Security over Welfare: The Government’s Priorities Revealed

Semyon ALBU, RTA: Lately, good news has been in short supply. And when it comes to the economy, it’s entirely absent. Years of idling and incompetence by the “yellow gang” have led to predictable consequences – things are dire. Public debt is now the fastest-growing item in the country. Exports are in freefall. In just over a year, more than 50,000 jobs have been lost. The national economy has lost the ability to generate sufficient revenues to cover public spending, which is now one-third financed by external money. Meanwhile, railway workers haven’t seen a salary for any month of this year, transport workers are preparing to protest, and farmers complain about the destruction of their sector and the government’s utter indifference… If we were to list all the problems, it would make for not just one article, but several. Yet PAS seems utterly unfazed –after all, it’s much more pleasant to tilt at windmills, or rather, to wage a “hybrid war against Russia”. It’s a conveniently elastic narrative, and one that easily attracts EU funding and praise. This may explain why the ruling party has suddenly redirected its focus to “military lawmaking”, conveniently ignoring such minor details as the looming economic collapse. First came the draft law on the national defense system. It outlines the roles of the military and security forces “in times of war and siege”. The text is filled with talk of “efficiency”, “modernization”, and similar buzzwords. Certainly, every citizen should be “encouraged” by such timely initiatives, especially given that, with current demographic and economic trends, there may soon be no one left to defend and no one to do the defending. One can’t help but wonder: do PAS leaders take the adage “if you want peace, prepare for war” a bit too literally? Or do they know something about the future they’re preparing us for, where such laws might indeed be necessary? If you ask me, the most useful defense system would be one that protects us from the ruinous policies of Maia Sandu and her yellow brood. No sooner had we digested one military law than another followed – this time concerning national airspace security. It must be said that Moldova’s skies have never drawn as much concern from the government as they do now. There’s the outrageously expensive French radar system, costing hundreds of millions of lei, which turned out incapable of detecting the full range of aerial threats, such as drones. So, a companion system had to be purchased, with “extended coverage” and, presumably, an even higher price tag. But merely watching what’s flying toward you isn’t enough; you need to be able to shoot it down. Hence the government dreams of a full-fledged air defense system to ensure that not even a mosquito gets through. The new bill, already approved by the Cabinet, explicitly includes provisions for the procurement of advanced missile defense systems. Defense Minister Anatolie Nosatii refrained from sharing specific figures with journalists, but the bill’s explanatory note estimates the costs at around one billion lei. Given the scarcity and pricing of such weaponry in the West, however, the real expenses could be much higher. Still, unlike so many other things, the ruling regime can always find funds for these “toys”. Worst case scenario? Take out a loan. As if there were no to-morrow. The government has now officially made expanding military spending a priority. Over the next five years, it plans to raise defense allocations to 1% of GDP – an increase of one billion lei compared to current levels, which themselves are three times higher than before PAS “ascended” to power… Of course, the regime’s pet experts are already croaking that 1% is nothing, laughably small, especially when NATO countries are raising their targets to 5%. And if you don’t spend on your own army, they say, you’ll end up feeding someone else’s. But in reality, it’s hard to imagine a foreign invader inflicting more damage than the so-called “good times” already have. Not to mention that our economy is on life support and isn’t growing at all. Last year’s 0.1% “growth” is not growth – it’s a tragedy. And yet the military budget continues to balloon. A large share of foreign aid is also allocated into defense: the European Peace Facility alone has poured €200 million into Moldova. And that money could have funded critical development programs the country desperately needs. The point is this: in a shrinking economy, increased military spending can only mean one thing – belt-tightening in all other areas. And the government appears perfectly comfortable with this trade-off, so long as it stays “on trend” with its respected Western partners. Even Romanian President Nicusor Dan, during a recent visit, said Moldova must boost military spending, even at the expense of healthcare or education, because the country needs to integrate into “large-scale defense structures”. Easy to guess he meant NATO. Never mind that nearly 80% of Moldovans believe neutrality is essential to national interests. What does the public know, anyway? Their opinion hardly matters, especially now that, with Brussels’ blessing, elections can be “counted” to produce any desired outcome. So, the Ministry of Defense may continue denying rumors of militarization, dismissing them as targeted disinformation campaigns. But the facts speak for themselves. The only real question is: what is all this truly for? Is it just another chance for our local fools and their Brussels handlers to cash in on juicy EU rearmament funds? Or are they preparing for a future in which Moldova might genuinely face missile and drone attacks? If the latter, then sure, the government will certainly need those air defense systems. But the bigger question is: do we need this government?