Opinion: Moldova is Hopelessly Ill with National Linguistic Egoism

This week, the case of a young policeman who refused to talk to the driver of the car in Russian literally stirred the whole country. RTA author Dorin Mocanu is convinced that this incident is a dangerous symptom of the immaturity of Moldovan society. Dorin Mocanu, RTA: It is indicative how, at first glance, an ordinary and not new case for Moldova became a subject of public debate. Everybody got involved in this dispute: from the press services of government departments, political parties and officials to bloggers, NGOs, journalists and international structures. Some stigmatized the young law enforcement officer, committed to the covenants of certain “founding fathers” of independent Moldova, while others demanded honors and promotion for the “true patriot” – right up to the deputy seat. Alolingv – this is the name for people speaking another language in our country – in the comments under the post were advised “to know their place” and to learn Romanian immediately. As they say now, lots of hype, but what do we have in the bottom line? The main result of the controversy is this: the entire well-structured multicolored civil society of Moldova on social networks initially contemplated spiritual value of inter-ethnic tolerance. And then, as one would expect, they dropped their masks and slipped into a squabble of two irreconcilable camps with very primitive manners from the past: getting personal, chauvinism and ethnic intolerance. This is the Moldovan reality: mannerism and high humane values of the society crumble quickly like a thin artificial coating. The social and political environment of Moldova remains deeply provincial, while Moldovan society is still associated with a stocky and outspoken village guy who is completely devoid of elements of national-ethnic, linguistic and cultural tolerance. This scandalous case has been successfully integrated into the pre-election context, especially since the language issue for Moldovans is associated with historical traumas that painfully show themselves. However, it is unclear how, in the conditions of such chronic pathologies, they may speak about overcoming internal divisions. Does such a society have chances of overcoming the bleeding gaps and gaining integrity, and does the state have a future? Like thousands of others, the resonant story with the principled policeman will burn in the “dense layers” of the provincial market debates and soon will sink into oblivion, and nobody will draw any real conclusions from the situation. Moldovan society is hopelessly ill with its national linguistic egoism and “revanchism” in the person of those very “titular” representatives. Such a “developmental delay”, caused by the national linguistic birth trauma of the modern Moldovan society, is the main obstacle to the gradual maturation and evolution of the society. Unfortunately, the hopeless provincial egocentrism is everywhere in Moldova: from the country’s top leaders to simple patrolmen on the road.