The Minister of Defense, Radu Miruță, returned on Sunday to his statements from the Digi24 show, in which he had been asked if Nicolae Ceaușescu could be considered a patriot, in order to clarify the meaning of his answers and avoid misinterpretations.
UPDATE: Radu Miruță clarifies the statements about Ceaușescu
“I received several questions about why I did not answer “sharply” to Digi24 when I was asked whether or not Ceaușescu was a patriot. Sacrificing well-being, freedom or human dignity for a personal project of power can never be patriotism.” Miruta wrote on Facebook.
He emphasized that the purpose of his answer was to explain why some Romanians still see the figure of Ceaușescu as a hero, in the context of nostalgia for communism.
“In a country where almost half of the citizens declare nostalgia for communism, I thought it important to also discuss why some still see him as a hero – and why these arguments are not valid. I think we have a responsibility to speak openly about the ideas that still linger in the minds of some compatriots.” continued the minister.
Radu Miruță emphasized that the simple statement that “he was not a patriot” is not enough, without explaining the reasons.
“Because it destroyed destinies, suffocated freedom, ruined the economy and development, and condemned an entire country to fear and isolation. Only through honest dialogue and arguments can we definitively close this discussion with the past”, Miruta also clarified.
The minister also admitted that his initial answer could have been formulated more clearly and nuanced: “Otherwise, I admit I could have framed and nuanced the answer much better.”
Initial news
Radu Miruță’s statements about Nicolae Ceaușescu generated harsh reactions, after the minister brought up arguments related to the “patriotism” of the former communist leader, although he avoided giving a clear answer on this topic.
The Minister of Defense, Radu Miruță, is at the center of a controversy after his appearance, on Sunday, January 25, in a show on Digi24, where he was invited to express his opinion on an extremely sensitive topic in the Romanian public space: whether or not Nicolae Ceaușescu can be considered a patriot.
The way the minister responded, avoiding a decisive position and introducing nuances, caused immediate reactions on the set and firm criticism from journalists.
The question addressed to the Minister of Defense directly concerned the evaluation of the Ceaușescu regime from the perspective of patriotism, and his answer was a complex one, built on critical arguments, but also on elements he linked to the idea of national development. This approach caused confusion and prompted repeated interventions by the moderators, who insisted on a clear position.
In the first part of the answer, Radu Miruță emphasized the profoundly harmful nature of the communist regime, insisting on the repression exerted on the elites and the blocking of Romania’s intellectual potential.
“From my point of view, the extremely bad part is that it did not capitalize to the extent of Romania’s capacity and intelligent area. Sending smart people to the canal just because they could change your share of power in the Romanian state is something that cannot lead to evolution”. said the minister.
After the journalists drew his attention to the fact that the works on the Danube–Black Sea Canal were mainly carried out during the period of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, the minister was asked again, explicitly, whether Nicolae Ceaușescu can be considered a patriot.
This time, Radu Miruță brought up the industrialization policy promoted by the former communist leader, still avoiding a firm answer.
“Ceaușescu, in certain areas, pursued the industrial zone to develop with Romanians on Romanian territory. But these things, as they were done by him, isolated Romania’s interaction with other countries to an extraordinary extent”, stated the Minister of Defense.
The moderators’ insistence on a clear, unambiguous answer resulted in wording that amplified the controversy.
“I’ve told you the argument why he qualifies as a former patriot, I’ve told you the arguments why he had nothing to do with patriotism,” he said. “My belief is that Romania is doing better today”, added the minister.
The exchange of remarks ended with a firm intervention by the journalists of the TV station, who categorically rejected the idea of bringing even partially favorable arguments in the case of a dictator responsible for repression, starvation and the death of thousands of people.
“Thank you, Mr. Minister, but how can you still consider, that is, bring partial arguments, that you said so, about a dictator who killed, starved his people, that he would be a patriot? There are two principles: a man, a leader of a country cannot be a patriot if he kills his people.” the journalists reported.
Radu Miruță’s statements and the USR project
Radu Miruță’s statements are all the more discussed as they come in the context in which the USR parliamentarians, the party he belongs to, recently submitted a legislative initiative aimed at banning symbols and the cult of communist leaders, as well as introducing criminal penalties for communist propaganda.
“Ceausism isit is a mental illness cultivated for a long time by the securist system after 1989. The stupidest economic regime in the history of Romania, which assaulted us with propaganda when we were children, a combination of failed communism and failed fascism, its head was, rightly, shot, but we chose it with an army of ceausies who yearn to be like it. Hence bad policies and faulty memory. Ceaușescu’s security guards want Ceaușescu without Ceaușescu, with them on the buttons. Democratic and European Romania needs to defend itself against this aggression. The Romanians who regret Ceaușescu are victims of the propaganda that is still present, of fantasies like “reindustrialization” or “by ourselves”, perverse forms of Ceaușist stupidity”. said USR senator Cristian Ghinea.
