Maybe Traian Basescu's urge to boycott the best known national sport - bribery - marks the beginning of transformations in Romania. Or maybe it's just a new political gimmick. One thing is for sure: the tempestuous presidential appeal makes the number of public questions go sky high.

Citizens' first reactions on the first bribe-free day

Maybe Traian Basescu's urge to boycott the best known national sport - bribery - marks the beginning of transformations in Romania. Or maybe it's just a new political gimmick. One thing is for sure: the tempestuous presidential appeal makes the number of public questions go sky high.

Are Romanians going to prompt the bankruptcy of the producers of envelopes concealing the money aimed for the civil servants? Are the troubled patients going to no longer give the traditional gift to their doctors? Are physicians, whose wages are much below those of European scavengers, going to agree performing surgeries without a "co-payment" from the patient? Will the drunk driver agree to have his licence withdrawn without bribing the traffic agent? Are the tourists going to refuse raising the usual money for the customs officer who has a villa to build? Or are they going to spend the night in "no-man's land" on the border? The readers of "Evenimentul zilei" daily have tried to answer to part of these questions, by posting their messages on the newspapers' forum.

We only mentioned a few opinions, due to the lack of space. These are ideas worthy of being included in the presidential records so that the institution get at least a few clues about the toughest of all questions: whether Romania has still got any hope left for getting rid of the bribery cancer.

Maybe the president should set an example by issuing a public list with what he has given and taken along the years. (from Veronic Framboaz)

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