ISSUE OF THE MONTH

Should we judge our public figures on whether or not they collaborated with the Securitate or on the consequences of their collaboration?

Titus Corlatean,
PSD vice president
     The most logical formula would be to judge such people on the deeds they were responsible for and their consequences. If those who collaborated with the Securitate before 1989 harmed anyone, this should count first. But now this entire ‘fight’ is more of a political battle. The sad part is that all the figures accused of collaboration, who have been in the public eye lately, are members of the ‘historical parties’, the right-wing ones. There has been an accusation against a PSD deputy, but it proved to be false.

Marko Bela,
UDMR president, deputy Prime Minister
     We cannot know for sure if the consequences of the collaboration caused harm and it should not matter. I condemn the mere fact that people chose to collaborate with the Securitate, regardless of the consequences of their collaboration.

Codru Vrabie,
expert, Transparency International
     I believe the Securitate equals political police. Therefore no other form of collaboration exists. As to the consequences, we now have the Lustration Law (which ideally prevents Securitate collaborators from holding public office) and this means we should lustrate all. I think that the much-discussed Point 8 of the Timisoara Proclamation, which said that all Securitate collaborators should be prevented from running for public office for ten years, has lost its spirit. The consequences of the collaboration of people still present in the public life are hard to judge 16 years on. But the discussion is relevant regarding morality, honesty and ethical standards. If a politician publicly declared “I did not touch the pie”, I believed them at the time. Now when it is proven that they “ate garlic”, I’m sorry, but their breath stinks.

Ilie Ilascu,
Greater Romania Party (PRM), senator
     The entire system in Romania before 1989 functioned as a political police state. If things were not investigated right after the revolution, it would be hard to prove something now. It is hard to judge what is more worthy of condemnation: just collaborating with the Securitate or the consequen-ces of the collaboration. But I agree that those that were Securitate collaborators should not be allowed to take part in public life now.

Cozmin Gusa,
National Initiative Party (PIN) president
     The consequences of any collaboration are important, but at the same time, the fact that one public figure collaborated with the Securitate is also important. If one wants to be a leader, be that a member of the parliament, a minister or even president, it is important what kind of habits that person has. And if the habits include lying, cowardliness, ratting on your friends and colleagues it is blameworthy, and should disqualify anybody.