Romanian LibDem MEP: For two weeks the Government is not taking any anti-crisis measures

Romanian Liberal-Democratic MEP Cristian Preda asked the Boc Cabinet to consult the opposition regarding anti-crisis measures. He told RFI reporters that for two weeks now, the Romanian „Government is not doing anything” in terms of anti-crisis measures. Preda said that so far, The Government and PDL’s communication was „silence”, while other cases, the communication managed to rob the anti-crisis measures of credibility.

• „When it’s about crisis, one needs to act promptly. You can’t postpone, you can’t allow for days to pass in vain, without anything happening etc. From the prompt answer perspective, if I’m not mistaking it was two weeks ago when the President clearly stated which are the options we face, which the Government faces. Unfortunately, the government is in the position to decide for two weeks already but doesn’t act. This is a problem I find, because promptness should lead sensitive moments, crisis moments. It is even more regrettable that time is lost as one of the raised issues have been known for a long time. Romania hasn’t got a deficit since last week. It has got a deficit that any Executive in the last years knew about. The solutions meant to reduce the deficit, just like growth solutions, should have been clearly declared on the political scene. Maybe it would have been a good idea to declare them before the intervention of the President, because these are issues affecting the mechanism of the state and of our society, respectively.”

• „We should have had various solutions on the table, various ways to act considered by the Government. We are in a slightly overturned position, when the statement of the problem has been done under the sign f urgency. The Government is dreading to consider this urgency and take responsibility for clear measures. On the other hand, the opposition either asks for funny things – early elections, fiscal amnesty – or, I gather, it is not able to separate from the violence on the streets. I understand that Mr. Ponta [PSD leader} doesn’t know the difference between the right to protest and violence. We are in a situation that requires a dialogue with the Opposition, and not a teenagerish confrontation”, Preda said.

• „Beyond the signal that the President showed two weeks ago, the Government needs to act. There is no sense in postponing. You rob urgency of credibility. You can no longer claim it is an emergency if you don’t act very fast”, the PDL MEP added.

Reporter: Do the Government and PDL know how to communicate, to explain the anti-crisis measures?

Preda: I’m afraid that, in many cases, it is rather about since and in other instances, it only robs the measures of credibility. Instead of explanations, we’ve got an irrational confrontation and the, actually, encourages the tendency to use violence. This also justifies the unacceptable discourses, namely a young party leader, who identifies today with Che Guevara, accuses my colleagues of being fascists. This is a terribly shallow discourse. I do not see such a type of behaviour in the European politics.