Financiarul

Chief of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Mircea Geoana and chief of the National Liberal Party (PNL) Crin Antonescu argued that in the two decades since the anti-communist revolution of 1989 no serious state reform has been made, while incumbent President Traian Basescu said the state reform has to continue. Geoana said that no serious reform has been accomplished in Romania in the past 20 years, because no serious debate has been conducted about the society model and kind of capitalism Romanians would like.

The PSD leader mentioned that it is incumbent on the intellectual elite, business people, trade unions, academia and the Romanian Diaspora to boldly state what kind of Romania and what design is wanted for the next two decades.

‘I see the President as the catalyst of a national consensus on the path to follow. Only then will we perform a third generation of reforms in this country that will overhaul the government, public institutions and public services,’ said the PSD chief. Geoana added that a central concept of good governance and public spending under transparent and efficient conditions is requested, because public spending is ‘at the root of great evil.’

PNL candidate Antonescu argued that one of the things requiring intellectual and political courage is recognising that, despite some people with good intentions, the history of the past 20 years is unfortunately a history of failed reforms in Romania. He added that state reform has to be professionally conducted, with elaborate action, intelligent and wise platforms.

In his turn, incumbent President Traian Basescu argued that the President should be the catalyst of the state reform process and not a discreet companion of it.
‘The President should be the drive force that steer the political class toward a state reform process,’ said Basescu.
The President also said that the reform of the public sector and Parliament as the core of the political system is not enough, but reform should also continue in the healthcare system, the education system and agriculture so as to generate a food industry that will capitalise on the country’s farm produce and support farmers by collecting their produce.