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Article
180 of 500, Article ID: 07*19*N0023884
Published on JULY 19, 1991, THE WASHINGTON TIMES
`Again falling under spell
of Ceausescu'
I am writing in response to
B.J. Cutler's July 10 column, "Romania not better for all." In my
line of work I travel on a regular basis to Romania and throughout Central and
Eastern Europe assisting democratically minded political parties and
organizations. The information I gather is not polished by government editors
but comes directly from party leaders throughout the countries. Mr. Cutler
speaks of the well-known plight of the Romanian Jews, Hungarians in the
Transylvania region and the Gypsy
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Article, 743 words ( )
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THE WASHINGTON TIMES`Again falling under spell of Ceausescu'JULY 19, 1991 COMMENTARY LETTERS READERS' FORUM I
am writing in response to B.J. Cutler's July 10 column, "Romania not
better for all." In my line of work I travel on a regular basis to
Romania and throughout Central and Eastern Europe assisting democratically
minded political parties and organizations. The information I gather is not
polished by government editors but comes directly from party leaders
throughout the countries. Mr. Cutler speaks of the well-known plight of the Romanian Jews, Hungarians in the Transylvania region and the Gypsy population throughout the country. While the repression of these Romanian citizens is of major concern, Mr. Cutler would be better off viewing the problem as a regional concern; that is, throughout the former Eastern bloc countries and the Balkans. All religious minorities, including Roman Catholics, Muslims, Protestants, have been persecuted for centuries; it is a mistake to focus entirely on the concentrated evils of one decade. Many more perished before World War II and more in the following decades. The Gypsies, a once proud hybrid of European heritage, are the remnants of the original migratory tribes that had settled the European Continent. They never enjoyed such things as liberty, equality and freedom from persecution, and as a result of this neglect they have deteriorated, in many instances, into roving bands of thieves and social outcasts.
The issue of ethnic minority discrimination is a very real problem. The problem here is timing. Ethnic tensions have been building during the past 40 or more years of repressive dictatorship and finally have been given the opportunity to vent themselves. The ethnic problems we see throughout the former bloc countries and the Balkans simply are part of the process in the move toward democracy that cannot and should not be labeled as insurrectionist or be covered up. Every nation has faced these problems, and a majority continue to do so. Perhaps man's instinct for domination will never allow for resolution; perhaps it should not. For these reasons, I submit that the focus should be on the Romanian people as a whole and their struggle against a government that remains intransigent and repressive. While Prime Minister Petre Roman and his National Salvation Front-controlled government continue to woo the West with promises of reform, a la Nicolae Ceausescu, the government's domestic economic and social policies maintain in control of the population, with token reforms to keep them quiet. NSF price reforms are an example of such tokenism. The government artificially raised prices on basic consumer goods, which caused the cost of living to soar. At the same time, salaries did not increase. Each worker was given a bonus the day after the price increase, in the hope of preventing demonstrations. The funds that should have been used to alleviate the burden were used to court Western investors, governments and international lending organizations, with unbelievable success. The West once again has begun to fall under the Ceausescu spell; it is embarrassing that such naiveté still exists. No effective, independent media exists in Romania. The government controls and censors the only television station; radio allows a minimum of independent programming. Government controls publishing and printing facilities and knowingly charges exorbitant rates. Supply of paper is a trickle, and the distribution system is decrepit. Government papers enjoy ample supply, printing facilities and an extensive distribution system. The government uses its papers to target opponents through vicious rumor campaigns, to which opposition parties cannot respond in kind. I agree with Mr. Cutler's closing remarks: "Such aid is unlikely to go where minorities are brutalized." I believe that at this juncture it is more important to address the brutalization of the Romanian people as a whole. Once a democratic government is in place and functioning effectively, then it will be time to address specific problems of civil, ethnic and religious rights. To gain the most effective results, it is important, before you start cutting, to determine the size of the forest and choose your tools carefully. PATRICK SEVCIK Foggy Bottom Editor's Note: Mr. Sevcik works for the National Republican Institute for International Affairs. |
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