Sandu: We’ll Hold a Protest in the Center of the Capital on August 16

The Action and Solidarity Party announced an anti-government protest action holding on Sunday 16 August. It will start at 11.00 at the Opera and Ballet Theater square. The PDS calls on joining the action “those who have something to say to this government, who want to protect their rights and demand from this government responsibility and respect for the needs of people,” PDS leader Maia Sandu said at a press briefing, ipn.md reported. In the context of the current pandemic situation, the PDS leader said that the organizers and protesters undertake to be vigilant, observe all rules of physical distancing and wear masks. “This situation cannot prevent us from coming and telling the Dodon government everything that we think about him, as well as this president who eats up state money and is an obstacle to solving citizens' problems,” added Maia Sandu. The politician claims that protest is to be held because authorities do not hear and do not solve the farmers, economic agents and diaspora’s problems. According to her, over the last few weeks she has pointed out a number of serious problems that residents of the Republic of Moldova do face. We are talking about the crisis in agriculture caused by drought and other natural disasters; the crisis due to COVID-19 and about huge losses for farmers who had low incomes and who relied on this harvest. She demanded that resources be allocated to at least partially compensate these people’s losses and to help farmers so that they could start a new agricultural year in the fall or spring. According to Maia Sandu, she repeatedly spoke about these problems but noticed a full of carelessness and arrogance authorities’ attitude. She also told about large losses in the whole economy caused by the sanitary crisis and about government’s irresponsible approach when providing assistance to an only very small number of economic agents. She also announced that Igor Dodon wants to completely subjugate the justice system. "We have drawn public attention to the abuses he commits, to the compromised and corrupt people he appoints to high positions in the judiciary." According to Maia Sandu, the diaspora also faced difficulties while returning home in August, according to the established tradition. Citizens’ coming home is difficult this year because the authorities cope with the sanitary crisis in a very poor way so, they are unable to stop the disease spread; and those who arrive from countries with low rates of infections are forced to stay in quarantine for 14 days, a think that makes it impossible for them to return home.