The Transnistria history’s largest meeting of protest against soaring
prices and catastrophic decline of living standards gathered more than
2 thousand people in the central square of Tiraspol last Sunday, and
they demanded resignation of president Igor Smirnov and the government
of Transnistria.
The meeting was organized by the
oppositional Social Democratic Party and Communist Party of
Transnistria. Protesters unfolded posters reading, “President,
oligarchs, deputies! Do nod feed us with your pledges once in 5 years –
just give us worthy pensions to live on like human beings, not like
stray dogs”, “Our salaries and pensions are too little for living. Stop
price growth”, “Courts must be elected by people!”
Communist
Party leader Oleg Horjan stated at the meeting that the salaries and
pensions paid to a majority of the Transnistrians are below the
official subsistence level, that the government conceals the true
situation in the region’s economy, and that “Our president Smirnov has
reached the retirement age, so let him go on pension”.
The
assembly adopted a resolution that contained a number of demands such
as resignation of the president and his cabinet of ministers,
resignation of the Transnistrian supreme soviet [parliament] and
holding of an early parliamentary election by party tickets, an equal
access to the mass media for all political parties in the region.
The
protesters addressed to Dmitry Medvedev and Victor Yushenko, the
Presidents of Russia and Ukraine – the guarantor countries in the
Transnistrian settlement process with a statement on the disastrous
situation the Transnistrian people has been put in. They called upon
the two Presidents to support the Transnistrians’ demands.
“The
amendments introduced into the Constitution of Transnistria in 2000 by
president Igor Smirnov have converted our republic into kind of a
monarchy, where life is good only for the selected few, and where the
grassroots feel defenseless and devoid of rights. Since the beginning
of 2008, prices have been skyrocketing on the most necessary
commodities, and particularly on foodstuffs. Last 12 months, food
prices have soared by 59% and prices on industrial goods – by 53
percent, and utility rates have gone up 1.5-fold. At the same time,
pensions and salaries have remained practically the same”, the
resolution said.
Its authors expressed indignation that not
a single top figure from the republic’s leadership had cared to come
and attend the rally to hear the people’s opinions.
“One can
have an impression that president Smirnov and his nearest surrounding
are satisfied with the existing state of things. They live not bad at
all in the unrecognized state! Instead of solving the republic’s
problems, they are trying to hastily accomplish privatization in their
selfish interests”, presumed the protesters.
In their
opinion, Transnistria industrial enterprises have been sold for
peanuts. The Transnistrian agriculture has been ruined. Such
strategic-importance sectors as energy, transport, telecommunications
have been given to private owners. Transnistria’s external debt has
exceeded US$1.6 billion.
“Our authorities have no plans
how to pull Transnistria out of the abyssal crisis. The Transnistrian
people’s economic catastrophe is becoming inevitable”, believe the
meeting participants, who stood up “for a serious anti-crisis economic
program to be created and implemented by all healthy forces of the
society”. They also demanded higher salaries and pensions, the state
monopoly for main products, revision of privatization results, and
bringing dishonest officials to responsibility.
Infotag
