| "Romanian traffic" |
 |
|||
| Believe in Me |
|
|||
|
I rubbed my eyes in amazement, for the vibrant red that covered the forest a month earlier had disappeared. The trees were now cold, and naked. I stared out of the window as the train rattled through the Carpathians. Almost at once, a thick fog came over us, and the window was rendered useless for the remainder of the journey. The city centre of Cluj still looks like the Hungarian Capital of Transylvania it once was.� The city has an insanely nationalist mayor who goes out of his way to offend the Hungarians, still one third of the city's population. Constantly accusing Hungary of trying to undermine Romania's government and regain Transylvania. He has painted park benches in red, yellow and blue and the lettering on the statue of Hungariae Mathias Rex, now reads only Mathias Rex and is flanked by 6 Romanian flags. An incredibly interesting character but is he providing the necessary environment to promote foreign investment? After all isn't this what Cluj requires if it is to prosper. But what made Cluj special was the hospitality of the people. I was taken in with loving arms, they had a great interest in me and were keen to impress. Welcome to my house. Come freely, go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring. Bram Stoker's Dracula The desire to share my experience with my friends and family made me rush to an Internet Cafe as soon as I had returned to Bucharest. Typing away contently, thinking about the pleasant weekend, I sensed something. I turned to find two men behind me, one kneeling down with his hand inside my jacket pocket that I had hung around the back of my chair. Instinctively I hit the man in the arm with enough force to knock his hand out of my pocket. The man began yelling at me. I stood up and began yelling at him. He laughed and then made fun of me because I was speaking in a foreign language. The staff came over and the two men left. The elections are complete, but with a 50% turnout in the second round of voting I am very disappointed. Romania only earned the right to vote 10 years ago. Many people lost their lives to earn that right. And already half the population has lost faith in the system. Perhaps this is why the church is so strong in Romania. You can loose all hope in the leaders of your country. But you can always find faith in god. Matei Paun. So, former communist Ion Iliescu has regained the Presidency. His first experience as President immediately followed Ceausescu's downfall. He slowed down necessary economic reforms, and allowed bribery and corruption to continue. Iliescu's political party the PDSR had the most active marketing campaign prior to the elections and even sponsored Bryan Adams to play a concert. What motive could Bryan Adams possibly have to play a concert sponsored by a political party that has such a strong communist background? Bryan Adams. Corruption is rife in Romania, and I often criticise it. This is extract from a speech made by Radu Sarbu:� When anyone criticizes corruption in Romania, he should understand what he is talking about. Throughout almost five decades of communist dictatorship, petty corruption has been part of everyday life of most Romanians. They had to corrupt the butcher for a pound of meat, and to bribe the grocer for a kilo of sugar. Corruption penetrated deep into the very fabric of Romanian society, so deep that it became socially acceptable behaviour. This is not a question of low moral standards and rectitude, but of mere survival. By no means am I trying to defend that, but one has to have gone through that before one really understands. And since you didn�t live in that environment, you can�t quite understand, and therefore you have no right to blame us. Living under five decades of communist dictatorship has had an incredible impact on Romania. No longer are they told what to do. As depressing as that seems, during communism they were given security, and most Romanians are worse off now than under communism. I spy a chance to change the world, To change your world. Pulp. There is hope, but it won't come from the politicians, it lies in the hearts of the youth, those who think differently, and are willing to accept change. If you are a Romanian and you are reading this, then the person I am talking about is you! Help me believe in anything, Because I want to be someone who believes. Counting Crows. |
|
|||
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Please send comments and suggestions to [email protected] |
|
|
|
| � | Back |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|