President of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR) Alin Petrache proposes ‘We do not forget, we do not repeat’ as a motto for a Colectiv Memorial, should it be built. Moreover, Petrache believes that the design and construction of a Colectiv Memorial at the site of the October 30 tragedy should be handled by a newly-created association.
AGERPRES: How do you see the building of a Colectiv Memorial as a symbol against forgetting?
Alin Petrache: It has been demonstrated over time that Romanians overcome relatively easy the most unfortunate events in their lives. Perhaps because we are a strong people, perhaps because life must go on regardless of the obstacles that appear in our path. Were the tragedy in Colectiv Club a part of life, we would certainly move on. But unfortunately, that is not the case. What happened in Colectiv is an amalgam of facts and activities bordering on the illegal which mounted to an endless tragedy. I am not in position to talk about guilt or lack of guilt, but what happened in Colectiv is due to a very high level of superficiality. Of the owners, perhaps of the authorities. I am curious how the investigation will be concluded.
AGERPRES: How do you imagine this Colectiv Memorial? Should it be built at the site of the tragedy or somewhere else?
Alin Petrache: The site of the tragedy seems appropriate. It has become a place of pilgrimage with a strong emotional charge. I do not know whether a different location would bear the same significance in the hearts of Romanians.
AGERPRES: Given the situation of the space where the Colectiv club was situated, who and in what degree should take care of designing and constructing a Colectiv Memorial, including finding of necessary financing: the Romanian state or the non-governmental organizations?
Alin Petrache: I believe that both sides could work together. But rather, I picture an association created for this purpose. Thank God, there will be enough well-intentioned Romanians that can manage such a project and I believe a support group made up of people from all fields in Romania would give the project even more impact.
AGERPRES: What motto do you believe should define this Memorial?
Alin Petrache: “We do not forget, we do not repeat.”
AGERPRES: What do you believe should be the most important lesson remembered after visiting the Colectiv Memorial?
Alin Petrache: I know people who lost their lives in Colectiv and I realized what dramas this event triggered. It is difficult to say what the most important lesson should be. I believe in the first place should be our will to obey the laws and the rules because, ultimately, they were made for the common good. In my field they say one cannot fool sport, that in the end everything can turn against you, the same as it is in life. Sooner or later everything can turn against us. More…