“Those who speculate on account of citizens’ expectations, assuring them that Moldova has a future, should first show to them that they have at least a predictable behavior, without betrayals and financing from foreign and dubious sources. Only in such conditions is productive cooperation of the local branches with the party elites, for ensuring the future promised to Moldova by the politicians, possible…”
---
Effects of lack of internal party democracy
The political parties are preparing for snap elections. However, as usual, the voters do not know practically anything about the functioning mechanisms of internal party democracy, the internal processes of working out electoral platforms, criteria for forming electoral blocs and for compiling electoral lists. These things should be known by party members from local organizations. But there are clear signals that not even the party members in the Republic of Moldova know what the party leaders and their circles do. This situation is typical of practically all the registered parties.
The recent public statement of local councilors of Zastânca village of Soroca district, who were elected on the ticket of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), is a pertinent example that characterizes the rupture between the party elite and the ordinary members of the party. So, before the snap parliamentary elections, five members of the local organization of the PSRM, representatives of the Zastânca local council, announced that they decided to leave the party as they are disappointed with:
- the absence of a competent administration of the PSRM, as the current administration is preoccupied with the satisfaction of personal interests and this makes the safeguarding of people’s interests impossible, causing political instability in the country;
- the party does not have a view and a concrete program for supporting the staff of the primary organizations and for solving citizens’ problems;
- the political developments show that the current administration of the PSRM is absolutely disoriented and no longer delivers on its promises, etc.
The objections invoked in the statement can be reduced to one conclusion – there is no internal party democracy in the PSRM, while the arbitrary decisions of the party elite only do damage to the party. In such circumstances, the members of the PSRM from Zastânca village considered it is justified for them to publically declare their disagreement with the incorrect and even contradictory policy pursed by the party elite. We can be sure that the situation in other political parties that hurry to run as contenders in the upcoming elections is not much better.
Value of critical attitudes
The example of the ex-members of the PSRM from Zastânca village should be regarded as one that is worth being followed by members of other parties, either of the right or of the left, pro-European or pro-Eurasian ones. Indeed, what’s the purpose of parties’ statutes and programs if their provisions are ignored by the party elites? Both the ordinary party members and the voters need the policies pursued by the representatives delegated to work in the state bodies at the national and local levels to be predictable. The observance of the statutory documents is the guarantee of predictability. If we image a discussion between ex-members of the PSRM, who left the party, and their leader Igor Dodon, we would see that the first would besiege the latter with very simple questions that are very appropriate before the snap parliamentary elections:
- who violated the oath of faith, betraying the party – the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) - in a critical period of time, when there was a real chance of causing snap parliamentary elections that the PCRM was likely to win according to opinion polls?
- who made a decisive contribution to the extension of the government of the Alliance for European Integration (AEI) until 2017, voting in Nicolae Timofti President in 2012?
- who made a cornucopia of promises so as to gain office of President, but was unable to deliver at least several of them?
- who acted in collusion with executive coordinator Vlad Palhotniuc, begging by $700,000-800,000 a month for financing the PSRM? What did usually Costea transmit to Cornel and how often?
- why wasn’t the congress of the PSRM set for 2018 held? Who decided to put off the congress, violating the statutes, without informing the party members?
- why wasn’t the decision to transform the PSRM from a party of the left into a party of the right, by abandoning the doctrine of democratic socialism and embracing the ideology of social conservatism, widely debated with the party members? Doesn’t the change of ideology involve the change of view about the whole sociopolitical life?
- why does the PSRM mislead public opinion about the danger of the Republic of Moldova’s cooperation with NATO, if it ventured into the formation an electoral bloc with the party that laid the basis of practical cooperation with NATO? Etc.
The general question is how would the leader of the PSRM answer these concrete questions put by the party members? He would probably tell them that what they failed to obtain in 2012 as a result of the betrayal of the PCRM and avoidance of snap elections can be eventually achieved at the snap elections of 2021. Paradoxically, despite the disqualifying behavior of the leader of the PSRM, he could be yet right. The truth is the behavior of the so-called pro-European and unionist parties is so disappointing that the eventual revenge for the loss of power in 2009 and of the presidential elections in 2020 could be witnessed in 2021. Namely for this reason, the members of the pro-European and unionist parties should express their interest in the activity of their vainglorious elites that are detached from reality.
Conclusions
The annual financing of political parties with public budget funds of tens of millions of lei should be conditional upon the ensuring of transparency in the adoption of decisions by the administration of parties. Ensuring of internal party democracy is the guarantee of predictability of policies pursued by party elites. It is revolting both for the ordinary members of parties and for their voters for the elites to pursue the own interests, violating the provisions of the statutory documents. In this regard, the migration of parties from one pole of the political spectrum to another, without debates and without consulting party members, is aberrant.
Those who speculate on account of citizens’ expectations, assuring them that Moldova has a future, should first show to them that they have at least a predictable behavior, without betrayals and financing from foreign and dubious sources. Only in such conditions is productive cooperation of the local branches with the party elites, for ensuring the future promised to Moldova by the politicians, possible.
Victor Pelin
See related articles:
- Electoral prelude... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Dreamland of political adventurists... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Habit cures habit? Op-Ed de Victor Pelin
- Ultima ratio. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Fair of Communist-Socialist generosity. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Without MIR, for peace between nations, against aggression... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Silence kept by wedding party guests and deception of Shor’s victim... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Echo of April 7 events… Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Justifying rhetoric for eventual Russian aggression. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Exaggerated capacities of Maia Sandu... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Igor Dodon’s premonitions and its effects. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Communists make call for terror? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- How long will we remain caught in the toils of falsehoods? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Subversive actions – Russia relapses? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Critics of Gavrilița Government... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Apostles of war. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Times of Natashas have come? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Traditional values... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Black swan, the last hope... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Regime of Putin declared terrorist. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Lost letters. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The European alternative of Mayor Ion Ceban. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- When hounds growls, puppies also bark... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Devastating potential of powerful Putinist ideas. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The crab, the frog and a pike... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Europeanization of Gagauzia. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Cooperation with NATO and complementation of 3C strategy. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About benefits of occupation... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Geopolitical alternative, stake of opposition. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Wormhole and end of Moldovan geopolitics... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Half-truths more dangerous than lies... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- 3D – Despair, Demagogy, Deja-vu – strategy. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Natalia beating round the bush in Big House. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Weak government challenged by discredited and confused opposition. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- End of post-Soviet transition. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Misanthrope atavism. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- May! Labor! Peace? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Spring fever and opium for people. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- What purpose do opinion polls serve? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Hybrid warfare of government and opposition. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Invitation to aggression ... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Maia Sandu and PAS – beneficiaries of special operation... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Kaa and hypnotized monkeys. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Russian or Arab spring? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Russia builds a new world order... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Crocodile will not pull back... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The powder keg. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Like it or not, country will rebuild itself. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Multipolar world after 15 years of pretensions... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Socialists oscillating between three models. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- What is permissible for Jupiter is not permissible for ... Op-Ed by VictorPelin
- Between hammer and anvil. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- 2022, year of geopolitical crises. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- “Congress of winners” or Parallels between Igor Dodon and Mahtama Gandhi. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Enigma shrouded in mystery... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Revolt of Ilan Șor’s company... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Pension system and politicians’ speculations. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- What is good and what is bad... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- How to fight hatred and foolishness? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Maia Sandu’s one year of presidency. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Gerontocracy in action. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- We do not surrender country to foreigners? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- First electoral test for new government. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Năstase, Filip, Dodon... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Cases of Stoianoglo and Gațcan. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Yellow and maroon bullshit. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Charm of electronic voting. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Moldova, Moldovans, Moldovan? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Lustration. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Waiting for good times... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Similar steps in foreign policy... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
-
- Stepping on rakes. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Power and opposition... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Vote of Transnistrians. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Electoral confusions. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Danger of disappearance of Moldova. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Lack of discernment. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Futuristic reflections. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Electoral fibs. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Voronin’s panegyric. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Speculative geopolitics. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Turns of political weathervanes. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Assimilators and pretenders to Plahotniuc’s inheritance. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Communists’ amnesia. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Who divides society? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About electoral blocs. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Joint effort of parties of the left... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About constitutional aberrations. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Usurpations of usurped power… Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Danger of regional war... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Bafflement of Socialists. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Competition of Igor Dodon vs. Maia Sandu. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Enigma of April 7, 2009 events. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Zinaida Grechanyi complains to Council of Europe. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Vaccination and political games. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Why is Maia Sandu more dangerous than Vlad Plahotniuc? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Institutional memory of Moldova’s presidential administration. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Coalition of the brazen. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Steps towards Union... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Troublesome decree. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Success of failure... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Balance of accomplishments of Presidents elected by general vote... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Orthodox Church in danger... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- PSRM, QUO VADIS? Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Confrontation between Mentor and Tester. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Russia confirms high quality of Moldovan wine. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- “List of sins” of Maia Sandu. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Maia Sandu’s “taburetka”. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Delayed actions of Maia Sandu. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Socialists’ departures and decline. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Inevitability of snap elections. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Boomerang. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- In Moscow, after directives... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Unfavorable inheritance. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Danger of Igor Dodon’s opportunism. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Preparations for snap elections. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Electoral performance of unionists. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Grimaces of neo-paganism. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Socialists’ dilemma. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- From defeat to defeat up to victory... Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- National consensus and division of society. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Imperialist movement vs. NGOs. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Paganism vs. Christian values. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Renato Usatyi versus Igor Dodon. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Ana Guțu and watchdogs. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Splendor and misery... of propagandists. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- About lackeys and sons of a bitch. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Bifurcated candidates. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- The discrepancy between words and deeds. Op-Ed byVictor Pelin
- Coincidence? I don’t think so! Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Moldovan political fauna, Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- It looks uglier in reality than from afar, Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- “Russian people’s present”, Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Independence Day. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Commemoration of victims of totalitarian regimes. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Vaccination and chipping of Moldovans. Pamphlet by Victor Pelin
- Balanced foreign policy. Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Solution: Annulment of presidential elections! Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- Beam in Maia’s eye… Op-Ed by Victor Pelin
- A new attack with gases, Op-Ed
- Renato Usatyi – President Dodon’s Furgal, Op-Ed
- While waiting for... Patriarch Kirill, Op-Ed
- President Dodon’s change of orientation, Op-Ed
- Where is the money, Ștefănică? Op-Ed