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| King Mihai I of Romania. |
The hysterical buzz of chaos, tooth and nail fighting for power and influence, as well as of the impotence that dominates Romanian political stage was damped down as His Majesty started to speak before the Parliament for the first time in 64 years. We may say that the 25th of October 2011 is, in fact, the true end of King Mihai’s long exile, 14 years after he returned home.
The King’s speech wasn’t just a symbolic or perhaps a conventional moment as many pseudo-journalists or analysts tried to suggest, but a truly historic day that brought joy to many Romanians – monarchists and republicans, in the country and abroad, young people and seniors, peasants, workers and intellectuals alike. In contradiction with all the leaders of Romania following him, King Mihai has always been the one who brought Romanians together around him, highlighting what units them, speaking to them of tradition, history, of all those people who died so that we can enjoy our freedom, the sacrifice of our grand-parents and parents, but never of what divides us. In fact, this is also the essence of the King’s message: taken individually, we each have our qualities, flaws and cowardice, but what truly counts is what we become when we project ourselves together as a nation.
For all these reasons, the historic importance of this glorious October day should be fully recognised.
Obviously, there are also many people who regret and even make a mockery of that moment of grace, but no one would ever expect any nice words from people who never had ethics and conscience. From their cheap armchairs which to them feel ever-lasting and wonderful, they can only repeat like parrots what is being whispered into their ear by the puppet handlers. If Traian Basescu had been there, applauding the King’s speech, the same hosanna singers would have been sitting in the first row in Parliament, after dusting the stand from which His Majesty delivered his speech.
Unfortunately, not even today does King Mihai receive the recognition, respect and understanding he deserves from the current representatives of Romania. The only thing is that, unfortunately for them, it puts them in the same category as the Stalinists and Communists who forced the King to abdicate… Asked by a BBC journalist why he had not reacted to Traian Basescu’s attacks, accusing him of ‘betraying’ Romania and of being the ‘servant’ of the Russians, King Mihai gave a straight and simple answer: ‘It is not worth it’. And he is perfectly right, as one can not re-write history just with slander.
In his long life in the service of the nation, His Majesty has withstood many truly dramatic moments, injustice and indignity on behalf of all those who feared what the Royal House and monarchy stood for. Immediately after the speech, Le Monde was stating that King Mihai I still makes politicians in Bucharest quail even today.
And it is so right! Because, with the dignity and honour with which he carries out his historic role as a ruler of this people, the King stands above all those who continue to denigrate him to this day. If they could genuinely think the King would have organised a putsch and restore monarchy (!) on October 25, it means that they can only think within the narrow boundaries of their own actions, discretionarily imposing measures and laws on this people eluding all public debate and democratic dialogue.
With their silence and absence from Parliament, the representatives of the political power of today showed they do not share the values of the Royal House of Romania, the fundamentals of which are democracy and pluralism. All the better, because they let Bucharest breathe fresh air for a day that will be remembered by history as the day when the King spoke to the nation.
