so sad...

Dear Everyone,

I would like to share a story with you I have just heard that has stunned me into gobsmacked mode. Two old school friends, both aged early seventies and living in Bucharest decided to meet for lunch as they often do. One, whom we shall call Raluca, is a Basescu supporter. She was an engineer, lives in a nice part of Bucharest, doesn't have internet and gets her political education from the TV, which is fine except that she only has one channel - the national one - which is of course state run. Voilà, why she thinks Basescu is such hot stuff. The other friend, let's christen her Doina, supported Antonescu and on Sunday will vote for Geoana. Doina was a teacher. She has access to internet which she uses frequently to chat with friends both inside Roumania and outside and she has cable television so she watched lots of different channels in order to judge and choose the party she would support. She has her television on a great deal of the day for two reasons: one, because her husband likes staring at it and two, because she wants to know what is going on in her country. Both educated women, Raluca and Doina, friends for over 50 years, same backgrounds, same friends in common - and yet a complete difference in political leaning and system of information gathering.

Today, Raluca telephoned Doina and said, "I'm sorry, I cannot meet you for lunch because you will not vote Basescu and I do not want to be brainwashed by your television." Huh? Scuse me? Sounds to me like Raluca is the brainwashed one, totally overdosed and head-bashed by state TV while Doina is in fact open to suggestion and able to make her own mind up without any form of brainwashing whatsoever. She simply reads reports on internet and listens to a whole load of different opinions on her cable TV...

Why am I telling you this? Well, because it seems to me that this Sunday is different from past elections. There seems to be much more at stake, for a start. People seem far more desperate than at other times since the lovilutie. Friendships of more than fifty years are disintegrating, there is violence on the streets, political clashes right, left and centre all over the country - just look at recent news: protests in Piata Operei in Timisoara where the banners shouted 'Nu Vom Uita' - any leaning to communism is unwelcome in Timisoara. It didn't help that the PSD supporters were waving red flags and protected by the police - talk about a red rag to a bull which caused choruses of 'Pacat! Pacat de sângele varsat!' Of course the protesters were more than indignant. A red flag is not really the thing to wave in the town centre of Timisoara where the revolution began. The people of Timisoara will not forget their history in a hurry. It is the only region I have visited in Roumania where one sees pride in the country and the nationality. The roads are clean, the buildings are loved and nurtured (and those who try to bung thermopan on a beautiful building get dragged to court by my admirable, fearless and wonderful friend Izza who isn't afraid to stand up for heritage and patrimony)...it's uplifting to see and feel Roumanian pride, for it's rare anywhere else in the country as far as big cities are concerned. Other protests all over the country have seen clashes between Geoana and Basescu supporters... In Piata Universitatii, most of the protesters were young, waved flags with a hole in the middle and sang "Better a tramp than a traitor, better hooligan than dictator, better scamp than activist, better dead than communist", a song that used to be heard during the 1989 revolution and the events that followed. I heard also that the elderly are afraid to go out today and do their shopping because of the simmering anger in the air that could blow up at any moment. What's going on in the country of my heart? What is this sudden political paranoia? Or paranoia in general. Or perhaps that isn't it. Perhaps it isn't paranoia at all. Maybe it's justified fear that so much is in need of change and the rabdari prajite has been kept simmering too long. It's starting to smoke. Have these elections catalysed an explosion of fury and feelings of profound injustice all over the country?

Betrayal. That's the base, I think. For PNL to have merged with PSD (Geoana very much supported by Patriciu...alarm bells), a party linked to communism and Iliescu makes me sick to the stomach and I'm not even Roumanian (even though it pains me to say so)... the wrath on the faces of the people of Timisoara says it all. Indignance and betrayal. How could it happen. How? Choosing between that and Basescu? Hardly a choice. I say it again: Betrayal. Disappointment, regret, grief and terrible sadness for what may have been...and wasn't. Isn't. One corrupt system (interview with Dan Voiculescu, openly admitting that he was a part of it....) has simply replaced another corrupt system...

Just look at what else is going on... this ridiculous story about Basescu clouting a kid in 2004...today he announces he's suing Patriciu (much good it'll do) for 1 leu and Gardianul... political manipulation. Then his wife openly yells at Mircea Dinescu in a letter after he accused the president of hitting his wife. She was never hit by her husband, she claims, and you owe an apology to my children. Who gives a damn? It's all simply political campaigning, and for Basescu to use his own family...well, that's just plain scummy not to mention somewhat desperate. Such pathetic tales of nothingness and stupidity whilst employment is at an all time low along with national morale, not to mention the problems concerning teachers' pay and pensions. And what about the pharmacies, unpaid since June and running on empty...

What matters all the more is that the country is 75 billion euros in debt. The papers claim 29 billion not including future loans, whereas Wikipedia and other reliable sites claim the former amount. There is over 1,000 euros of national debt on the head of every single individual Roumanian...a debt for which they are not responsible but must part with anyway... corruption way up there at the top continues to cripple the country and its brave, courageous people such as Doina Cornea and others like her. Roumania's reputation is tainted by certain minorities that show all Roumanians to be just like them, leaving the international community indifferent to what happens there, the whys and hows of a whole country which is now part of Europe. In addition, buildings of such beauty and heritage are left to rot either by foreign investors who do not know any better or Roumanian owners who should be more than ashamed of themselves, leaving space for new and foul erections across the city scarring it and spitting on history and heritage, insulting memories and respect. Human rights activists are robbed in their own homes (see previous post). Yesterday I received an sms from a very dear friend in Brasov that read 'things are very bad in Roumania today'...that means very, very bad indeed, for she lived through a massive part of 'bad' Roumanian history and always said that if she could survive that she could survive anything. But yesterday, she said things were 'very bad'. I never heard her say that before. And because she said it, I truly believe her.

Country of my heart, what are 'they' doing to you? How dreadful that the sweet country of Eminescu's poetry has come to this.... where will it end and how? I hope things will improve following Sunday's results, but I fear for Roumania and the people I love within it, as well as those I love outside it who watch the events with disbelieving eyes and a great deal of sadness.

How true are the reports of street violence anyway? Someone tell me please if it's over the top journalism or if there really is danger out there. I know in France the papers speak about cars burning in the suburbs and you'd think all hell has let loose when in fact it was one car and a few hoodies drinking Heineken and throwing bottles in an area that's already known by those of the 'banlieue' to be dodgy anyway... One cannot always believe what one reads and probably, in Roumania just before the elections, one should simply stop reading the newspapers.

Here's my advice to you all, my dears: turn off your tv, open a bottle of something, turn it on again for nice films ONLY...do not watch the news or open a newspaper until Monday when this is all over and done with. There's not much one can do about it anyway. Oh, and read this poem which is, as a much-loved friend says, pure jingoism...my reply, 'better to have jingoism than no national pride at all'

Ce-ţi doresc eu ţie, dulce Românie

Ce-ţi doresc eu ţie, dulce Românie,
Ţara mea de glorii, ţara mea de dor.
Braţele nervoase, arma de tărie,
La trecutu-ţi mare, mare viitor!
Fiarbă vinu-n cupe, spumege pocalul,
Dacă fiii-ţi mândri aste le nutresc;
Căci rămâne stânca, deşi moare valul,
Dulce Românie, asta ţi-o doresc.

Vis de răzbunare negru ca mormântul
Spada ta de sânge duşman fumegând,
Şi deasupra idrei fluture cu vântul
Visul tău de glorii falnic triumfând,
Spună lumii large steaguri tricoloare,
Spună ce-i poporul mare, românesc,
Când s-aprinde sacru candida-i vâlvoare,
Dulce Românie, asta ţi-o doresc.

Îngerul iubirii, îngerul de pace,
Pe altarul Vestei tainic surâzând,
Ce pe Marte-n glorii să orbească-l face,
Când cu lampa-i zboară lumea luminând,
El pe sânu-ţi vergin încă să coboare,
Guste fericirea raiului ceresc,
Tu îl strânge-n braţe, tu îi fă altare,
Dulce Românie, asta ţi-o doresc.

Ce-ţi doresc eu ţie, dulce Românie,
Tânără mireasă, mamă cu amor!
Fiii tăi trăiască numai în frăţie
Ca a nopţii stele, ca a zilei zori,
Viaţa în vecie, glorii, bucurie,
Arme cu tărie, suflet românesc,
Vis de vitejie, fală şi mândrie,
Dulce Românie, asta ţi-o doresc!

Where did Eminescu's dulce Romanie go? Will someone tell me? How could it change so much? Or has it? For me, there are still pockets of it all over the place, but for most, it no longer exists if indeed, it ever did.

Oh, I'm so very sad. And then I made myself even sadder. We went to the Arte site (see link on right of page) and watched the amazing but appalling Kapitalism - Notre Recette Secrete by Alexandru Solomon which you, too, can see HERE (if it stops after 7 minutes, be patient and wait for it to reconnect). We sat and cringed as we witnessed the likes of Ion Nicolae, Dinu Patriciu, Dan Voiculescu and Gigi Becali to name but a few talking about their 'businesses' as bold as you like with not a scrap of conscience... Dan Diaconescu (who's a saint in comparison to the others) summed up Roumania very well, explaining who'd left and who'd stayed and the film ends with the question 'qui va payer l'addition?' This shocking documentary on the corruption of Roumania has been broadcast not only in Roumania and France but also in Germany - it makes your skin crawl, and I ask myself how it can be possible that people like Patriciu continue to walk this earth owing the millions he owes from the Rompetrol scandal and always manages to avoid being brought to book for it, for example. The fact that he is so blatently connected with Geoana is scarier still. 'The country,' says Diaconescu, 'has fallen asleep.' It is 'ankylosé' - paralysed. Perhaps this week's protests and political clashes show that Roumania is, in fact, beginning to stir....?

Comments

[Maria from Iasi]

Da, asa de scarbita incat nu mai stiu sa scriu in engleza si oricum, nu e limba mea.
Da, sunt indignata ca nici unul din cei care citesc acest blog nu a avut ceva de comentat. Romanii sunt apatici si de aceea merita guvernele pe care le-au ales. Mai bine ramaneau comunisti, si atunci toata lumea era multumita.. Un partid, nici o opinie, toti o apa si-un pamant.
Vedeti acel documentar si veti afla cum securistii in functii de conducere precum Voiculescu, Patriciu au acumulat averi uriase, de peste 2 miliarde de dolari fiecare si din umbra manipuleaza pe candidati. Atata cinism, aroganta si putregai umad n-am vazut in viata mea.
Desteptati-va romanilor ca altfel veti ajunge mai rau ca Albania.
Si INCERCATI SA VA EXPRIMATI OPINIIA SA FITI PRO-ACTIVE. Nu asteptati sa va vina ajutor din strainatate... daca nu va IMPLICATI veti avea un trai din ce in ce mai prost.
Adriana se lamenteaza de soarta tiganilor. Acum e vorba de soarta unui intreg popor. Tiganii stiu sa se descurce si sa supravietuiasca fara a munci.

[Dan]

Sarah, I'm embarrassed to say that I don't read your blog very often, however, your assessment of what's going on in Romania is one of the best '.ve read recently.
I also watched the link you mentioned and was totally shocked by the cynicism of one like Patriciu and Voiculescu. How dare these former securitate guys speak so nonchalantly about the millions of $ they made because of the positions the held.
I urge all of you, who read her blog, to watch this 45 min. documentary..
Have a stiff glass of tzuika or scotch and thank your lucky stars if you live abroad.