An old proverb claims that absence makes the heart grow fonder. I don’t think that’s true for a blog–unless I post regularly, my readers flee and forget. But I simply can’t write about the same stupid things all the time! Yes, we had elections for the European Parliament, alongside with electoral fraud, vote buying and fudged results. Yes, we had new discussions about the electoral system, about low voter turnout, about elusive posts in high offices with no consequences. Yes, we had new Codes passed through Parliament through an exceptional and utterly irregular procedure, with no consideration to reasonable arguments, but with tremendous and terrible impact on future generations. Yes, we had ministers being investigated for irrational public spending, with a pungent stench of corruption, still resulting in no resignation and no revocation. And, yes, we had public institutions rabidly barking at civil society organizations, and media outlets subserviently bowing to political interests. So, what?!?
Indeed, I thought it should be the end of democracy in this country! At the very least, we do have governance problems, primarily related to rule of law, but rather stemming from inept public management. I reiterate my concern with the separation of powers in this country–the Romanian Executive is far too powerful! Actually, the problem isn’t really the formal separation of powers, according to the Constitution, but rather the ineffectiveness of our checks and balances system–poorly designed in the Constitution, and defectively implemented by unfit politicians. It’s unacceptable, to my mind, that Parliament exercises no control over a Cabinet that signs a €20 million loan with the IMF, and takes more than 3 months before publicizing the terms of that contract! It’s inadmissible, to my mind, that a Cabinet, with or without the President’s endorsement, may force legislation tantamount to a Constitutional revolution (and I refer to the Civil and the Criminal Codes) down Parliament’s throat, and even give it a deadline–or else! [By the way, or else what?!?] It’s quite offensive, to my intelligence, that a Cabinet may pass an Emergency Ordinance to the effect of depleting Parliament from its legislative functions, and media should dwell on this topic only for a day! It’s utterly insulting, to my democratic sense, that a President, a Prime Minister and a Minister may dismiss a parliamentary inquiry as irrelevant before the prosecution should finalize their investigation–as if the prosecutor, an executive agent, could supersede the authority of a legislative measure?!? And I won’t even go to the Executive’s relations with the Judiciary, where Emergency Ordinances are only adopted to block the enforcement of judicial decisions that found other Ordinances illegal…
Under these circumstances, what should I write about on this blog?!? I simply can’t keep up the pace with all of these things! I only have limited resources, and this blog has very limited impact… I wish I could use this blog to offer constructive solutions on how to improve governance, public administration, public management, public integrity, on how to increase the transparency of decision-making and the absorption of European funds, on how to prepare policy positions on highly important European relations… For whom?!? For inept politicians and their powerless advisers?!? For a handful of readers that already see these things the same way I do?!? Who am I kidding?!? One should need a tremendous lot of stamina for undertaking such an endeavor, and though I won’t give up (when it all seems so stupid), I simply have to admit that I’m sick and tired 🙁 Look at this plant that simply grew out of nothing, on our office balcony, at least 20 meters away from any other naturally growing plant! It takes a lot of stamina for something like that to happen–and a totally different motivation than good governance in a country that doesn’t give a damn about governance… I’ll let you know when I find a new motivation–actually, you’ll figure it out by simply reading my posts, frequent or sporadic, as they may be 🙂
){kind=link}
){kind=link}
){kind=link}