Conversation with Florin Predescu
At the end of January 2009, Mr. Florin Predescu, publicist for the Tribuna newspaper in Sibiu, asked Mr. Raymond Luca some questions. Here, we post the ensuing conversation:
Recently I had the honour of meeting Mr. Raymond Luca, freshly elected Senator for the American Diaspora. I asked him some questions for the Tribuna newspaper.
In 1992-1996 you were a representative for Sibiu. What drove you to return to the Romanian Parliament?
What drove me? The results of the elections drove me, because if I had not been elected, I would not have anywhere to return to. I assume you’re asking what drove me to run in the election. I accepted to run after a long and hard deliberation. I had a tranquil life in the United States, a fulfilling career and a secure job even in this economic downturn. And well paid! What prompted me still to run in the election? I think it’s the microbe of politics which I could not inoculate in these 12 years of living in the US and the realization that only now could I be a good (better?) politician than in my youth. Today I can say that I am a man of experience, a man who has accumulated sufficient knowledge in various fields which make me useful to Romanian society.
The election of Romanian representatives from the Diaspora appears as a first in Romanian politics. What are the priorities in your agenda?
Indeed, for the first time Romanians from the Diaspora can elect their own representatives to Parliament. Their priorities are mine as well. As such, a first issue is the electoral law itself, which attracted much discontent due to the administrative and bureaucratic limitations it set on our right to vote in the Diaspora.
Another topic is the recovery of the property confiscated by the Romanian government. I know that an unjust law was passed recently, which intends to put a stop to the otherwise natural process of reparations. This process will continue whether the left wants it or not, either through CEDO or in the Romanian courts. The previous owners will recover their confiscated property or will force the state to pay considerable damages. I would like to complete this compensation process with those situations where Romanians were forced to sell their property at a measly price in order to emigrate.
I’m also planning various initiatives intended to assist Romanians in Canada. For example, I’m looking into a bilateral treaty meant to recognize, for pension purposes, the years of work experience in similar posts so that an engineer in Romania who moves to Canada may be eligible to the same benefits as a similarly qualified Canadian engineer. There are precedents of such treaties being signed with other Eastern European countries. Also based on precedent is the initiative to grant accreditation in Canada, through a bilateral treaty as well, to diplomas earned in the Romanian education system. Based on my measure of success and on the means of my office, I would like to extend these two initiatives to other countries within my college.
You are between worlds: within your country and outside it. How do you see a stronger bond between the two “Romanias”?
Bonds are created between people. And these bonds are hard to forge these days, because they involve investment, cultural events, tourism, etcetera. Today, some of us still perceive that there are two Romanias. My role is to make these differences in mentality, these cultural differences, disappear little by little, or at least to lose some of their harshness. And I’m not only referring to changes that need to be made at home, as it was mostly discussed in political debates. I often see either a radical or a more aggressively conservative (and sometimes justifiable) approach in some of us, in the Diaspora.
How will you implement your mandate given the vast electoral area that you represent, which the journalist Petru Clej referred to as “enormous” in a previous interview?
My success will be measured by the voters in the following elections (if I will still run). Until then, they can tell me any time through my website www.raymondluca.com, where I look for their opinions, suggestions, constructive ideas, complaints, etc.
If you’re refering to the logistics of covering such an enormous geografic region, i.e. college 43, there are various issues to take into account. The first one is financial. My potential travels are expensive for the Romanian taxpayer. And I would like to stress this point: my budget, which pays my salary and my potential travels, is funded by the Romanian taxpayer who did NOT vote for me and whom I do NOT represent. Here we have a difficult contradiction, at least for my conscience: how can I ask for money to travel to all the corners of the world, given that I am financially supported by citizens who see no immediate interest in this expense? Add to that the fragile budgetary position of the Romanian state during this crisis, and the problem becomes harder to solve.
So, it will surely be difficult to see my constituents face to face any time soon. I will have to compensate this lack of communication through a constant and diligent Internet exchange, which seems to be the more accessible solution. This communication has to be a two-way street, so I invite the readers from the Diaspora to contact me through the above-mentioned website.
One of your concerns is also the fate of Romanians who want to return home. What would be the real assistance offered by the Romanian government in repatriation cases?
It’s a little much to say that I concern myself with people’s fate. I try to help as much as possible. Secondly, I cannot speak on behalf of the Romanian government, on the one hand because I am not a member of the government and on the other, because I am a member of the opposition. I can only hope that the government will be ready to receive the waves of Romanian who had emigrated to Western Europe to work and who now, due to the economic crisis, will want to return home. In my campaign I proposed that an agency be created to deal with Diaspora issues, including repatriation. We need a coherent policy to answer to a specific problem which will become more pressing in a very short time.
To my knowledge, the current government has not (yet) taken this fact into account. Nevertheless, I am awards, as are you, that three new ministries have been created, including the Ministry of Tourism. Perhaps the government considers as “tourists” those who have decided to return home due to the economic crisis…
I would like, in conclusion, to greet the people of Sibiu, whom I have never forgotten and whom I will soon see again!
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Dialogue with Vasile Bouleanu
In mid-January 2009, Mr. Vasile Bouleanu, journalist for the Romanian Tribune newspaper in Chicago, asked Mr. Raymond Luca some questions. The ensuing conversation is presented below:
What pushed you to run in the elections for College 43?
No one pushed me, I was just asked to present my candidacy by the leaders of the PNL. They probably thought that I have the necessary qualifications to run a successful campaign: on the one hand I have solid political experience having been a liberal representative in the 1992-1996 Parliament, and on the other hand I am a successful person in the United States, where I have lived for the past 12 years.
For me it was a great honour to accept the candidacy and, in this way, to serve the interests of the Romanian Diaspora of North America and other continents as well.
What experience do you have about the Romanian emigration?
Honestly, I do not think that I have a very rich experience with the Romanian Diaspora. I am trying to understand, to know, to listen and to help. The Diaspora itself is a unique and complex concept which calls for specific approaches, based on a multitude of factors.
For example, historically speaking, there are various waves of immigration, each having distinct motivations, from the political and idealistic during the cold war, to a more pragmatic and purely economical one in this day and age. Only one such distinction can result in differing agendas for the representatives of different generations of Romanian immigrants.
Also, there are considerable distinctions the North American and Middle Eastern representatives of the Romanian Diaspora, depending on the culture of the place, the method of integration, etc.
In other words, the Diaspora is diverse, complex, with issues that are just as varied and which call for personalized approaches to each group.
What are, in order of priority, the interests of the Romanian Diaspora in College 43, which you would like to bring to the attention of the Romanian Parliament?
I would like to follow the agenda announced during my campaign, since this agenda is the result of the meetings and contacts that occurred during that campaign. So my priorities are exactly as they were originally announced: modifying /completing the electoral law so that the right to vote of every Romanian citizen may be ensured; the set-up of a special agency within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deal with the situation of the Diaspora through coherent policies; completing the legislation regarding reparations for the abusive confiscation of property by the Romanian state with cases where the ex-owners were blackmailed to sell their property at measly prices so that they may emigrate.
I reserved a separate chapter to initiatives for the Romanian Diaspora in Canada. This regards the recognition of work experience from Romania in Canada, for pension purposes, through a bilateral treaty (there already are precedents with other Eastern European states); and also the accreditation of diplomas between the two countries, where, again, I am working from precedent.
Given the level of support I may receive from the Romanian and Canadian authorities, and given the possible success of these initiatives, I will then feel confident enough to extend them to Romanians from other countries within College 43.
Do you think that the electoral law can be modified in time, so we may respect the right to vote of Romanian citizens, with or without valid passports, but also through the mail, especially for those who left for work and who still have their names on the lists of their place of residence in Romania?
It is obvious that the electoral law must change. Equally evident is also the fact that a travel document cannot replace a Romanian certificate. We need a different kind of document, which can never expire. The electoral law must allow Romanians to vote, not to obstruct them. This should be the governing principle of the electoral law.
Undoubtedly, we have time to make it better. At the hearings of ministers Nica and Diaconescu I obtained their promise that they will support a law which will allow Romanians to vote by mail and/or online or, I would also add, through proxy.
The voting lists must be updated and new lists must be created for the districts of College 43, i.e. abroad. Only in this way can we pretend to have an adequate representation, i.e. (probably) more senators and representatives for the Diaspora. I say this because I read a number of opinions stating that the Diaspora is under-represented.
In any case, just to be on the safe side, I advise you and your readers to renew your Romanian passports, because you never know.
How do you plan to keep in touch with us?
I would like to believe that I will be able to be present as often as possible in the Romanian communities within my college, but this is a challenge. It is an enormous college, covering many continents, and the budget is the way it is. Furthermore, to this day there is no Senate rule (nor, to my knowledge, a House equivalent) to regulate how the Diaspora representatives may implement their mandate. In the short period I spent in Romania in December for the swearing-in ceremony and the voting-in of the government, I asked specialized Senate agents to prepare a comparative study for how other countries, such as France and Italy, regulate this type of mandate. One way or another issue will be solved, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up that, especially now during the financial crisis, my colleagues and I will fly every week-end to all corners of the planet. This will not happen. I hope that in the Parliamentary holidays I will be able to organise visits to all the important centers where Romanians live. Otherwise, we still have the Internet and emails. To this end, I announce that my website, www.raymondluca.com, is still active and will remain active during my mandate and I can receive messages through it.
Will your travels to the Romanian communities in College 43 be coordinated with the Representative Mircea Lubanovici, your partner in this College? (Is Raymond Luca for Lubanovici?)
I am willing to coordinate my agenda with Mr. Representative Lubanovici to the extent that we have common themes and projects. Otherwise, I am for Romanians, including for Mr. Lubanovici.
Would you like to make a comment or to send a message to the Romanians you represent?
I believe that any man who is actively engaged in politics does it out of a feeling of responsibility and, especially, because he/she wants of do good for as many people as possible. I am driven by this same feeling, and you, the Romanians of the Diaspora, will be the judges of that. I also promise not to involve myself in the routine political conflicts which have become the norm in Bucharest, and that I will follow one goal only: the interests of the Romanian Diaspora.
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Excerpts from the material prepared for the interview conducted by Bogdan Feldman with Raymond Luca (Sibianul newspaper, September 11, 2006)
1. What was your activity before leaving for the United States? (a short biography would be great, e.g. where were you born? what did you study? how did your personal and professional life evolve?)
2. How did you enter politics?
3. How did you become a Member of Parliament?
4. What can you tell us about your mandate as Member of Parliament?
5. How did you leave for the US and why?
6. What is you profession in the US?
7. Do you still have ties to Romania? To Romanian politics?
8. Do you visit Romania?
9. How are the States compared to Romania?
1. What was your activity before leaving for the United States? (a short biography would be great, e.g. where were you born? what did you study? how did your personal and professional life evolve?)
I was born on October 17, 1954 in Ekaterinburg, in Russia. A short time thereafter, my parent, who were students at the time, returned to Romania, bringing me with them of course.
I grew up in Bucharest, in the Floreasca neighbourhood, and during school breaks I would go to Iasi, where by paternal grandparents lived. I went to the neighbourhood schools, "generala nr. 10" and "I.L. Caragiale" high school. I attended the Academy for Economic Studies, in the Industrial Economy department, after completing my military service in C-lung Muscel. We were the first generation of young men forced to do their military before going to university.
Between 1978 and 1982 I worked in the cotton industry (Centrala Industriei Bumbacului), in a workshop for ergonomic projects. I traveled extensively around the country, arriving also in the Sibiu district since it was well representented in the industry through its units at Medias, Cisnadie and Talmaciu. I went on many business trips to Medias in particular and I confess that to this day, after so many years, I miss the cafeteria of the local textile plant.
From 1982 until 1990 I worked in a research institute affiliated with the food sector, COCB, where I was project manager for work standards in the sugar and tobacco industries.
In 1978, immediately after completing my university studies, I married my college sweetheart, Irina, who is also a graduate of ASE, but in International Relations. Laurentiu was born in 1979 and Ioana in 1981.
2. How did you enter politics?
I entered politics when the December '89 Revolution ocurred. I participated in the revolt in University Square on December 21, and on the 22nd I brought my colleagues and other participants from the 5th district towards the party headquarters and towards the TV station. This is how I was elected the president of... FSN in the institute. The first free election, the first victory! One detail is worth mentioning: I did not ask for nor will I ever demand a revolutionnary's certificate! For me the honor of becoming a member of the Association "21 December" on that very night is sufficient.
In the beginning of January, 1990 I became one of the founding members of the National Liberal Party (PNL). Why PNL? Firstly because I was always fascinated by history and, no matter how much censorship there was, our history still made itself known, even in the official schoolbooks, e.g. the extraordinary role of PNL and of the Bratianu family in founding the modern, Romanian/ European state. And this fascination came despite the fact that my family had been totally apolitical, during the inter-war period and during the communist regime. Historically speaking I am the first party member of the family!
Another reason was the encouragement received from an extraordinary man, a true mentor to me in the years before 1989. He was a work colleague, Nicolae Barbulescu, but also a political prisoner (14 years) and a very special human being whom I will never forget as long as I live. I had so much to learn from him and will always be greatful to him.
Alongside other liberals, who were very young at that time, such as Calin Popescu Tariceanu, Dinu Patriciu, Andrei Chiliman, Radu Cojocaru, Radu Boroianu and a few others, I performed my duties in the Executive Secretariat of PNL as I was in charge of the publicity department. As you may recall, the 1990 elections created the first schism in PNL. Immediately after the elections PNL-AT (young wing) was formed, who included people mentionned above, to whom I must add Horia Rusu, my great friend, as well as Viorel Catarama, who was quasi-unknown at the time. I became the economics director of the new political organization based on my merits in managing the electoral campaign.
Some think that the reason why PNL split may lie in a generational conflict, and they would not be too wrong. For a few others the creation on PNL-AT was an experiment, i.e. a new political current, with no connection with the inter-war liberalism. It is a libertarian philosophy. Firstly Horia and then some of the others, including me, were attracted to the Austrian school of philosophy and economics, specifically to the works of Ayn Rand and the Chicago school of economics (Milton Friedman), as well as the economic successes of the right-wing government in Chile and Argentina at that time. I summarized our sources of inspiration for creating our first political and economic programs, where Ilie Serbanescu and Mircea Cosea also contributed.
On a personal level, it must be mentioned that at this time I started my career as a businessman. In 1990 I founded, along with other colleagues from the institute, "Atlantic Import-Export." Our first successful transaction was the export of bentonite from the Apuseni mountains to Bulgaria for the wine industry. A little later we became the representative company for a brokerage firm registered on the London commodities market (sugar, coffee, etc.). These were fantastic years when we would work non-stop, from morning till the next morning and I could only sleep in the car as we were crossing the country from one side to the other. And when I wasn't busy selling sugar, I was involved in organizing PNL-AT on the distric level. And this is how I returned to Sibiu.
3. How did you become a Member of Parliament?
(To be translated)