Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos stated on Wednesday that insufficient sincerity and insufficient appetite for reform are the biggest reproaches that he can make regarding the political class of Romania.
When asked on the Digi FM private radio station what is the biggest reproach he can make to the political class in Romania, after a year of leading the Government, Ciolos responded as follows: “In general, I would say, insufficient sincerity towards what they think and what they say and insufficient appetite for reform, for change. (…) Everybody makes mistakes. We are not born politicians, we are not born ministers or (…) parliamentarian officials, it’s normal to learn. However, I am under the impression that several times, a lot of people, once reaching the top believe that is a shame to admit your mistakes and we persist in making errors and trying to convince others that, in fact, we are right, instead of having the courage to change, to adapt and to evolve.”
According to Prime Minister Ciolos “the resistance” to change and reform created this “tension” in society in respect to the political class.
“These things, maybe on short term are doing good for the image of some people, but they are not good for the democracy health. And I believe that the worst thing that can happen is people not trusting the democratic institutions and the democratic manner to do politics,” Ciolos added.
Furthermore, when asked what he will miss the most from the Prime Minister office, if he is not to remain in office after the parliamentary elections, Ciolos referred to his team. “What I will miss the most is the team, the team spirit that I have met here,” Ciolos admitted.
He mentioned that a lot of people of his team didn’t know what to expect. “A lot of them (…) committed with a dose of madness, to say so, without knowing what awaits them, but (…) we learned along the way,” Ciolos stated.
What we can still do is persuade as many people as possible to cast ballots
Premier Dacian Ciolos stated on Tuesday that as many people as possible should be persuaded to cast their ballots and thus opt for the Romania they want.
“I believe the first thing that can still be done is to persuade as many people as possible to cast ballots, to take responsibility for the Romania they want or don’t want, to do so by stamping the ballot paper. (…) I believe it’s important for each of us here, to the extent we are listened to, to say this and have a clear attitude about this. One cannot have democracy without voter turnout,” Dacian Ciolos stated at a debate organised by the Group for Social Dialogue, Agerpres informs.
He admitted that election boycott can be a choice, but insisted that eventually everyone takes responsibility for “what will happen.”
“Indifference is a choice people take, because many believe that if they hide from or eschew voting they do not take responsibility for what will happen. We are all responsible for what will happen, whether by turning out or boycotting the vote, through direct involvement or indifference – even indifference is a choice we make -, because that is how the society we wanted, the democracy we wanted is structured, it is primarily based on the vote,” the Prime Minister added.
“Lies, not criticism, bother me. I’m sorry if any TV viewer felt offended”
On Tuesday evening, Premier Dacian Ciolos explained the statement he made regarding a television station during the debate organised by the Group for Social Dialogue, statement according to which “you have to get into the muck to do your job.” Dacian Ciolos explained that the statement about his presence on the Antena 3 private broadcaster referred to the “lies” that that television station broadcast about him and the Government he leads, not to the television station’s viewers, whom he respects.
“I did not talk about the [Antena 3] viewers, for whom I have great respect. I respect the citizens and all those watching Antena 3. We have to admit there have been several situations in which untruths were told about me, as Premier, about the Government, lies we were unable to correct. Lies bother me, not criticism, I accept the latter. I accept argumentative criticism and I accept the difference of opinion. We all learn from constructive criticism. This is not about criticism but about untrue information which cast a shadow of doubt on those who are trying to do their job,” Premier Dacian Ciolos stated on Antena 3.
“The statement was made against the backdrop of a question from Mr. Liiceanu, who asked me why I am going to appear on a television station that spreads lies, and where there’s a cesspool. I didn’t initiate this discussion,” Ciolos added.
The official gave as an example several news items broadcast by Antena 3, news that allegedly were “lies about what we did.”
“Take a look: ‘Ciolos tremor, new salary cuts.’ When did we cut salaries? ‘Ciolos sells Constanta harbour.’ When did we sell any piece of that harbour? ‘Ciolos cuts veterans’ pay.’ Not only did we not do that, we corrected. ‘Ciolos platform’s website, hosted by Soros,’” the Premier pointed out.
Ciolos added that he will apologise if any Antena 3 viewer felt offended by his statements. “I apologise, because what I said at the Group for Social Dialogue was not aimed at any Antena 3 viewer,” Ciolos added.
The Premier also stated that as an agronomist he has “all the respect for muck, as an organic matter.” “As an agronomist, I have all the respect even for muck, because it’s an organic matter and that’s where we are growing from. I worked in the muck and I am not embarrassed to say it. I didn’t use this term pejoratively,” the Head of Government added.
