How One Profession Went Down in Shame

There are 15 years since we talk about the renewal of the political elite. No year had passed by without the political parties putting the issue on the table, particularly during electoral years, and yet the new faces taking center-stage in politics during the last four years are fewer than the fingers of one hand. This year too, an electoral year mind you, the issue came back with a vengeance, almost to the point of fully replacing electoral programs. Or so it looks like, since we are constantly told that 70% of the candidates on the electoral lists will be new comers to politics.

The renewal of the political elite is more than a necessary step for Romania’s future; it is also the last chance to join the civilized Europe. All these years the professional politician was nonexistent in Romania. Few were called and many arrived to fill in the job of politicians: those who paid for it, those who stole for it, those who had no prior professional training but felt the calling of politics overnight.

People who made it to Parliament by sheer chance dug their heels into those positions for 8 or 12 years with no notable legislating initiative, thus bringing down the actual power of the legislative power.
The poor level of professionalism the parliamentarians displayed turned the two Houses of Parliament into two Executive appendixes and voting machines for the ruling parties.
This time the legal uncertainty from constant contradicting legislation passed drove away foreign investors and brought to bankruptcy the domestic ones.

The solid lack of professionalism of the political class brought about all these political catastrophes. These politicians made it their job to seek personal wealth and satisfaction for their group interests.
So, fact is that 15 years on from switching to democratic rule the politician stays as the most compromised profession of all.
I do not think I am much mistaken if I state that for these general elections in the fall almost all elected positions have no contestants. But let’s wait and see who will show up for the run!
On that I will write in tomorrow’s edition.