IPN survey: Recently, a delegation of Moldovan journalists paid a fact-finding visit to the Republic of Turkey, organized by the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA). It was a very interesting and useful visit both because of what we saw there and because of the possibility of looking with new eyes at the own country. After the visit, the members of the delegation were asked to take part in a survey designed to provide a general overview of the impressions got in Turkey. The answer to the first question “What impressed you the most during this visit?” was published in the morning of October 13. This surrey presents the answers to the second question: “What useful experience of Turkey and its people can be implemented in our country and what should we, the people, and the state institutions do to achieve what the Turkish people achieved?”
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Maria Bzovaya, publication “SP”, Balti
I saw a lot of useful things! First of all, as far as I saw, there are no big differences between our peoples as regards assiduousness and the spirit of entrepreneurship, but our state institutions have yet a lot to work. First of all, I refer to the attitude to businesspeople. The businesses need clear and transparent rules and acceptable fiscal conditions. In this regard, Moldova cannot yet boast of accomplishments. Give the people freedom and support them at least initially and they will do everything themselves.
Secondly, the determination of the Turkish businesspeople to conquer the European market resulted in a benefit for the whole country – today their production meets all the European quality standards and copes with competition at foreign level. Even if Turkey formally didn’t become a member of the EU, at economic level it undoubtedly gained. I mean not only the profit made from export, but also the economic development and the workplaces inside the country.
In our country, the people expect foreign investors to come with own money and technology and to train the employees, while the state wants only to reap the harvest. Not much is done for the people with small businesses to also realize what European standards mean and what should be done for them to be implemented, how useful they are for us and where they can obtain support for this – consultancy and grants - because the lending conditions in our country are often very harsh. But this is another story already.
Dmitri Kalak, economic publication “Logos press”, Chisinau
First of all, we should learn from Turley’s experience in stimulating businesses, especially the small and medium-sized ones, to which the money of the Moldovans working abroad can be channeled. The activity of the industrial park OSTIM in Ankara, which has over 5,000 resident SMEs and provides more than 59,000 jobs, can be a good model for such stimulation.
Secondly, we can implement the generally recognized method of management about which the mayor of Konya Tahir Akyurek spoke in the meetings with the Moldovan journalists. “We can be politicians until the elections. But when the people become members of the local public administration, they must forgot about the political affiliation and must work only for the people’s benefit. Otherwise, there will work no day here.” This is what we should also obtain here, at home - the people and the representatives of the bodies of the power.
Liubovi Chegarovskaya, publication “Panorama”, Chisinau
The local authorities should probably learn from Turkey’s experience in running municipal enterprises so that the budget could be augmented. We can also learn how to improve the activity in the areas of public utilities, social protection of people and solving of dwelling problems by building social homes.
The state authorities should deal with a series of problems and should first root out corruption so as to create living and working conditions for the young generation (workplaces, decent salaries, dwellings, maternity and child benefits, etc.). The slogans and calls for patriotism are not enough.
Most of all I would like the Moldovan authorities of all the levels to learn from the Turkish side to invest money in the country’s development, not to put it in the own pockets.
Tudor Yashchenko, regional publication “Cuvantul” (“The Word”)
The Moldovans are appreciated abroad for their kind-heartedness, diligence and professionalism, but they do not really put these qualities to good use at home. If we had showed appropriate responsibility and uprightness as regards the own destiny and the destiny of the native place and the country in general, respect for the faith and traditions of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have reached the current state, with deep-rooted corruption, poverty and despair.
Ludmila Barba, National Public Broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova”
Even if it has had the status of candidate for entry into the EU since the end of the 1960s, Turkey didn’t wait for the blessing of Brussels, which will remain undecided for a long period yet for different reasons. Turkey is a European state by its development level and by the wish to impose itself as a regional leader. The government of Moldova can learn from Turkey’s experience in dealing with problems at state level. There are personal and group interests everywhere, but not everywhere does the government take decisions based on the interests of the state, as Turkey does. Things in Turkey are regarded through a different angle. When a mayor says that without communication and by ignoring the needs and interests of the people, it’s impossible to win a new term, you realize that only this way can a state become prosperous. In our country, the rulers struggle to remain in power because there are no alternatives. This is a big failure and the realities prove this.
Dmitri Popozoglo, publication “Edinaia Gagauzia” (“United Gagauzia”), Comrat
Travelling through Turkey, we realized that this country works a lot. It does not make super-profits from petroleum, does not create offshores and does not print money out of air, as the U.S. and Europe do. But many things there have a social orientation and considerable assistance is provided to beneficiaries from abroad through the TIKA, in an absolutely disinterested way. I liked to see a large number of men discussing while drinking a cup of tea. The men in our country could not imagine meeting the friends and drinking tea. A person doing this would be called at least greedy in our country. After many people visited Turkey, it became possible for men to gather for a cup of tea in our country too, not in a bar, with wine or beer. At least in Comrat, which is the capital of Gagauzia, such scenes can be often seen. I don’t know how things stand in villages. I’m afraid that every guest is taken to the cellar first. This is not good!
Liudmila Kovali, publication “Profsoiuznyie Vesti” (“Trade union news”), Tiraspol
Sincerely speaking, I don’t know what the Moldovans can do to come at least one centimeter closer to Turkey at economic and industrial levels at least these decade (though I assume that the Turkish people also have enough problems in their country). Most probably, we should first remodel the way of thinking and deal less with politicianism. We should work more and do more real things and should improve the legislation so as to enable the businesses and, respectively, the economy to develop. We should stop erecting obstacles that stop progress and should work on the own image and the investment attractiveness (it is now the right moment to remember the over-bureaucratization, lack of inflexibility in taking decisions and corruption). The Turks turned out to be ahead of the whole planet even in such ‘insignificant’ issues as the weight of baggage on flights. Most of the airlines allow transporting 20-23 kg, while the Turks ‘transport’ 40 kg. This is one of the decisive factors when choosing an airline. Not accidentally, the Istanbul Airport alone receives annually 56 to 100 million passengers. In other words, the conclusion is now less optimistic: we have yet a lot to do to reach the standards of Turkey. But not everything is lost yet as 20-30 years ago Turkey also wasn’t among the successfully developing countries.
Cristina Danuta, Radio Sputnik, Chisinau
In this period, when the protest spirit in Moldova grows daily and we realize that those whom we elected to represent our interests as people of this country actually promote their own interests without taking into account our opinion, I had the occasion of meeting representatives of the local administration of a number of Turkish cities, who I think really care about the people’s fate.
I speak about the mayor of Konya, who impressed me by this calmness. He weekly organizes meetings with the inhabitants of the city that has over 2.3 million residents. I wonder what prevents our mayors from at least monthly listening to the wishes of the people from whom they begged votes in the election campaign and to whom they made a lot of promises. Konya is a neat city with houses that look new or are indeed new. Solar panels are installed there on most of the apartment buildings and I would like to see such a picture in Chisinau too.
A stadium that is now considered one of the best in the world was built in Konya in a record period of only a year and a half. I thought about our National Stadium that became a jungle in Chisinau and is a good subject for electoral promises. I think the Moldovan authorities can learn from Turkey how to use the time and public money in a more efficient way.
Valeriu Vasilica, IPN
I think Turkey’s experience in encouraging the private initiatives, at all the levels, is important. I would thus call on the Moldovan authorities to follow this model. It’s known that the Moldovans are good workers when they work for foreign people and countries. They definitely can work better for themselves, for their homes and families. They only need freedom and support.
A large part of the experience can be studied without travelling to Turkey, by following attentively the projects implemented by the TIKA in Moldova, alongside another about 100 countries. In Moldova, the Turkish Agency helped to repair a number of homes of culture, schools, nurseries and medical institutions, to build up water supply systems and to train staff. In the immediate future, the TIKA plans to implement new projects in Moldova, including to build a food safety lab and to train its personnel. The Agency also intends to contribute to the development of the sheep and goat breeding sectors in Gagauzia and to continue repairing schools, dorms, nurseries, etc.
Survey carried out by Valeriu Vasilica, IPN
