They must tell the truth and strengthen the foundations of society. But when the educated, the experts, the professionals cease to fulfill this function, they also lose their role as intelligentsia, writes Daniel Smilov.
In every society, the educated, the experts, the professionals fulfill one main function: to tell the truth. Along with this function, they also have additional ones: to entertain, to strengthen the foundations of society, etc. But if they cease to fulfill their main function, they lose their role as intelligentsia.
In recent days and weeks, we have been receiving increasingly vivid illustrations of a similar process in our country. Educated people, claiming to be experts, refuse to state simple truths and defend outright lies in the public sphere. Why they do it is not so important. What is important is that something like this happens and it represents a serious erosion of the reasonableness of society as a whole.
The example of Sarafov and more betrayals
The most shocking example is Mr. Sarafov's remaining as acting prosecutor general despite the existing explicit law on the matter. This law categorically stipulates that an acting prosecutor cannot hold this position for more than six months. These months have long expired, but Mr. Sarafov has not relented, nor have those who support him in this position.
The betrayal of a part of the intelligentsia is that it began to carry water from nine ravines to convince the public of the thesis that Mr. Sarafov can stay in his position, apparently as long as he wants. The arguments for this are so untenable that it is shameful to even refute them. For example, that Mr. Sarafov is a "status quo" in relation to the law and nothing is written about him in the transitional and final provisions. While "forgetting" that the law itself is actually exactly about the status quo (as can be seen from the text and the intentions of its creators) and therefore does not need to be further explained in any transitional clauses. But even this polemic is offensive to anyone who takes the law seriously, and not as a sweet treat that can be stretched for political gain.
The second example is the blatant injustice of keeping the arrested Varna mayor Blagomir Kotsev and the Sofia deputy mayor in custody on highly dubious charges of corruption. For partisan reasons, a large part of the intelligentsia refuses to register this fact and even cynically gloats about the topic. Again, arguing about these issues is insulting to any expert community: in a country where smugglers and corrupt officials from the “Magnitsky“ list are at large and even in parliament, opposition mayors are in custody on charges that are fabricated without a thread. One allegedly said (in front of a Kosharevsky witness) that he might take money, and the other arranged a meeting where nothing illegal happened.
The third example is with the ITN bill on criminal sentences for distributing personal information. This example actually turned out to be positive for the Bulgarian intelligentsia. After initial turmoil, it generally pulled itself together and resisted the insane ideas of Slavi Trifonov and company. Again, it is insulting to even discuss it, because it is a matter of enormous and repressive stupidity. But still, here television stations and experts stood firmly behind the truth, and this, at least for now, is yielding results: Borisov was forced to declare that the bill would be withdrawn. Let's hope that this is the case and that it doesn't lead to some "compromise" that will cause half the initial trouble. Because even half would be too much.
The fourth case was the "personal meeting of Boyko Borisov with the child of his friend Donald Trump" - a formulation that Borisov invented in connection with the publications in the "Wall Street Journal". The betrayal of the intelligentsia is that it allowed such a statement to be circulated in the public sphere, in which there is actually not a single word that is true (except perhaps the word "meeting"). To begin with, the meeting is not personal: what "personal" there is a meeting at which the future of huge Bulgarian public resources („Turkish Stream“ and „Neftochim“ – in which the government has a golden share) is being discussed, and in the context of tying them to the lifting of sanctions against those close to Borisov on the „Magnitsky“ list? Second, what kind of friend is Donald Trump to Borisov? Third, what kind of „children” are we talking about in this case at all – there is nothing childish or family-like in the whole story to introduce such an element into it. It is good that Borisov was extensively questioned about what he thought he was doing at the meeting. The bad thing is that no one persistently asks him why the other side was left with the impression that he was tying the resolution of certain energy issues to the „Magnitsky“ sanctions.
Erosion of democracy
The next case of the week is actually related to the “personal meeting” and “Lukoil”. This is the granting of the right to SANS to stop deals with the refinery in Burgas. SANS, of course, must give an opinion on the candidates for buyers of the refinery. But the agency itself cannot decide the fate of the deals: this is a job for a politically responsible body - parliament, government. The services are services because they serve the political bodies with information and expertise. They cannot seize their decisions on issues of political and strategic importance. Even less is this possible in a situation in which these services are dependent on certain political figures and are even dominated by them. And in our country there are serious doubts in this direction, which are strengthened by the new way of choosing the heads of these services - by the majority in parliament. The transfer of responsibility for decisions from the government and parliament to the services on key issues is actually an erosion of democracy in the country. And something that could actually make deals like “energy assets in exchange for lifting the “Magnitsky” sanctions even more possible. It's a good thing, though, that Trump Jr. said at the “personal meeting” that he wasn't interested in the deal.
The sixth case is also related to the services - this time with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Because of the ideas of closing it or electing its head with a simple parliamentary majority, Bulgaria lost 200 million euros under the PVA for this year. The intelligentsia seemed to have slept through this fact, for which there is a clear culprit.
The last fact of the week is partly positive as a reaction of the intelligentsia: the blackmail of Sofia residents by de facto cartelized companies (although the CPC did not see a problem in the situation) has exploded public opinion. The demand for two and a half times higher prices for garbage collection, the expulsion of Turkish competitors by setting their trucks on fire, the dumping of additional garbage in Lyulin and Krasno Selo to deepen the crisis, are all indicators that show the mafia-ization of garbage policy. Whether Sofia residents will stand their ground also depends on whether the intelligentsia will play its role in telling the truth on the issue clearly enough. And also to raise the questions why in Burgas and Plovdiv the trick with the sharp increase in garbage collection prices has passed. A trick, tailored by the same companies that are raising prices in Sofia.
Seven examples in seven days is not a bad result. It can only be compared to another performance by the national football team against Turkey: a 1:6 loss in the middle of Sofia. Just as the football players and their management must start doing their job (which, let us remind you, is to score goals and win matches, not to “look good“ on the pitch), so too must the intelligentsia stand up for the truth on issues of public importance. If football players and experts cannot cope with their basic functions, at least they should help with garbage collection in the crisis situation.
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This comment expresses the personal opinion of the author and may not coincide with the positions of the Bulgarian editorial office and the State News Agency as a whole.