Question of the Day: When ROMANIA will be an democracy ?

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Madmen's trial

The President of Romania Traian Basescu sued the Liberal health minister Eugen Nicolaescu and the trial is due in September 7, 2007. A statement made by the minister harmed the President's dignity.
"Basescu suffers from several diseases categories as mental diseases" are the words the President complained against, asking to be paid 500 million RON damages for harm done to his right to honor and reputation.
President Basescu demands the court to decide that minister Nicolaescu should pay for the printing of the court's decision in two editions of two national dailies. He also requests that the accused should pay for the trial expenses as well.
Minister Nicolaescu replied yesterday: "I think the President of Romania is again doing some exercise for the sake of his image, trying to assail the National Liberal Party one more time. I think that, if they had had time for complaints, like Mr. President has, all those harmed by Traian Basescu's political statements would have made him spend his time in courthouses only. I have taken up a sound Romanian principle: the smarter one gives up. As for the rest, I wish him my best".

Anca Hriban
Ziua Joi 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Basescu's bluff

-- These weeks are decisive for President Traian Basescu's entire political career. Although he has been isolated for a long time now, he has every time managed to find a crack to put a late effect bomb there and divert public attention from the severe errors committed in the first years of his mandate.
According to the Romanian dictionary, bluff means to lead the adversary into error and leave him the impression that your cards are better than his. Like a great poker player, Traian Basescu has always surprised his partners by taking full risks, even if he has only got a plain bluff in his hand. Expert gamblers say that after succeeding with two bluffs it is good to bet on the great cards only, for one adversary may get a good card and force you into showing what you have in your hands, which makes you vulnerable in future games, even if you pick up good cards. Had Basescu read the whole explanation in the dictionary, he would have found out that this bluff doesn't mean only "trick", but also "deceit".
The postponed promulgation of the pension law seems to me to be such a bluff, with Traian Basescu unmasked as trying to cheat on his partners. What the President has counted on in this scenario is obvious to everybody: on the one hand, on the belittling of the government's gain by this measure able to bring important electoral points and, on the other hand, on fooling people that, hadn't he got involved, the pension law would have been unable to apply. But this time his cheat and his demand for the government to provide him with data on the financial resources haven't been enough. It has made politicians roar with laughter. Firstly, because it isn't the President's job to make such a financial analysis, which the law initiators presented to the Parliament in detail anyway. Secondly, given the constitutional prerogatives, the President may at most send the law for revision just once and afterwards he has to sign for it. Then why make this scandal last longer ?
Party representatives were fooled in the latest consultations in Cotroceni Palace, which they attended like lambs ready to be sacrificed, since they knew they were in the middle of a dishonest political play. Now they no longer seem willing to obey Basescu's orders and therefore they have been writing piles of letter to the President, asking him to promulgate the pension law at once. The President is in the habit of making any political speech his victory. But this time he will drink from the bitter goblet of defeat. Unless he is wise enough to put up with his defeat, he may soon get to look into opinion polls like in a deep well, because people are willing to cheer you when you assail journalists. But if you leave them without their soup, they slap you.
This is the first time Traian Basescu is paying for the war he opened against Tariceanu. Under normal circumstances, before producing such a law draft, the parties in the Liberal-Democrat Alliance would have gone to Cotroceni Palace and, after consultations, they would have come out to inform public opinion so that they would enjoy the gains after such a victorious measure. The President has been arrogant at the PM for years now. And now his arrogance is turning into his own enemy. Maybe from now on he will for a long time regret having dumped some allies who would have never pursued to ruin his good reputation in the public eye.
If Basescu postpones the promulgation of the pension law, he will be at the heart of an important chapter in the history of political decay, whose first paragraphs have already been written.

Ion Spanu
Ziua Joi 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

EU and US support wanted

-- Sorin Iliesiu, vice president of the Civic Alliance and initiator of the appeal asking that Communist crimes should be officially condemned, Teodor Maries, a president of the 21st December 1989 Association, and Antonie Popescu, senior of Students' League, sent an open letter to the President of Romania Traian Basescu, the US ambassador in Bucharest and the Parliament of Europe. The authors demand support so that those responsible for the murders committed in December 1989 in Romania should be urgently sentenced. They also point to the delaying of the criminal cases on the Romanian Revolution and the coal miners' attacks in 1990 for several years. The document is critical of the Constitutional Court's latest decision to remove the cases from military prosecutors to civil ones.
In the letter there is argued as follows: "In these last 17 years, those guilty of the most dreadful assassinations by communism in the world, the slaughter in December 1989 and the fratricide in June 1990, have not been convicted. The main guilty for the crimes is Mr. Ion Iliescu, a President of Romania for 10 years, a former Communist activist".
The authors address President Basescu, as they think it is his duty to take action so that Justice would urgently restore the truth about Romania's recent history. In the document there is explained the entire evolution of the two cases and there are reminded the recent promises of general magistrate Dan Voinea, in charge of the cases, claiming that: "the cases will reach courts this year. The first are to be sent this month and the next one".
There is added that, after Ion Iliescu was charged with instigation to murder in June 18, 2007, "the Constitutional Court of Romania, made up of members mostly appointed by Ion Iliescu the accused, decided that the cases were to be removed from military prosecutors and transferred to civil prosecutors to handle so that the sentences would be delayed for years". Hence the main discontent of the Romanians fighting to unveil the truth and see the guilty convicted. There is also outlined: "This year both the general attorney and the minister of Justice committed to see that solutions would follow urgently". The authors warn: "Neither Romania nor the EU, neither NATO nor the US must put up with such injustice." They plead: "The truth is the only way Romania can make it. The EU, the NATO and the US need Romania to be clean and cured of the consequences of the crimes committed under the Communist dictatorship".
The last paragraph addresses the Parliament of Europe and the US ambassador to Romania, expressing kind request for support: "Help us exorcise the demons of the past in order to prevent them from reaching the future !"

Andrei Ghiciusca
Ziua Joi 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Charged ex president sent lawyers to talk to prosecutors

The lawyers of Ion Iliescu, ex President of Romania, went to the Prosecutor's Office yesterday to analyze the case charging their client with involvement in the coal miners' attacks in June 1990. Lawyer Ion Neagu says it is difficult to prove the guilt of the ex President, charged with involvement in murder. According to the lawyer, prosecutors must prove that Ion Iliescu deliberately influenced some persons to commit the respective crimes. The lawyer mentions in the case on the 4 Romanians who died in June 13, 1990 some people have already been investigated and claims he can't understand how the inquiry has led to Ion Iliescu's involvement.
Ion Neagu invokes the European Convention, according to which when certain deeds are committed under violent circumstances, they can't be called crimes, because of the special, unfortunate circumstances. The lawyer comments this point is in Iliescu's favor, because, as head of state, the latter had to choose between being passive at attacks against state institutions and taking action. Lawyers opine there is no evidence to incriminate the ex President. Prosecutors may question Ion Iliescu next week.

Bogdan Galca
Ziua Miercuri 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Pension fuss

-- Political leaders have been in competition making statements about the pension raise, each trying to show more concern about the Romanian retired.
PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu promised yesterday that the decision was irrevocable and he claimed it was not an electoral measure, especially that the governor of the National Bank of Romania came out to say it wouldn't cause inflation to grow. The PM also confessed he was thinking about settling a 90% competition for the medicine of the retired, even if the president of the Pharmacists Authority reminded him that the state had a 800 billion ROL debt to pay, because of having applied the same measure in 2004.
It was also yesterday that the President of Romania Traian Basescu announced he would promulgate the lying law only when it was usable financially. He expressed some questions for the PM. Mircea Geoana, leader of Romanian Social-Democrats, asked the President to promulgate the law "unhesitatingly". As for the Conservatives, they intend to go to Cotroceni Palace together with the representatives of the Romanian retired and ask for the same.
President Basescu's questionnaire
The President of Romania made a press statement yesterday evening and asked the PM some questions on the application of the new pension law, mentioning the issues raised would be part of a letter he would send the PM.
President Basescu claimed he wanted to know if there would be changes on the support funds the retired got to pay their heat bills and on those set for medicine. He argued: "So we give 50 RON to a retired Romanian and we cut his 80 RON support fund for heat. Pensions raise, but people don't get their medicine any more". He asked for precise estimation to look to 2011 and for an approximate one to reach 2013, a document to analyze whether the social state assurance budget was sustainable or not.
The President pointed to the "great" problem of the present law, outlining: "It leaves the poor in poverty and the ones enjoying large pensions get even larger ones." He commented: "It is one thing to apply 45% on 1 million ROL and it is something else to apply it on 10 millions. I think that, given the substantial budget effort, it is time for this effort to focus and help those on small pensions escape sheer poverty. I think there must be a balanced raise system instead of a linear one. "he added he wanted the financing for the pension raise to be certain, even if he had to return the draft to the Parliament.

Anca Hriban & Roxana Andronic
Ziua Miercuri 12 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

World Bank: Diseased, poor and uneducated

On the World Bank website there have been posted three reports on Romania's progress with the sanitary reform, social protection policies, pension policies and education system. The Romanian ministers of public health, labor and education have confirmed for us that the documents reached their offices too.
According to the World Bank experts, although health indicators in Romania have been improving, Romania is still behind the times as compared to the other European states. The advice is that the reform should continue.
As for pensions, the document has it that after 16 years of economic and social transition Romania is still working hard to achieve a feasible social protection system.
Education is no better, despite the many reform measures taken, Romanian students' achievements are still much poorer by the EU and OECD standards. (...)

C.S.
Ziua Marti 11 Iulie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Question of the Day: How are romanians in their own country ?

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