Had ex President Ion Iliescu done a quarter of what today's President has done, civil society would have been intrigued. But the organizations that used to be very active can't see or hear the aberration coming from Cotroceni Palace these days. They are still at war with the ex President Ion Iliescu, although his break of the Constitution was a piece of cake as compared to President Basescu's breaks. The President's conduct reminds us of the time when the coal miners attacks occurred. Only in the first term of 1990 did we witness such expressions of Totalitarianism from a President, since there was no democratic Constitution yet. Except for the presidential group, all the politicians and parties were under criticism, just like nowadays. The President's stubborn and blind wish for a referendum on the uninominal vote reminds us about the moral fraud of turning the FSN (Front for National Salvation) into a party. When ex President Ion Iliescu came out together with PM Adrian Nastase, the Social-Democrats' candidate to presidency, those very talkative politicians who are now in the so-called Truth and Justice Alliance were very critical of such an unconstitutional deed. The PD (Democrat Party) is now a beneficiary of the same unconstitutional privilege (the difference is that there is no Adrian Nastase, but just a chorus of mourners who mourn the government), but civil society is keeping silent. Their listlessness at Totalitarian tendencies wouldn't matter, had it harmed only those easy with their own vanishing dutifulness. But that civic cowardliness typical of the Ceausescu era works as a negative example. We seemed to put up with abnormality. And we have put up with the whims of a President going astray. Maybe we even approve of such abnormality, like the breaking of the Constitution because he wants so and he says he supports only those who support him. But why should we support him? He is a President who insults people rudely, but who has accused those who dare criticize him of insult. It is about Ludovic Orban and Crin Antonescu, two personalities he is obsessed with, because they get on his nerves just for they produce arguments instead of insults. It is a civic obligation to point to an aberrant state of things concerning a head of state. Except for Mrs. Doina Cornea, the country's minds are either silent or they pretend they haven't noticed the lodger of Cotroceni Palace uses the Constitution instead of toilet paper. Let's fetch carload, for we have got no more ships, of toilet paper to the President. Romanian actor Victor Rebengiuc did this in December 22, 1989 in the Romanian Television. He urged those who used to obey Ceausescu and his regime to wipe their mouths before speaking about freedom and democracy. In fact, the only thing the President is interested in is himself. He put it bluntly last Monday, October 23, when announcing he had just signed the decree on the pointless referendum, actually meat to help the PD only. But it is anyway in vain, since Romanian electors will stay home instead of going voting. The question they are supposed to answer in the referendum is expressed in such a way to get an answer if people don't attend. Romanians are actually asked if they want a scrutiny to cost double and make them go voting twice. So it is better at home! PM Tariceanu must take responsibility for the proportional uninominal vote system, even if the "Greater Romania" Party has threatened to come up with bill against the government and even if Mircea Geoana is drunk with elation that the head of state is promoting the Social-Democrats' version, although he inittially claimed his party would support the PM's project if the PM took responsibility for it. But it is not Mircea Geoana who makes decisions in his party. It was proved the last time the party came up with bill against the government.

Roxana IORDACHE