Speech of Moldovan PM when presenting 100-day government's activity report

Chisinau, 4 June /MOLDPRES/ - Speech by Prime Minister Chiril Gaburici during the unveiling of the 100-day government’s activity report:

„Dear citizens,

The government I lead has been carrying out its activity for 100 days. We took this responsibility despite all economic, political and geopolitical difficulties. Immediate actions and decisions were necessary.

We worked actively, despite all pressures and political games, and we will continue to act this way. We continued reforms and put the European integration and cooperation with European partners in the top of the priorities' list. We have started the fight against corruption at all levels and involved the civil society as partners in this process.

In the first 100 days, we have initiated a string of reforms vital for Moldova and carried out activities due to bring Moldovans confidence in the future. The government I lead and me personally, as prime minister, will work continuously in order to ensure the implementation of the three priorities:

1.  National unity, so that Moldovans no longer be divided. Our power lies in diversity and respect.

2.  Rule of law state, so that each citizen feels protected, sees the future of children in Moldova. Corruption and influence peddling should not be tolerated.

3.  Sustainable economy, so that each citizen see his/her future here, at home. 

You may find the activity report of the government and subordinated institutions for the first 100 days on the webpage www.100.gov.md.

Now, I want to refer to one of the achievements of the 100 days.

-  We resumed talks with the Transnistrian side, thus, the living standards and confidence between the Moldovan citizens on the two banks of Dniester will be improved.

-  Pilot-project on common patrolling on the central segment of the Moldova-Ukrainian border will be expanded.

-   Transnistrian economic agents have got about 400 certificates of origin for goods, in order to export them to the EU states.

Based on the draft laws forwarded to the parliament for approval and packages of laws and amendments to the legal framework:

-  The Prosecution bodies will be withdrawn from the influence of politics and the prosecutor general will be selected on a public contest-basis, with online broadcast interview.

-   Immunities for judges, MPs, etc., will be removed. Everybody is equal before the law.

-   Based on recommendations by development partners, we will reform the National Integrity Commission, Constitutional Court, National Justice Institute and other institutions. All processes in this respect have been started. We began to create an institution specialised in recovering damages and confiscating illegally-gained goods for the benefit of the state.

-  Heads of control institutions will be appointed based on transparent public contests and will be got out from the influence of the political environment.

- 10 million lei will be earmarked to support investors and 49 business projects were backed and another several hundreds will be financed via the PARE 1+1 programme.

-   the economic agents presently benefit from simpler import and export procedures, with the number of necessary documents decreasing from 11 to 3.

-   VAT reimbursement will become much simpler.

 -  Agriculture will also be supported by development partners, the European Commission allotted 64 million euros to implement ENPARD programme in Moldova and the International Development Association allocated another 12 million dollars to implement Competitive Agriculture Project.

-  Till late 2015, citizens will benefit from about 200 compensated medicines, compared to 90 when I started my mandate. 

-   Pensions were indexed by 7.95 per cent for insured people and by 5.1 per cent – for non-insured ones.

 - Moldovan schools will be endowed with modern ecological sanitary units, with investments amounting to 100 million Japanese yen, under an agreement signed between the governments of the two states.

-  About 1,000 kilometres of roads will be repaired after 1.5 billion lei has been allocated to the Road Fund and the railway infrastructure will be restored. The Iasi-Ungheni bridge will be built in 2016.

-  The Moldovan and Romanian gas and power networks will be interconnected, based on the Memorandum of understanding signed between the governments of both states.

The first 100 days were full of provocations, and we are still to face much more challenges. We diagnosed systems and set priorities and immediate actions.

Corruption. Corruption is everywhere. I believe that this is the main problem of Moldova. I wish that, as prime minister, I had more levers to fight corruption, yet we also have to take into account the principle of separation of powers in the state. 

As I have started in the first 100 days – I will demand that the subordinated institutions speed up to maximum all initiatives of fighting corruption and, if needed – the government will take responsibility whenever its necessary, as it did with the budget law. 

I have also said it previously – I am not bound to this office, except if I can make good things for citizens and Moldova. And the fight against corruption is not being negotiated with anybody. 

Resistance of system. As prime minister, I came up with some initiatives on transparency and efficiency of public institutions, initiatives meant to make the citizens' life easier. 

But, I stroke against what one calls bureaucracy and resistance of the system, against people who took office not to make good, but to take care for nothing should be changed. People, who instead to do what is right, may explain you why this is not possible on more pages. And I read such documents daily. I will not give more details, but I want to say that I will not tolerate this. I will ask for dismissals. I will insist. 

Some people forget, whereas the others seem to have never known that public institutions exist in order to provide qualitative service to citizens and not to provide their own comfort.    

The lack of transparency. As I have said, some people either forget or did not even know that they were paid by citizens to work for their benefit. Do you know how the rates for the bio-metric passports are approved? No? Neither me. But I want everybody to learn about this.    

I want the citizens know exactly what for they pay 850 lei and why should they wait 30 days. I think they have right to do it. This is just an example which we discussed yesterday. But there are problems everywhere! And I will demand transparency – everywhere!      

The system’s inefficiency. I am one of those who contributed to developing electronic services in Moldova. I do not understand why, in the 21st century, the government can produce so much useless paper, which should pass through ten people in three days and leave another three children penniless until reaching the recipient.   

What beats everything is that there are ministries where over 30 per cent of the employees are leaders. I think that there must be a few, good and well-paid people.  

I have earlier served as manager. I was leading enterprises with thousands of employees and budgets of hundreds of millions euros. I know how an institution should work. If things continue to be like this, the government cannot cope with the requirements of the time and the citizens’ needs.  

We are not alone in the fight we have started. We have the European partners, development partners and the friends of Moldova by our side, whom we thank!

The government I lead and me personally take responsibility that, as long as we are paid by citizens, three principles should be at the basis of everything we are doing daily:

-        Interest of the citizen.

-        Efficiency and

-        Transparency.

I am aware that the future of this country depends on the actions of the government I lead, a government which pursues the interests of all citizens of Moldova, regardless of the age, sex, ethnic group or political preference. And everybody’s interest is to have a sound Moldova, a Moldova which, with the necessary actions and true wish of everybody, could be on its feet in three years.

Thank you!”

(Editor M. Jantovan)