PM Emil Boc is becoming day by day some kind a miniature Nicolae Ceausescu. No, he is no dictator. But the reflexes of old times seem not to be forgotten by the premier. Just like before 1989, for Mr. Boc what matters is statistical data, not the standard of living. The standard of living is free falling. The state employees have had their salaries cut by 25 per cent and have regained only some 10-12 per cent. As next year is the year of local and general elections, the officials were eager to announce salary hikes in 2012!

But Mr. Boc is stressing that the economy is going well. It seems Romania is to register three consecutive quarters of GDP growth. Some one per cent or even less. Mr. Boc is getting ready for the electoral campaign. So he is telling Romanians the perspectives are bright and he has done his job brilliantly. However Mr. Boc felt necessary to underline that we need not become populists. He is embarrassing!

I don’t know if the IMF would have its say regarding the expected salaries increase. Meanwhile, as the IMF mission is to conclude its mission in Romania, had a meeting with MPs. More exactly, with the members of the budget-finance parliamentary committee. Guess what?! The president of the commission, Maria Barna, asked the IMF delegation members to present themselves, to tell the MPs their name and position! At the end of the meeting, asked by the reporters is they recollect the names of the members of the IMF delegation, the MPs remembered only the head of the mission Jeffrey Franks. That was the best case… How embarrassing!

Meanwhile, PM Boc and Transport Minister Anca Boagiu take immense pride in inaugurating 21 km of highway. Well, it’s just half of it, as it will be only one lane per direction for the moment! Embarrassing as always, Mr. Boc told the media that if the opposition had been in power, no such achievement would have been reached. On what grounds did he make such comments nobody knows. Tell me, sincerely: isn’t he embarrassing? Aren’t they all embarrassing?

Maxy