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The lawmakers of the People's Movement Party (PMP) will not vote for the simple motion tabled by the Social Democrats against Development Minister Ion Stefan, terming it "a colossal example of hypocrisy," PMP floor leader Marius Pacan told the Chamber of Deputies plenum on Tuesday.
"The simple motion against the Minister of Development is yet another colossal example of hypocrisy and in certain points it highlights again the demagoguery of PSD and its parliamentary satellites. PMP does not claim that Minister Ion Stefan, aka 'Beam' is a beacon in time of storm for a Romania that is so keen on infrastructure investments. But considering how the PSD has managed Romania's development in the last 8 years, the initiators of the motion should have kept mum. Messrs Tariceanu, Ciolacu and Ponta, the Romanians have not forgotten that the Ministry of Development is the former fief of Liviu Dragnea, that is, of a former comrade (...) of the current PSD leadership and others," Pascan stated.
He argued that, "as was previously known, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration was the place where Romanians' money was converted into political instruments and individually directed resources, for the enjoyment of the local red barons."
"We have not forgotten that Mrs. Sevil Shhaideh has also been there, and that from the position of Secretary of State she initialed the administrative documentation for the state-owned Belina Island to be taken over by Liviu Dragnea through intermediaries. (...) From this perspective, the simple motion can be interpreted rather as an attempt to erase the traces, to make what happened just a few months ago forgotten. We provide you an aide memoire and remind the Romanians of the traumas caused to the country by the wasteful, scandalous governments focused on the profit of local barons and the protection of criminals. Minister 'Beam', as you like to call him, has accomplished in six months and a half more than what the PSD has done in 6 years. The pace is still slow, there is a risk of disengagement of European funds for the 2014 - 2020 financial framework, but at least things have started to move," Pascan added.
He said that the ongoing internal reorganization of the Ministry is also "a step forward".
"This institution was home to a vermin of idlers employed exclusively on political criteria. That's probably what has driven you crazy, the fact that a Minister has come who started to put Dragnea's former fief in order. (...) PMP fundamentally parts ways with both PSD and PNL as regards the National Local Development Program (PNDL), the infamous program for bribing mayors. PMP does not vote for the simple motion, but we firmly ask you, Mr. Minister, to revise the PNDL, which otherwise remains an instrument of the political clientele and a source of political corruption," said the PMP deputy.
The vote on the simple motion against the Minister of Development will be cast next week.
