoughts on the event, if there was any... at least in Vienna. But after unsuccessfully surfing the Romanian Cultural Institute and harassing acquaintances on the topic I decided to go online with a translated analogy to August 23rd and hopefully gather some reactions, for a reality check! I find it, in any case, less ironic than wishing 'Happy Birthday, Romania!' Would anyone dis/agree?

'Until 1989, on August 23rd the leaders of the totalitarian regime were celebrting year after year the overthrowing of others - removed from power in 1944 through the acts of courage of some patriots who were unfortunately soon to become victims of another tyrany, even more fierce. Today, not even the nostalgics of the communist times are particularly willing to invoke August 23rd as a symbol of the alleged fulfillment era. The reason behind such second thoughts is simple - on August 23rd citizens were forced by an entire army of cocksure public servants to participate - often in the conditions of a substantial physical disconfort - in al sorts of parades and honours to the Pharaoh ruling the country and its hangmen.

No matter how humiliating it was, August 23 was nevertheless a national class event - social level included. Its celebration was supposed to be representative of the dimensions and permanence beyond the partnership between the governing and the governed, although this was nothing but a mere chymera. Surprisingly enough, after December 1989 no other day ever managed to 'dethrone' the symbolistics behind August 23rd. The actual national day, December 1st, converted pretty soon into an elitistic event, marked by the politicians' perorations about 'The Great Union' and addressing an ever diminishing public. Maybe in 1990, when this part of Europe was undergoing a series of radical transformations, a day dedicated to national unity and implicitly to the Romanian specificities of Transylvania had its purpose. But we are presently living in a post-national world. Even with couple of Jobbik representatives confortably installed in Târgu-Mureş, the secessionist spectrum faded away quite some time ago. Moreover, given the general apathy of Romanians, I believe not even the emergence of a diabolic and adequately tempting offer - say, coming from foreign capitalists and which would presuppose the payment of a few billions Euro plus the creation of thousands workplaces in exchange of detaching parts of Transylvania - would cause any notable less anemic reaction than the one displayed concerning the project at Roşia Montană.

A few years ago, a national day dedicated to the return of Romania in the European family through its EU admission -and celebrated potentially not in the winter season, but in one of the many sunny days that the country is enjoying- may have seemed more natural. Nowadays however, after almost four (4) disappointing years as an EU member with full rights, most probably many less citizens still consider the moment of EU admission as a historic one. Consequenty, what followed after August 23rd is... another August 23rd. A reduced copy of it, still one re-edited on plentiful of occasions, by the same 'mobilizing groups', be it on the purpose of saving various leaders, or on the purpose of celebrating allegedly collective successes. Whereas those who took good care to convert the public wealth into several private pieces anyways prefer to rather celebrate in Snagov, Monte Carlo, Caiman Isles or at Phuket - this way a birthday celebrated in one of the exclusivist Bucharest restaurants or clubs eventually appears as an utterly stingily gesture. The newly rich are not ashame to exhibit ther wealth in the countless glossy magazines which, until the crisis began, didn't seem to miss an audience. The less scrupulous part of the media quickly learned to anaesthetize common sense, especially the aesthetic sense of the public, so as to determine it first to accept and afterwards to crave for the latest news about various clans of oligarchs - now present 24/7 in written mass media as well as on TV. The Ceauşescu's would undoubtedly feel extremely amazed to conclude, on the one hand how easy it is in fact to fool the masses and on the other hand how well their IInd and IIIrd raws did in propelling themseleves to the status of national wealth inheritors' - disarming with professionalism and guts an entire nation - transformed into an amorphous and pauper mass, pasive at the devalidation and injustice occuring in front of it.

Presently, no feast of the newly rich runs even the slightest danger to be disturbed by the furious crowd, as it happened in 1987, when in Braşov the hungry workers dashed the party activists gathered to cram. Romania gives off, currently, nothing but acute resignation, accompanied by the desire to emmigrate. At least 10% of its physicians already took the path of the West, showing their backs to the country which chose to allocate for health expenditure the smallest percentage of its domestic product in the entire EU. During this month, not less than 86% Romanians expressed during an opinion poll their wish to search for luck across the borders - a quite clear signal of the expectations they got to nurture towards their own country.

In the 50s, the German Democratic Republic was facing a genuine exodus of its population, however not even then the number of refugees to the GFR equated that of Romanians willing to leave. Back then, the authorities in Berlin and Moscow agreed upon solving this problem by creating the Berlin Wall. Romanians, already deprived even from events that could awake a minimum of interhuman solidarity, reached that point where their greatest dream is the way to the airport - if possible, one way. Under these circumstances, Romanian authorities would do well to understand that the prognosis on their country's future is, unfortunately, an extremely reserved one.

by Geanina

On November 9, the National Audiovisual Council of Romania legally entered “the press' mouth” - in the Constitution Square, for 2 full hours. “The Anti-abuse protest” was organized as a result of repeated fines imparted by the media authority on allegedly unjustified bases. Its authors, Mircea Badea and Victor Ciutacu, are currently active in the Romanian public debate as creators of the TV shows “In the press' mouth” and “Heavy Words”. The two journalists received spontaneous support from hundreds of Romanian citizens (ranging between 300 and 2000 – depending on the choice of source to be quoted). The protestors mobilized around “heavy words”, some of which made the slogans of the 1989 Romanian Revolution: e.g. “Freedom!” and “Down with censorship!”

The cherry on the protest-generating-cake was yet another fine through which the Romanian private TV Channel Antena 3 was sanctioned by the NCA on September 14th. The grounds: Mircea Badea and Victor Ciutacu having publicly offended a mayor from the party in power, and the Minister of Development and Toursim Elena Udrea. Insofar, Antena 3 received several fines, and consequently sued the NCA for those which they considered abusive. Moreover, Antena 3 won in Court the case in which the NCA abusively charged the channel a fine for Mircea Badea's already mentioned pamphlet. Nevertheless, the NCA eventually failed to return the abusively charged money. Protesters implied the NCA is a political organ, which serves the party in power, through slogans like “We are not afraid!”, “Băsescu's slaves!”, “This is our country, not your fiefdom!” or “Shame!”

Holding the power monopoly in regulating audio-visual programmes, the National Audiovisual Council of Romania defines itself as “guardian of the public interest”. Its mission is “to secure a climate based on freedom of expression and responsibility towards the public in the audiovisual domain”. This means that NCA issues decisions, recommendations and instructions on behalf of the Audiovisual Law, which transposes the Audiovisual media services directive. So far, so EU. Then why did “The Anti-abuse” protest gather any supporters at all, be they 300 or 2000; who left their workplaces between 2 and 4 p.m. (there is no siesta included in the Romanian workday) and yelled slogans that transported one back in time to the Freedom (of expression) Dark Ages - as if the exit ticket hadn't been already paid for by the Romanian people, officially, through a bloody Revolution?

The two journalists paid buses of people to attend -claims that media faction who perceives no threat to the freedom of expression- so they are pensioneers sent by the political opposition (namely the Social Democrats). Alternatively, the people are said to have shown up by personal choice and out of solidarity with the two journalists in their “protest towards the masked dictatorship.” Victor Socaciu -an oldie but goldie Romanian folk artist, currently a Social Democrat Deputy- places solidarity at the basis of his decision. “Because what happens to them is absolutely unjust and because some fundamental rights are being infringed upon under the rule of law. The NCA is just one of the instruments of this power who doesn't need an opposition.” Intellectuals, business persons, pensioneers and journalists -some from rival media trusts- left the square clean and in time.

It is beyond the purposes of this short brief to engage in value judgements on the described situation, endeavour which would require a far more comprehensive analysis. However, the fact remains that The National Audiovisual Council of Romania failed to dignify the protest and proceeded to fining Antena 3 one more time, as demonstrators were unfolding. Not only did no representative address the crowd, but the windows remained closed throughout the whole duration of the authorized event. Only later did an NCA member comment on it by using injurious language to characterize Mircea Badea and his public. Neither the slogan “you live on our money”, nor the windows open by other institutions functioning in the same building (e.g. Romanian Information Service) raised any question marks for the NCA members about the resposiveness and resposibility of the public servant. Rather, they conveyed the well learnt pre '89 message: It's the public, Servant!

by Geanina Gabriela Ţurcanu

At the beginning of December, Emil Boc (PD) şi Theodor Stolojan (PLD) announced the merger of parties lead by them and a new political force came into being in Romania: The Liberal Democrat Party. Otherwise, the merger was predictable since before the European Parliament elections, although officially denied, for it is no mystery that Theodor Stolojan is closed to Băsescu, and PLD received help from PD during election campaign, at “class master’s” indications.

A. If the answer is YES: the product - to be stored in the ambient air, drinking-water or food - could soon become available for distribution on the Romanian market. It is expected that the offer will atipically exceed the demand, causing providers to deliver HCN compounds en gros and en detail, at the mere price of accidental exposure.

B. If the answer is NO: you can support the legal initiative to ban cyanide use in the mining industry at: http://www.faracianura.ro/vot.php.

The new law that renders beggary illegal in Switzerland, was approved on 30 November by 52 liberal and centrist votes against 30 green and socialist votes and 5 abstentions.

In a few months’ time, Geneva has become the new Romanian Roma Eldorado. Taking advantage of the new cantonal penal law of 27 January 2007 that legalises beggary, some 200 Roma – 77% of whom are Romanian – have hit the road and filled Geneva’s Chanel-flagranced streets.

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