If every official were held accountable for the lies they tell, we would certainly have more honesty, more results, and citizens would truly feel change.

The newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Radu Musteață, just a few days into his mandate, came under public scrutiny because he lied. He understood his mistake and resigned. That is the right thing to do.

I judge people by what they do, by their achievements and professionalism, not necessarily by their party affiliation. The road to politics sometimes goes through parties, and many young people with political aspirations join political formations. I don't see a problem with that. What matters is what you do for society, in your own workplace. Because doing your job well is one thing, and serving the party is another.

From what it seems, at the National Food Safety Agency, Radu Musteață was a good professional. But once he was promoted, he was branded as having been a member of the Democratic Party, at a time when everything was controlled by Plahotniuc. Clearly, he is leaving because he initially lied that he was not a PD member. But it should be appreciated that he took responsibility and resigned.

From the beginning I said: it would be good if other high-ranking officials were also held accountable for lying. Only they will not resign. And the distribution of positions and fat salaries is often done by suspicious people, knowingly. In front of the public, these dignitaries beat their chests and tell lies. And nothing happens.

And within state structures there are still former members of the PD, people who were with the Socialists, with the Communists, people who gladly served Iurie Roșca, about whom, after years of national movement, it was revealed that he was receiving money from the Kremlin and was an agent of the Russians. Did anyone face consequences for serving Roșca? No. Some of them are doing quite well in good positions, in various councils and so on.

Yes, I will talk about double standards too. And don't accuse me of doing propaganda, because that has become the only weapon used to attack those who have different opinions from the circle of the "anointed ones".

The double standard when it comes to lying is serious. For some, a single lie about their CV costs them their job. For others, repeated lies, contradictory statements made live on TV, cost nothing.

It is one thing to demand integrity, and that is mandatory if we want to join the EU. It is another thing to apply integrity selectively - burning some at the stake of social media for an old mistake, while protecting others for present mistakes that are much bigger.

Either we have the same yardstick for everyone, or we admit that this is not about principles, but about campaigns.

In the European Union, which the Republic of Moldova aspires to join, integrity in public service, honesty of civil servants, but also freedom of opinion and pluralism of ideas, critical thinking, are fundamental values. I hope that, little by little, they will also take root in our country.