Even dead, Caiac beat the entire Romanian police. 2, 000 mafia men gathered together to show their muscles in the streets of Craiova, in the very scared eyes of the public order forces. It was also Caiac that made Romania's Liberal interior minister release an order that would bring shame on him at times when the electoral campaign is about to start. Nothing would have prevented minister David from starting the fight against organized crime groups so that the prey would not learn it would be chased. The minister could have summoned the Police officials to Bucharest to tell them the government's plan to counter those mocking the Romanians. Minister David wanted to make some fuss so that the electors would realize that the policemen whose wages they pay for were supposed to serve them. But the true state of things is completely different. Wages come from the state budget, but the ransom, large enough to build themselves some villas and buy some expensive cars, comes from the mafia men to the Police heads. As for the ordinary policemen, they can't obey the minister's order straight, for it is the bosses that come in between. It is hard to believe the politicians ruling over regions will sacrifice their income sources to obey the order of a minister who will be history over just a few months. Moreover, this would cause grudge from the local politicians, no matter their political orientation, for they will always matter to the local power. They have always been in strong ties with the mafia and the ties will grow even stronger due to the uninominal vote system, since both money and power are needed. Except for the local mafia men, is there anyone else to have more influence and more money for sponsorship? The mafia men are very familiar with the quarter that turned into an electoral group overnight. Police heads can delay investigations and they can send behind bars some of the pawns sacrificed because of taken for local mafia men. And they can draw criminal cases to end up with the decision not to open criminal inquiry or to be dismissed by courts. And to all this some topping is added: disguised forces breaking doors in front of TV cameras, confiscating swords, toy guns, sticks and more trifles from the ones rated as victims. So a cheap play will follow. By the time it gets to court, it will have been forgotten. Most of the times policemen have claimed the cases they draw don't end up with a sentence against the charged. They have insinuated that they do their job, whereas judges are actually to be blamed for the Romanian jungle. But they have forgotten to specify that the sentence against a mafia man depends on the way the proves are collected and the case is drawn, since a judge may but apply the law, depending on the proves and facts fetched by those in charge of the criminal inquiry and charges. They have forgotten to mention that a trial is public and anyone has got access to see the way the law is applied, whereas nobody may get in the secret work done by prosecutors and policemen. And the omission of one single proof is enough for the case to fail in court. But this won't matter any more, for the policemen will point to the judges and say: "We have done our job. It s their fault, they set the villain free!" It is now too late for the Police to show off and impress someone. It would be only a waste of state budget money. The Police could have done it at Caiac's funeral. They could have countered the display of force and golden power by applying the law. They could have taken action right when the mafia man were attacking the journalists, horrifying people. The policemen are not some employees with no power. Can you remember the demonstration they made when the NATO summit was held in Bucharest? They beat people and handcuffed them for planning to paint some banners. They picked them and carried them to the police station for carrying bags with their politician opinions written on them. So they had power then. But when the mafia men gathered the public order forces would stare at their own feet. Afterwards they just announced that there were some criminal cases against the aggressors and the violent. And now it will all turn to ashes. That is all. Anyone who watched TV could see the mafia march and policemen's obedience. So everyone could realize who pays whom and who do those "serving citizens" serve.

Catalin VARZARU