Eduard Hellvig, the former head of the SRI, sent a message to the liberals, on the 149th anniversary of the founding of the political formation of which he was a member.
Eduard Hellvig Archive
Under the title “149 years of liberalism in Romania…”, Eduard Hellvig posted on his blog a text in which he talks about the party's glorious past, but especially about the difficult period that liberalism is also going through.
“It is that moment when you remember the political family from which you left, and you think – sometimes with nostalgia, sometimes with optimism – what this political family still means today.
Liberalism is not going through its best period, globally. Moreover, it is under attack from excesses of any kind, either from the statist left, from extreme right-wing populism, or from illiberal excesses everywhere.
I would avoid triumphalist approaches, usually used in election years. Maybe also because I had the privilege of following, from a distance, what happened for a part of these last years, and I can offer a broader perspective“, writes Hellvig.
Next, he shows former colleagues how to miss a liberal party: “I would like to talk, as a person with liberal thinking and feeling, about how I think a party that addresses the liberal public can look for the next years and decades.
And I can do that, precisely because we are going through a period in which, in democratic societies, a lot of legitimate frustrations accumulate. Many people are tired after so many big crises, and after the effects of these crises on their lives. Inflation and income erosion are the last link in a chain of attacks that have enormously affected the most dynamic and active Romanians, and the danger of looking for extremist or populist solutions is still far too great to ignore. Our society is still one in which trust is very low, corruption is still too high, and solidarity is almost absent. This, even in the conditions where the last 10 years have brought a regional affirmation, an increase in investments and an unprecedented connection with the West.
The aspiration of a party, in these times, must be a national one, broad in scope, which can represent all those who want a free and prosperous future, in a society with a national and western identity. Without such an approach, a party is, in fact, only a club, or an interest group, or a small team with a small vision…
I take advantage of this symbolic moment to remind those who want to promote liberal principles that their mission is to return to their basic values. Governance or politics for the sake of positions or numbers is always a curse for a party, even for a historical one. And one of the missions of liberalism will always remain the representation of the middle class. And the representation of the ideal of the middle class. One of the major mistakes that is frequently made is to put the defense of the middle class in opposition to other social categories. The socialist instinct to stimulate class thinking, to protect only some and to sanction those who want more is not good”.
A liberal society, he continues, “it is one in which the social classes are not instigated against each other (as the extremists, the populists, and the socialists also want). But it is one in which we have solidarity between generations, between people with different incomes and people with different identities. And one in which the state and its institutions serve – discreetly and efficiently – the free citizens who want prosperity.
pis this background, I tend to believe that the future of Romanian liberalism can be a strong and essential one, if you take into account these values. There is a new reality, which must be accepted. Romania is at the end of its transition and today it is preparing to build its future as a developed country. The liberalism celebrated these days is represented by the party with the best chance of understanding what this future looks like – because it is formed and voted by people who want development, well-being and prosperity. However, in order to remain relevant, today's PNL, and especially tomorrow's, must change its speed and increase its pace. It is not enough to follow past successes or partners who represent other values. It is not enough to be inspired by apparently similar parties, but which do not really represent progress, democracy, or Romania's interest. And it is not enough to always wait for solutions from outside, from various forms of relief of this beautiful country”.
In closing, he wishes them “Happy birthday to all those who think and live in a liberal spirit”.
