Minister Burduja impressed by the life of miners

Putting on the clothes of a laborer can offer a different perspective for a politician. It happens rarely, but it still does. Romania's Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, descended into the Livezeni Mine, stating that he wanted to understand, firsthand, the problems and risks faced by those who work there every day and to find the solutions that the Jiu Valley needs. The minister says that he participated in the extraction of 5 tons of coal using a machine dating back to the 1980s. He also claims that in recent weeks, he has fulfilled a long-time wish of these people: saving more than 2,000 jobs and establishing a new company, the Jiu Valley Energy Complex, which is getting a fresh start. The minister wrote a few lines about this experience: "I am writing these lines after two days that I will never forget. I descended 300 meters into the heart of the earth, where there are "people and coal,' as Geo Bogza said. I was in the Livezeni Mine for two hours, among the most precious of my entire ministerial term. About coal: I participated in the extraction of 5 tons using a machine of Soviet origin from the 1980s. Here in Livezeni, it is the only mine among the four remaining in the Jiu Valley where there is mechanization. The fact that this machinery still functions today is a small miracle, proof of Romanian work and inventiveness." Burduja added: "About the people? It's hard to express everything in a few lines. They are Romanians with faces and arms covered in coal but with clean souls. People who leave home and don't know if they'll return. People who work in four shifts, and they've been doing it for generations. The Romanian economy was reignited after the Second World War thanks to their hands. And now, they ask us for nothing more than respect, appreciation, and a piece of bread on their families' tables, earned through their work and sacrifice. I descended into the mine out of respect for who these Romanians are and what they do, and out of a desire to understand the problems and risks they face every day, and also to find the solutions that the Jiu Valley needs. In recent weeks, we have already fulfilled a long-time wish of these people: saving more than 2,000 jobs and establishing a new company, the Jiu Valley Energy Complex, which is getting a fresh start. Now it depends on all of us to ensure a different future." It wouldn't be a bad idea for ministers, in the future, to go through such experiences to gain a clearer understanding of those they make decisions for.