Petre Florin Manole. Inquam Photos / George Călin
The appointment of Florin Manole as Minister of Labor is not just a premiere. It is a fracture in the status quo of an ordinary Romania to keep Romi in the invisible corner of democracy, writes the activist for human rights Ciprian Necula, in an opinion article that Hotnews is hosting. It is not by chance, he says, that the first Roma becomes a hard minister, in a government forced to an imperative reforming agenda.
For the first time in post -communist history, a government assumes, with a subject and predicate, a minister who is Roma. Without the curtain, without “not being”, without “it is not the moment”. A political appointment, yes, but one that comes with a huge symbolic and historical weight.
It is a brave political gesture, in a country where courage, especially when it comes to Roma, costs electoral.
The new Minister of Labor, Florin Manole, is not an “accident” nor the “product” of any algorithm handled by the boots. He is a man formed in the bosom of Roma civil society, a historian concerned with the truth, an activist with two decades of real involvement in policies for minority rights. He is a deputy, he was a government counselor, a local councilor, but also more important – he was a constant and articulated voice for equity.
And yes it is rum and never hid. On the contrary, it was one of the few public figures that carried this identity as a flag and not as a burden of “negotiated” in the public space.
Let's be clear: this is not the first time that the Roma arrive in government positions. In 2015–2016, Valeriu Nicolae was Secretary of State at the Ministry of Labor, and I was a Secretary of State at the Ministry of European Funds. We both came from civil society, both ethnically assumed and without party support. And, obviously, without support from the Roma party-that 30-year-old formation occupies a place in Parliament, but which has not been able to name a single secretary of state in a ministry.
A man in the Roma civil society assumes
The appointment of Florin Manole is, in this context, all the more important. It is not only a recognition of the value of a man, but also a validation of the Roma Civil Society – that marginalized area, always suspected, but of which, here, authentic leaders appear, well trained and ready to take the hardship for Romania. Not only to talk about problems, but to solve them.
And yes, this appointment also has a psychological effect. The communities of Roma – often tired of promises, poor in hopes and rich in humiliations have received hope, an implicit recognition. With the fine irony that characterizes him, Dorin Cioabă wrote on Facebook: “The majority was still amused that the Roma flee. Now, the Ministry of Labor will be led by a rum.” Good poison. But also bitterly.
Florin Manole has, in front, not only a ministry, but a historical challenge. He will have to prove that he can govern in the interest of all Romanian citizens without ignoring those excluded.
It will not be an easy mandate in the domestic socio-political context and, especially, the international one. And, no, it will not be able to do it only as a certain politician, but he will have to do so on behalf of the community he comes from. Florin Manole is not only the first Romanian minister. It is the living proof that meritocracy, courage and identity can coexist in politics.
