Moldovan government's secretary general comments on Chisinau mayor's attitude towards local public administration reform

Protesting against the reform of local public administration – right from the heart of the capital – is a cynical act. The reform can be discussed, adjusted, improved, but postponing it essentially means one thing: ever-emptier villages and ever-fewer chances for development. This is the opinion of the Government’s Secretary General Alexei Buzu, who stressed that the reform must not become a political battle and that efforts need to be consolidated, in order to get the best results. His reaction comes after supporters of the National Alternative Movement Party, led by Chisinau mayor Ion Ceban, protested today at the government, being dissatisfied with the concept of the local public administration reform.

Alexei Buzu said that “to protest against the reform – right from the heart of the capital – is a cynical act that shows that they do not care about the villages, about mayors who have to perform dozens of different duties, about local administrations that have only 11 per cent own revenues in their total budget.”

“Why is Mayor Ceban opposing the modernization of villages and the improvement of living standards throughout Moldova? Because Ceban knows only how to be against – he cannot build, he cannot solve either the traffic jams, or the quality of public transport, or the parking problem, or the problem of courtyards. To cover up this chronic inability, he must attack, create fears, always be against.

Protesting against the reform – right from the heart of the capital – is a cynical act that shows that they do not care about the villages, about mayors who have to perform dozens of different duties, about local administrations that have only 11 per cent own revenues in their total budget. The mayor knows very well that a third of citizens have moved from small localities to Chisinau not because of the mayor, but because here – as the capital – basic services are provided: there are hospitals, schools, jobs. Giving lessons about the development of localities when you cannot even get your own budget voted is electoral hypocrisy,” said Alexei Buzu.

The government’s secretary general issued an appeal to political forces and interested stakeholders: “The reform must not become a political fight – this is my urge to everyone. If we care about our villages, if we want all our citizens to have water, sewage, roads, then let us focus on how best to carry out the reform, not on how not to do it,” the official said.

Alexei Buzu underlined the need to identify the best solutions for each aspect of the reform, so as to ensure the development of localities across the country.

“Their solution is to leave things as they are? Not to encourage administrations to join forces? Not to help villages that decide together to develop? Not to empower mayors to bring in projects and investments? The reform can be discussed, adjusted, improved. But postponing it essentially means one thing: ever-emptier villages and ever-fewer chances for development,” the government’s secretary general concluded.

Members and supporters of the National Alternative Movement Party today organized a protest at the government, being discontented with the concept of the local public administration reform. They said that “the reform can and must take place only by directly consulting the communities.” At the same time, the participants in the protest emphasized that the reform is necessary, but opted for changing the way it is implemented, stressing that decisions must be taken only after extensive discussions with citizens.

In late last January, the government officially announced the launch of the preparation process for the local public administration reform, as part of efforts to modernize the administration and improve the quality of public services provided to the population. Subsequently, broad consultations on the reform were held with all interested sides, after which the government presented the reform concept.