Historian Neagu Djuvara says the people of the old system should be removed from key-positions, because they have become rich in the last 20 years and continue to pull the strings from behind the curtain of the Power, noting that major corruption court cases are absolutely necessary, as they would restore people’s confidence in the justice system. ‘My first impression – actually, this is my idée fixe – is that we cannot come out of the digs where we have been for the last 20 years if Ion Iliescu is not brought to justice. Iliescu and his acolytes’, Djuvara states in an interview run by the ‘Evenimentul Zilei’ daily yesterday. In his opinion, Iliescu continues to have a great influence on the Opposition. ‘When I think that the young Victor Ponta (…) is a marionette (…). Every day we see Mr. Iliescu standing next to him, whispering into his ear what he should do.’ As a matter of fact, the historian finds that a major part of Romanians’ poverty is caused by a series of ‘robberies on an unprecedented scale in history’.
Asked about his opinion on Democrat-Liberal leaders Emil Boc, Professors Djuvara said he ‘takes his hat off’ to the ex-PM. ‘When I first saw Emil Boc, I couldn’t help remembering that children’s game <Knock, knock, take back your seat /You are one big idiot’. Well, he wasn’t a big idiot. He was pretty obedient to the president’s indications, therefore being his indirect arm, and endured all the shortcomings of unpopularity. So I’m taking my hat off to him! He did his rather ungracious duty. I believe he will be left with a positive image in the future’, he explained.
About Mihai Razvan Ungureanu (prime-minister in office – our note), Neagu Djuvara only has praising words to say, calling him ‘a very versatile’ person. Furthermore, he thinks the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) has a major chance of winning the 2014 presidential election. ‘Yes, probably he also has this ambition (of running for president – our note). (…) As long as the Constitution does not change into a presidential one of French inspiration, (…) Mihai Razvan should push someone more pale to the fore, for the presidential position, and he should continue as prime-minister’, the historian also said, noting that, currently, the Constitution does not allow enough powers for the president, ‘although Mr. Basescu somehow goes beyond the limits of the Constitution.’ If he (Djuvara is now 95 years old – our note), the professor says he would stand for election as president himself, stressing that, if he was in power, he would be ‘a true Vlad the Impaler’. ‘It’s clear that I cannot impale them any more, but I would lock up all those who have stolen and throw the key. We would need to build a new, huge prison, somewhere, because I would have many people to send behind bars’, the historian concludes.
