“Change doesn’t come overnight,” says Mihai Pascovschi. “But we have to be patient and believe in the things that we are doing.” The twenty two year old is an optimist in a country full of pessimists. “Our generation wants immediate change, or they give up. But we come from a really bad situation, and there is a long way to go.”

Since the age of 16 Pascovschi has been involved in politics. He talks full of passion about it. For a long period he was vice-president of the youth organization of the Liberal Party in Moldova. Now he’s trying to get his way into the political arena.

Demonstrations

Pascovschi walks to one of the places he likes in Chisinau, the Central Park. “You see this graffiti here.” He points to a slogan saying ‘Dont worry’. It was put there during the demonstrations after the elections. “You find anti-government slogans these days all around the city. People do want political change here.”

Unfortunately Pascovschi could not attend the massive demonstrations. “I was doing my internship in Rome” he says. “I saw the news and was thinking ‘What am I doing here in Italy? I need to go back to my country. This is the time! But I couldn’t.”

Europe

Pascovschi returned only two weeks ago to Chisinau. He really has to get used again to Moldovan standards. “I find it really hard to see what kind of conditions our people live in. The difference between the EU and Moldova is so big. It’s unbelievable.”

He understands that many of the young people leave the country. “Under these conditions it’s really hard to find a job, and especially one which also pays some good money.” But the massive migration has two sides to it for Pascovschi

The positive side, he believes, is that it will improve the country in the long run. “In Italy I experienced that it is possible to have a better life. Like me, there are so many others who come back, and try to improve the conditions in our country.” But at the same time there is a negative side. “I have the feeling only old people stay in Moldova with their old fashioned view of things.”

Inspiration

One of the people who doesn’t have an old fashioned view is the mayor of Chisinau. Dorin Chirtoaca of the Liberal Party is hated by the Communist Party, but a great inspiration for Pascovschi. At 30 Chirtoaca is part of a new generation of politicians. “He’s a man that stands for his principles and is not afraid for the pressure by the government. That is what I like about him.”

“The best thing about the mayor is that he is a politician who doesn’t think about himself, because that is what most politicians do in Moldova. He could have taken the easy road, he has money, so he could just build a nice house and live his life. But he chose to fight for a better life in this country, a life with European standards. He believes that our country can do much better. But there are only a few people who think like this.”

Change

Like so many young people in Moldova, Pascovschi hates the Communist government. “What do they do for this country? Nothing. They are the problem.” In Pascovschi’s voice you hear the anger. “The president and government have the power to move this country into the direction of the EU or Russia. But now, there is nothing. Thanks to them there is no development in Moldova.”

Pascovschi believes that the youth has the will to change, more than the old generation who are largely in favour of the Communists. “We have a mentality to change things. The youth thinks about the future and how we can get on the same level as the EU. The old mentality lives by the day. As long as it’s the same or better as the day before, it’s okay for them.”

For Pascovschi that is not the way forward. “We need to think about the future of Moldova. We need perspective inside this country, so we have a reason to live for tomorrow.”