A Brief History of Romanian Protests

Don't let anybody ever tell you that street protests don't change anything. Over the past three years, massive protests have yielded dramatic results in Romania.

February 2012: The protests were ignited by the proposal of a government bill to privatize certain aspects of the healthcare system. The bill was vocally opposed by then undersecretary of state, Raed Arafat, who was then urged to resign by the president, Traian Basescu. The protests, in support of Arafat- and against Basescu - grew into the eventual anti-government, anti-austerity protests.

Outcome: Prime Minister, Emil Boc, resigns. The proposed healthcare bill is also dropped.

September 2013: The "Romanian Autumn" protests and the Rosia Montana issue. I even wrote about it here. I won't go into the details again, but looking back, I would say that even more than the 2012 protests, this is where Romanian civil society was born. For the first time since the fall of Ceausescu the politicians at the top realized they went too far. As Chinua Achebe would put it, 'they stole enough for the owner to notice.' The implication being that everyone can tolerate a bit of dishonesty, until it's so blatantly crass that it can't be ignored . Week after week, on Sundays, tens of thousands took to the streets to protest a new mining law that was clearly proposed and paid for by a private corporation.

Outcome: The law doesn't pass, Rosia Montana is safe.

November 2014: Romanian presidential election. Preliminary polls show Ponta is well ahead and likely to win the presidency based on the communist PSDs entrenched constituents and the divided (and apathetic) liberal electorate. In late October he says that he will resign as PM if he loses the election. During the first round of voting, notoriously anti PSD diaspora voters are forced to wait hours to cast their ballots, or they don't get to vote at all. This spurs Romanians to take to the street again, demanding Ponta's resignation. The election is no longer about any other candidates, it's a vote of no-confidence for Ponta.

Outcome: Dramatic voter turnout for the second round of the elections. Iohannis wins, Ponta leaves Romania to drown his sorrows in Dubai nightclubs. He doesn't resign.

November 2015: The spontaneous #Colectiv protests following the club fire that killed over 30 people in Bucharest. Clearly a result of lax fire code regulations and the willingness of public officials to look the other way during inspections, the tragedy is largely met with silence from government officials, then with excuses and with documents trying to lay the blame elsewhere. A crowd of 25,000 gathers in Bucharest to demand the mayor's resignation, then Ponta's and the Minister of Interior, Gabriel Oprea's.

Outcome: The mayor, Piedone, Ponta,and his entire cabinet resign. Protests continue demanding that Parliament resign and for an interim government to call early elections. The situation is still unfolding.

Unless you look back at these events and analyze their outcome, it's easy to say "nothing changes if I protest." But this is how entrenched mentality is challenged - and changed. This is what true democracy is about; participating in the life of the village, even if all you have to give is your time and presence. In fact, any grassroots driven initiatives are much more important to democracy than votes. Votes are for politicians. Active, civic-minded communities, form the basis of a healthy society.

So, what now? When do the protests stop? How does systemic change come about?

For that, we have to understand how a country works, and how it needs to be run.

To be continued...

Image: https://gabrielaionita.wordpress.com

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