Tolo: Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu officially calls for the intervention of the law against the “mimicry” of TVR year-end artists | Freedom

Since he was appointed Minister of Health, Vlad Voiculescu has not had time to issue too many press releases. Two are in sight. In the first, on January 3, the ministry reported that “in Romanian territory, the new variant of SARS-Cov-2 detected in Great Britain has not been confirmed so far.”

In the second, on Monday, January 4, cited by G4Media, Vlad Voiculescu requests the intervention of the National Audiovisual Council for “public communications broadcast in the visual field that instigate the violation and non-compliance of the necessary health protection measures to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. ”

One of these “communications” is personified by the TVR New Year’s program which, according to the ministry led by Voiculescu, committed an “instigation” and deserves to receive sanctions “in accordance with the legislative provisions”.

The Ministry of Health disapproves of the production that was promoted by the Romanian Television Society (TVR) on the night between December 31, 2020 and January 1, 2021 and that through speeches, pampering, the message sent instigates the disobedience of the public to the protection measures taken by the authorities.

Press release from the Ministry of Health:

It is their job for the Ministry of Health to disapprove of a television entertainment program, if that is how the people of Voiculescu prioritize their time and resources.

At the beginning of the vaccination campaign, the minister had no reaction when dozens of doctors went in vain to the hospitals where they were scheduled, but the centers were closed. The authorities preferred to apply the ostrich policy, perhaps not. He learned about it, and finally, just days after doctors reported the problem in the press, military doctor Gheorghiță came to apologize on television. This is how Vlad Voiculescu chose to make his debut as minister again on the main theme of 2021: vaccination.

But when an EU ministry believes that the law can punish bad taste or imitate actors in an entertainment program, because it goes against the official policy of the authorities, this is no longer a question of priorities, but another. thing.

The speech of the TVR actors was not xenophobic, racist and did not incite violence, which would have been, effectively, against the law. The speech was terrible for the lack of measure, humor, sense. But, in the words of the American lawyer and writer Wendy Kaminer, if in a society we only allowed the expression of rational points of view, there would be a silence that would break our eardrums. Freedom of expression protects, above all, what annoys us.

Asking for state intervention “in accordance with legislative provisions” against an entertainment program makes you a neighbor of the North Korean gondola with Doina Gradea. Only Gradea had such a democratic understanding that he asked the prosecutors to detain the journalists when they revealed how the TVR management was angry with their reporters, because they were too free to question Gabi Firea.

Instead of adopting the strategy of convincing the people at this difficult time, in which all resources are needed to understand society, the new government turns to threats.

This will only increase dihonia. The insults of the “smart” to the “stupid” will increase, but also the revolt of the stigmatized just because they wonder how safe the vaccine is.

Fewer rights don’t mean more people get vaccinated

The government must sit among the people, try to lead on the basis of a common denominator. Do not divide, inspire, do not fear, explain, do not exclude, but give the feeling that we are together. Because we are.

The journalist Alexandra Nistoroiu wondered, in an analysis published at the beginning of Vlad Voiculescu’s term, how the relationship between the Minister of Health and Raed Arafat will develop.

As the iambic pace of Cazone’s press releases attests, there are signs that they will be very well understood. They both seem to believe that fewer rights mean more people get vaccinated. When, in fact, the more people know and feel their rights are being respected, the more they will trust this vital national campaign.