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| THE CONCLUSIONS OF AN AMBASSADOR'S MANDATE 24/10/2008 |
| (2008-10-24) |
| Last updated: 2008-10-27 15:31 EET |
Romania and the United States will sign next month a document seen as the first step towards facilitating visa procedures for Romanians travelling to the US. This was the good news given at the end of his mandate in Bucharest by US ambassador Nicholas Taubman, otherwise known for the frankness with which he analysed the dysfunctions he saw in Romania, a country that has stricken a strategic partnership with the US.
At a farewell event, Taubman again used the opportunity to reiterate that the Romanian government should work for the benefit of all people, not merely for a privileged few. He admitted that the complete eradication of corruption is not possible anywhere in the world, but insisted that punishing the corrupt is an elementary step. The fear of going to prison alone will prevent people from breaking the law, the US diplomat added. Speaking about the institutional blockages caused by the growing rivalries between the President, Government and Parliament, Taubman said:
“Romanians from all parties and all walks of life have spoken of the need for constitutional reform. This process needs to begin with a desire to hear and consider all opinions, an agreement to meld all of these opinions together and finally mould them into a living document which, with the express consent of Romanians, can change over the years to meet the needs of the country and its people. This will make it easier to marshal the political will to implement necessary reforms, to prioritise what needs to be done and to channel the resources required to make things happen.”
“Taubman's indictment” headlines the daily Ziua, pointing out with satisfaction that the ambassador criticised the current government, which has failed to find solutions to the problems facing justice, the health system, education and infrastructure. Romania Libera also praises Taubman as the only foreign diplomat who had the courage to show Romania, in a friendly way, what it does wrong, although this has earned him criticism from politicians, be they from the ruling Liberal Party, or the Social Democratic Party and the Greater Romania Party in opposition. The daily Gandul, however, writes that before leaving the country, Taubman gives us a few words of free and unwarranted advice. Equally ironic, Gardianul concludes that “Mr Taubman, the great critic of corruption, can go back home, especially since no one pays any attention to him here.”
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