The date on which Romanian citizens will elect a new president is just around the corner (save the date: November 10), so candidates are working hard to send a message to their target audience in an attempt to secure votes. Along with the moments of big “revelations” spoken by the candidates in a controlled environment, hilarious moments happen as well. We’ve picked two from Viorica Dăncilă’s visit to Transylvania.
Dăncilă’s Transylvanian round trip included a visit to Szilágybogya/Buciumi, Sălaj/Szilágy County, western Romania. Walking in the street after a visit to the village school, Dăncilă noticed that a man attempting to approach her was kept at a distance by the security men. She then allowed the man to approach her and started a conversation with him about economics. The man said that he was worried about his children’s future because of rising debt that places a burden on Romania’s citizens.
After understanding the question, Dăncilă’s answer came quickly, offering a different perspective on the same numbers that locals see on TV. According to Dăncilă, Romania’s external debt dropped from 37.4% to 35% of GDP. What she didn’t address, however, were the numbers this poor local was referring to: the external debt of Romania increased by €9.131 billion during the January-August 2019 period.
She went on to point out the many good things that her government has done for all the people in the country and for the locals. She finished her speech with a Dăncilă-smile and opened her arms toward the local guy, saying “I’ve heard you want to take a picture with me.”
The local’s answer, however, surprised her: “No. You didn’t convince me.”
We are in Temesvár/Timisoara, the city where the Revolution started in 1989 and that triggered the fall of the communist regime. Dăncilă was shining at the press conference until a journalist asked her why she doesn’t speak English in public?
Her answer was quite surprising: “Madam, we are in Romania. Let’s be proud to be Romanians. […] Some speak excellent English, German, and French, and they go to Brussels to say what Brussels wants to hear.” (Video inserted below. Dăncilă’s answer starts at 30′)
Posted by Partidul Social Democrat on Friday, November 1, 2019
In other words: Patriots don’t speak English. If you are a patriot, you need to know only one language. Don’t waste your energy on learning other languages because that may cause unprecedented harm: It may broaden your knowledge!
Title image: Screen capture from the first video.
