Romania’s President Traian Basescu: “The Communist legacy weakens all the layers in our social life” (Dec 20, 2006)

Dec 20, 2006 (BBC - Romanian Section)

In an interview with BBC, President Basescu addresses the ‘Tismaneanu Commission’ report, the exposure of Communism as a criminal regime, and the reactions triggered by this exposure.

Following the extraordinary parliamentary session during which President Basescu officially condemned the Communist regime, he exclusively declared for BBC that he will resolutely fight the what he labelled as ‘the triangle’ that tries to intimidate the democratic state institutions—the ’triangle’ formed by businessmen, politicians and media.

Traian Basescu: After reading my statement of condemning the Communist regime I felt relief. Until I became President, my knowledge on what happened under the Communist regime was the same with the knowledge shared by each common citizen. But while acting as the head of state it became obvious for me that a serious analysis (on the communist era) was mandatory. As mandatory were such a report and formal exposure of the Communist rule in Romania. I have no reserves in supporting the report issued by the presidential commission chaired by Vladimir Tismaneanu. Many tried to discredit this report even before reading it—and among them there are prominent public personalities, who (unfortunately) represent the Communist legacy themselves. A mentality legacy, because we cannot pretend that, in 17 years only, we might have here a ‘fresh’ generation of people. Having in the recent history and background, this is the Romanian people, who by his own will, agree upon the present day transition process. However, the ‘pillars’ of Communism are still active in the newspapers, political life, TV channels, and many other institutions as well.

BBC: … In the parliament also, Mr President, because the MPs acted vehemently during your speech meant to condemn the Communism. How did you feel when reading a text as if in a football arena?

Traian Basescu: Those who reacted yesterday (i.e. Dec. 18)—those who shouted and those who accepted what the ‘grater Romania’ Party MPs did (and I mean here the Senat president and the Social-Democrat MPs)—shared the same goal, namely to cut my speech. It was a trap in which I did not fell, given my experience. I did my job; I have accomplished the task for which I was there (i.e. in the Parliament), but instead they haven’t: because they failed to stop me in reading the report.

BBC: There were also questions on why you have not appointed a team of history scholars to draft the commission report and why you preferred Vladimir Tismaneanu as commission chairman?

Traian Basescu: Before I decided to appoint the commission’s chief, I have discussed with many on this issue. Tismaneanu received most of the recommendations from those entitled to provide advice on such a matter. Afterwards, I gave Mr. Tismaneanu full responsibility in setting up the commission. Any other membership the commission would have had, the residues of the Romanian bolshevism were, nevertheless, to seek arguments to prove that the commission is not the right one. The commission’s value is given by the work undertaken, and the report proves to be of high reliability—as it is strictly based on documents and covers all the twenty motivations according to which I have labelled the Communist regime as illegal and criminal.

BBC: Mircea Geoana (the Social-Democrat party president) stated that your speech (and the commission’s report) condemning the Communism involves your responsibility only and that of the Presidential Institution.

Traian Basescu: Mr. Geoana, if he could, wished he did not even listen to this report. That is why he tries to downsize its significance. The Romanian Head of State’s declaration represents the official point of view of the Romanian state. Mr. Geoana’s statements should not be put into his account—as he is not speaking for himself, but he only acts as the loudspeaker of the actual Social-Democrat boss, namely Mr. Iliescu. (…) Any head of state, when providing a statement, turns that particular statement into an official statement of that particular state. According to (our) Constitution, the chief of the state is invested with the power of asserting the state’s responsibility in itself.


Outcomes of condemning Communist regime declaration

BBC: In case a citizen, who was jailed by the Communists, would sue the Romanian state asking for damages, is it enough for him to appeal to this declaration of condemning the Communist regime, or he would also need a similar parliamentary declaration?

Traian Basescu: No. The President’s statement is powerful enough for any citizen who goes in a court of justice. It is about a chief of the state’s declaration, undertaken in front of the Parliament in full session. Yesterday (Dec. 18) some MPs tried to trigger debates on the issue—in order to somehow dilute the actual impact of the declaration condemning the Communist regime—but the majority vote rejected any debate, which means that the Parliament had no comments on my declaration.

BBC: The international media said that, during your speech, you have avoided to nominate the former ‘Securitate’ general Mihai Pacepa and Liviu Turcu—who are mentioned by the ‘Tismaneanu report’, in the section related to ‘moral damages’.

Traian Basescu: This is a misinformation perpetrated by the journalist who wrote this. I have produced my own declaration, which was based on the report. I had no intention to reproduce the ‘Tismaneanu report’ in my declaration. However, I was careful that all the assertions in my declaration be covered appropriately by the facts proved by this report.


Former top level communists still in high places

BBC: Recently, the U.S. media said that former ‘Securitate’ men are still hold high places in Romania’s economy and political environment.

Traian Basescu: Actually, this is true. All the layers of our social, political, economical life and of the media as well, are strongly stressed by the Communist legacy. Many members of the former Communist power turned into powerful businessmen—we may even find them merging themselves into politics, as it happened in the Parliament during the speech condemning the Communism and, moreover, we may find them as local media tycoons. Our everyday life is harassed by this reality, which I am ready to face and to weaken its capacity of causing more damages in Romania. Behind some private media corporations one may find businessmen interested in having the state institutions go weaker—this because powerful state institutions would prevent them from fully controlling Romania’s economical and political life. To date, they still succeed in creating such an environment able to hamper the state institutions. Each time a prominent businessman goes to a prosecutor or is involved into a court trial, one may immediately see cohorts of his supporters in the media. Then his or his lawyers’ counterattacks are all focussed against the state institutions. (…) The ‘complex’ is much bigger than it could be seen in the Parliament. It is about businessmen (people with political influence), politicians, and media corporations. This is the ‘triangle’ which fights against the democratic state institutions, in a bid to preserve it’s more than 15 years long power control. Since 2005 (they) are disturbed by some reforms, but (they) still manage to appoint a minister into the Cabinet or impose some influence in sensitive sectors, but this state of affairs must be overcome. I shall fight resolutely such phenomena—as I am aware that they are equally ruthless with me.

BBC: Is there anything illegal with the community that forms this ‘triangle’? Why any of these moguls is not facing charges in a court of law? Why the prosecution can’t reach them?

Traian Basescu: On one hand, they can’t be reached because the influence they have (political, financial influence), on another hand (they are not put to trial) because our judiciary system flaws—starting from the prosecutor’s office to end up into the courts. But for me is highly important the fact that these (judiciary) institutions begun to feel free and started to act accordingly. No one says they are perfect institutions and they don’t make mistakes—but I shall continuously encourage them to carry on and accomplish their task.



BBC Romanian Service – English transcription by Romania Report