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Watching the Romanian political scene these days I was reminded by the shows hosted by Howard Stern, one of the most controversial radio and television personalities in the United States.
Watching the Romanian political scene these days I was reminded by the shows hosted by Howard Stern, one of the most controversial radio and television personalities in the United States. A great number of his audience says it is outraged by the content of Stern's shows. “Then, why do you keep following them?' comes the legitimate question. “Well, I want to find out what comes next,” is the general answer.
The same stays true for the Romanian political life, which is very similar to controversial television and radio shows elsewhere. There is no reason to believe this year will differ from the first three of the current electoral cycle.
This article is dedicated to those who, beyond their personal outrage, still stay curious about the final outcome.
This year is an electoral one, with local and general elections organized at separate times. This obviously means that the public would be subjected to waves of populist speeches, with no actual relevance to the public agenda. One does not have to be a political analyst or indeed a prophet to see that coming.
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However, the local elections would be of paramount importance, as European Union funds would be absorbed or not, well spent or not, at local community level. Hence, the burden of proof in terms of sound administration practices would stay on the local representatives.
Year 2008 should also be the year when talk about political personalities should give way to talk about political and public institutions. The public discourse of past years equated the performance of whole institutions and public offices with the providential or loathed personalties of the people temporarily heading them. It is about time we changed that view and gave priority to institutions over personalities, though, realistically speaking, that is not likely to occur any time soon.
One other major change 2008 should bring about is a more mature approach of Romania's international relations. I am not only saying that blunders should stop popping up in speeches delivered by the minister of foreign affairs, but also that short and medium term strategies should be drafted for promoting our interests in the region, in Europe and in our relations with the United States.
So far, there is no sign such strategies are in blueprint. Our foreign policy looks like a hasty answer to international developments. Furthermore, politicians claiming some clout go abroad to import ideas and public messages which have no relation to Romanian realities and interests.
I will stop short of naming names in this first article of 2008. I only want to stress now the need for clear targets and well drafted projects to promote Romanian interests in a tough, competitive world in which we should make up our minds: do we want our country to turn out into a colony of foreign interests or a true partner in the new globalized world?!
- Translated by Anca Păduraru
