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Romania will be able to overcome its problems if the society remains united, and democracy will not be emptied of content, says former President Ion Iliescu, on Wednesday, on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the December 1989 Revolution.
"Romania is a project for everyone, for everyone. Only in this way does the Romanian Revolution have a meaning and a purpose. It is worth thinking about it and acting accordingly," Iliescu wrote on his personal blog.
According to him, "the 32 years since the beginning of the Romanian Revolution have meant radical changes in the political system, in society, in Romania's status in Europe and in the world," but the "agenda" of December 1989 has not been exhausted.
"A revolution is, it may seem paradoxical to some, a long-term act. We did not have a magic wand that would allow us to change things overnight. (...) In the years that followed the end of the Ceausescu's era we had to sacrifice a lot, we faced shortcomings, painful economic changes, even failures. (...) But we did achieve what we set out to do as a strategic goal, EU and NATO integration, because we have managed to stay united in promoting our interests and we have maintained political and social dialogue. We have chosen consensus as a method of governing, although there were moments of confrontation in the streets, but also on the political stage. Reason and responsibility towards Romania's future came out victorious," the former President said.
He voiced regret that "for some time now, confrontation has become the instrument for resolving all the most inevitable crises, most of them."
"No, political opponents are not enemies that must be destroyed. Dialogue and negotiation are not signs of weakness. It would have been good to have overcome the political and social crisis of December 1989, which led to a change of political regime through dialogue and negotiation. But the Ceausescu regime chose to confront society, and that's why we had so many innocent victims in those days. But then I learned a lesson: freedom, dignity, democracy are things worth fighting for, no matter what the circumstances," underscored Ion Iliescu, Agerpres informs.
