How democrats create the “European DPRK” from Moldova

The pompous rally of democrats in the center of Chisinau reproduces the classic practices of authoritarian communist regimes, said RTA’s permanent expert Christian Russu. In his opinion, the atmosphere and the meaning content of the event allow to draw parallels with North Korea, this time far from speculative. “The Saturday rally of the Democratic Party leads us to believe that the time machine has already been invented and Chisinau is back in the past - with the party nomenclature in formal suits, speeches from the rostrums and a crowd with banners. Democrats perfectly imitate the modern DPRK, and only the sluggish behavior of the “protesters” distinguishes Chisinau from Pyongyang - Moldovans cannot rejoice at the command”, says Christian Russu. The expert notes that Plahotniuc’s statement about the “state doctrine” based on the Pro-Moldova course was the “highlight” of the event. “The Democrats carved out a “pro-Moldavian” niche and even ready to create quasi-ideology for this. Hiding behind the “state doctrine” the DPM will finally move to the center of the country's social-political system. At the same time, the government will not be guided by the norms of democracy, but solely by the “national good” criterion with all the consequences”, the expert believes. One party - one leader According to Russu, the main purpose of the rally is to demonstrate the potential of the authorities. “It was a clear message of those who hold real power in Moldova. The trend of identifying the party as the state apparatus continues, so the democrats without hesitation took all the few achievements in domestic politics to themselves. Such a “personification of success” would seem risky in other conditions, but the DPM with its antirating has nothing to lose. However there is a chance to lure new supporters from those who were impressed by the bloated scale”, the analyst believes. It is no coincidence that Vlad Plahotniuc himself became the front man of the event. “The harsh rhetoric, ostentatious affinity with the people, speech in Russian - everything in Plahotniuc coincided with the image of a strong national leader. A simple thought was instilled in the gathering people: Plahotniuc is the only leader who, with the help of the powerful resources of the Democratic Party, will be able to solve the problems of both the country and every Moldovan. The demand of the Moldovan society for a “strong hand” will easily transform the current Stockholm syndrome into a personality cult, and yesterday’s “bad guy” will become the leader of the nation”, Christian Russu believes. Christian Russu drew attention to the overwhelming self-confidence of the Democrats. The DPM’s functionaries talked about the implementation of plans and about their own future, as if it had already happened after the elections. “Democrats radiated tireless optimism and talked about a bright future. The popular propaganda plots in North Korean style also contributed to this: “the party helps businessmen”, “the party provides housing”, “the party builds roads”. It is curious how the opposition was presented in contrast with this - as an abstract evil interfering with the work of the democrats for the benefit of Moldova. DPM’s PR experts handily use the archetypes of consciousness, the struggle between absolute good and absolute evil. As practice shows, such maximally simplified schemes work”, the analyst emphasized. Self-reliance and “cargo cult” Theses on creating the future single-handedly and self-reliance are alarming signals for the European state in the 21st century, Christian Russu considers. “There is a peculiar Moldavian variation of the “Juche ideas” (the official ideology of the DPRK). Against this background, it was not by chance that Plahotniuc made a veiled lunge towards the European Union, Russia or Romania, continually “geopolitically tempting” Moldovans. Blaming the external forces for all the failures of Moldova, the Democrats cynically replace concepts. But in the conditions of strong disappointment of society over Moldova’s international partners, this also works. The inculcated idea of “Pro-Moldova” will allow the DPM to further “lock” the country away from prying eyes, pulling its pure corporate interests and hiding behind the “interests of the people,” said the expert. As the analyst notes, another populist move is a statement about “borrowing the best European practices”, which is obviously designed not to scare the pro-European electorate. “Moldova already has negative experience of “European integration” reforms under close EU supervision, therefore it’s ridiculous to talk about independent approbation of European models. Ultimately, this will result in a “cargo cult”, when the aborigines of the Pacific Islands tried to make the airdromes and U.S. aircrafts from scratch hoping that it would bring them saving cargo from heavens. “European practices”, selectively implemented by democrats in the conditions of total corruption, trials of political opponents, lawlessness and lack of respect for human rights, will have the same effect as planes made of straw by the aborigines of the Pacific Islands” concluded Christian Russu.