The first day of September was an intense one for the President of Romania. In the morning, he was at the National Cathedral to speak to young Orthodox people, and in the afternoon, he met with young magistrates. It resembled a short journey between those who chose Heaven and those who organize Hell here on earth.
The two speeches of the head of state, addressed to the new generation, have created a certain type of perplexity on social networks, among those who supported Nicușor Dan in the campaign, and indifference among those who opposed him and continue to do so from the sovereignist-extremist party.
It was known from the beginning that Klaus Iohannis's successor at the Cotroceni Palace does not have a charismatic personality, is not a great orator, and hand gestures will not make up for the inability to connect with people, but at least the content of the speeches could have had substance, clarity, and a hint of sincerity.
"...I would like to invite you to publicly confess, not just within the church, the things, the values you believe in, because it seems to me that this confession is missing from our society and it seems that the place of a firm but simple and decent confession in the public space is taken by the Pharisees. And I am worried about the adherence that some of them have in parts of Romanian society...," said Nicușor Dan from the cathedral's pulpit, whose decor resembles the White House, adorned by Donald Trump.
A parallel galaxy
Personally, I did not understand anything from this excerpt. What is missing from our society? Who are the Pharisees? And why does the head of a secular state speak like a country priest at a Sunday service?
"The same thing about nationalism. Because this country has a history, we did not come from anywhere. There were people in these places who fought for certain values and who made us what we are today. And we must be proud of these people. Looking back at what they managed to achieve, we must believe that we can make this country what they dreamt of and what each of us dreams for our children...," Nicușor Dan also said.
The above paragraph is a continuation of the first one, and the sentence "The same thing about nationalism" is not connected to any previous idea.
The excerpt continues with a series of generalizations about the "glorious past" and dreams that can be fulfilled. Such populism is impossible not to make you miss the long silences of the former president.
The temptation of arrogance
After enlightening the young Orthodox people, it was the turn of the young magistrates, who received their dose of inspiration in an equally convoluted and evasive manner.
What does "temptation of arrogance" mean? Either you are, or you are not. I won a million euros in the lottery, so I am tempted to be arrogant because I think I have the most money in the building. Does that mean the temptation of arrogance? God knows? Let's ask the young Orthodox people. If they understood the first speech, it means they understand the second one as well.
But something is interesting in this speech. In the subtext, a certain dissatisfaction with Judge Lia Savonea can be sensed, the one who manipulates the judiciary system, many times over the president's head.
Arrogance, self-sufficiency, conformism, salary issues, relationship with politics, all these notions suggested in the speech indicate that Nicușor Dan is intimidated by the "mafia" in the judiciary, not having solutions to combat it.
It must be mentioned that on Thursday, September 3, two days after the meeting with the young magistrates, Nicușor Dan chaired, for the first time, the CSM meeting, during which, according to a brief statement given when leaving the headquarters, he spoke about the corruption issue in the judicial system, namely the blockage of the Section for Investigating Criminal Offenses in Justice.
A ship without a captain
The president, at the meeting with the young magistrates at the Cotroceni Palace, announced that he is waiting for six months to pass since the appointment of the new chief prosecutors to once again, for the umpteenth time, say that he is satisfied with their activity.
Very interestingly, from these two speeches, there is no clear position of the president regarding the current crisis situation or the immediate future of Romania.
It was all a soup of generalities that do not commit him in any way and do not move society in any direction.
Uncertainty and ambiguity are the central pillars of the speeches: a bit of good to avoid bad, a bit of faith, a bit of justice, a bit of encouragement, a bit of criticism.
All create the feeling that the president does not really know what to do, does not have solutions, finding it difficult, almost impossible, to make decisions.
The prolonged political crisis has nothing to do with the parties or the Parliament, but with the chaos at the Cotroceni Palace, Romania looking like a ship without a captain, adrift on the turbulent sea.