Iohannis: Police, Gendarmerie, under PSD's constant public attack

President Klaus Iohannis told Interior Ministry (MAI) officials on Tuesday that the Police, the Gendarmerie and the Emergency Department were under constant public attack because they tolerated or were forced to tolerate some people who had nothing to do with the public offices they held. 

"The Romanian Police, the Romanian Gendarmerie, more recently, the Emergency Department have been under constant public attack. That is because you tolerated or some of you were obliged to tolerate some people, in public positions, who did not belong there. You have been imposed approaches that have nothing to do with professional ethics. The most treacherous methods were used to play you against each other, to establish political control where professionalism needs to have its say," said Iohannis at the ceremony where Minister of Interior Marcel Ion Vela took over his term. 

The president asked the new Interior minister for a paradigm shift, talking about "PSD [the Social Democratic Party] dilettantes and people who saw only their own interest and that of the party's clique," who wanted to get their hands on all the big systems in Romania. 

"Starting today, you will put the safety of the Romanian citizen at the center of all your concerns. It is an extremely difficult task, especially after a troubled period for this ministry of the utmost importance for Romania and the fact that you had an interim period without a minister is one of the smallest problems you have to solve. Last night, the failed and irresponsible PSD government ended. PSD dilettantes and people who saw only their own interest and that of the party's clique wanted to get their hands on the big systems in Romania. And you, all of you, were a favorite target for PSD. Those three failed PSD governments constantly tried to impose their friends, their relatives, in the most important positions in the state. That unfortunately led to what we all unfortunately saw and you have felt it the worst," said Iohannis, at the MAI ceremony.