We Won’t Vote for Them on February 24

Semen Albu, Chisinau  There are only two days left before the parliamentary elections in Moldova. Many already know where to put a tick in the ballot, but there are those who have not yet decided. The choice of the country’s future is a responsible decision for each of us, especially in the conditions of long-term crisis and self-destruction of Moldova. It is important to understand that this disaster cannot last forever. Today the question is not only about saving the country, but also about the future for us and our children tomorrow. We will not advise for whom to vote, it is a personal matter. But we think it is important to share our opinion, perhaps it will help not to repeat the mistake for which the Moldovan people have already paid too high a price.   WE WILL NOT VOTE For those who plundered the country Needless to say, Moldova has become poorer in the last five years. Unfortunately, we are unlikely to know the real amount that was stolen from us. Some ‘scapegoats’ were shown to us, some of them even went to jail, some are successfully engaged in politics, but the Moldovan society did not see the trial of real criminals. As, however, the lost money. They say the one who steals once will steal more. I think so. Especially when criminals steal from their people and go unpunished.   For those who manipulate their people People want to live well, and politicians want power. When politicians fail, they begin to lie and convince people that everything is really good, that black is a faded white, that the economy is growing, that we’ll wait a little bit more and will live like in a paradise. The more Moldovans realize that the country is moving in the wrong direction, the more powerful and brighter lies come from TV screens and more cynical manipulation gets. Do not vote for those who try to make you change your mind about the obvious things – you are being manipulated. Such people should not be in power. Black will always remain black.   For those who promise instant change for the better It’s high time to understand: Moldova has no untapped hidden reserves, no gold, coal, oil and gas, no world lobby to make a sudden leap into a ‘bright future’. If at least some reserves were, then for 27 years they have long been sold out, gone in pockets and offshore companies. Maybe thieves and oligarchs tomorrow suddenly, burning with shame, will chip in and return all the ‘hard-earned’ back to the state treasury? Really? Sounds as fantastic as swears to “solve all problems tomorrow”. The credulity of the Moldovan society, which still believes in the improvement of life ‘by the wave of a magic wand’ is a specially imposed deception, the oldest trick, which has always been used by unscrupulous politicians. We all need to grow up. The real prosperity and well-being of Moldova can only be the result of hard work over the years, work that is valued and that benefits the country. And nothing else.   For those who try to charm the audience with unrealizable dreams and utopian projects Joining the European Union “in a couple of years”, a gas pipeline with free European gas, huge investments, instant growth of pensions and salaries for everyone – it’s not even funny. Manipulators find it much easier to fool with fantastic ideas, preferably decades-long, so they will not be be held responsible for their accomplishment. They act as a one-day butterfly, blowing smoke and totally milking the country in the ‘captured’ period of time. Then they will surely ‘fly away’ to other ‘meadows’.  And we will be left with the mess, wasteland, broken roads, deserted villages and towns, children who having parents, gone to work abroad, were left orphans.   For those who trampled on law and order The law must be observed. Violation of the law is punished. When judges make strange synchronized decisions, and suddenly appear to be someone’s friends or relatives, and by order dress on one ‘center’ – we all have a serious reason to think. Do not vote for those who usurped justice: Moldova is a modern country, not a medieval monarchy, where the king decides whether to execute or pardon. Do not vote for those who abuse power, because sooner or later it is used against you or your loved ones.   For those who use dirty methods Political struggle is an objectively important element of any modern democracy. However, in Moldova, the competition in the elections takes frankly ugly forms: joggling with ‘black bags’, the war of compromising materials, falsification and unsubstantiated accusations, humiliation of personal dignity of individual politicians and unthinkable combinations and ‘rigged games’ of yesterday’s sworn enemies. The willingness to act dirty against their opponents is the first evidence of the unscrupulousness of the political force, which, once in power, no doubt will use similar methods and pressure the opposition. When politicians do not have moral and legal restrictions on the fight against competitors – they do not have it and will never have in relations with their own people. This must be remembered.   For those who are looking for a solution to Moldova’s problems abroad “Abroad will help us” –  a convenient myth that justifies any promises about dolce vita. For too long, Moldovan society believed that defining the country’s geopolitical vector was the only answer to all Moldovan troubles. And when politicians say that the world in the face of the USA, Russia, the European Union – it does not matter who – is desperate to solve all Moldovan problems, it means one thing: that they absolve themselves of responsibility for the situation in the country and are not going to work themselves. And then these politicians find that “abroad” guilty of all the problems. Which country to put in quotation marks is a technical issue depending on the current situation.   For those who manipulate with international partners Often those who actively ‘marry off’ Moldova to foreign ‘saviors’ openly lie to gain their trust and money. You should know that those who sell the dignity of their state, as a rule, try to sell Moldova in different capitals, both in the West and in the East. After all, it is more profitable to ‘milk’ several external ‘development partners’ and then in private to boast of their talents to make a fool of stupid ‘white’ people. Sometimes, however, foreign partners reveal deception and stop supporting liars and their state. Then the liars immediately remember about the enemies’ intrigues and certainly find someone to blame. But in the end ordinary people – you and I – have to pay for the dirty international business of ‘those who must not be named’.   For those who consider their nation ‘above all’ Nationalism is a dangerous phenomenon that leads to bloodshed. All remember well the 90s and Transnistria. Calls to build Moldova for Moldovans or for Romanians are even more dangerous than promises of universal benefits from rapprochement with the West or the East. In the twenty-first century, you cannot live ‘behind the fence’ – the meaning of the modern world is in trade, knowledge and technology exchange. There are many countries around Moldova, whose experience in building a democratic and legal state is very useful, and many countries the country can trade with. Isolation and obsession with one’s own exclusivity are harmful illusions.   For those who intimidate with threats from the East or the West It is naive to believe that the world is lining up to help our country. No less misleading would be to think that Moldova is circled by enemies. Moldovan politicians have long understood that intimidating people in an attempt to mobilize their loyalty in the face of an imaginary external threat is a classic way of fooling the people. And use it with impunity. Over the years, we have seen that the main threat to the Moldovan statehood is posed by the Moldovan rulers themselves, not by our neighbors and other countries. Friends, do not vote for those who have already managed enough and left the dilapidated country. Do not vote for those whose political path is a series of deceptions and betrayals. Do not vote for  anyone just out of desperation. Vote so that not to feel ashamed of that tomorrow.