Interview with Alina Gál, the new mayor of Gajcsána in Bákó County.
As a child, Alina Gál toyed with the idea of becoming mayor one day, and this childhood fantasy came true this year: for the first time, she became the local mayor of the village of Gajcsána in Bákó County. She will soon take over the mandate, but before actually starting her work at the head of the community, she told us about where she started, where she is going, and who Alina Gál really is when she is not mayor.
Did you prepare for a political career even as a child? What was the path that led you to become the first woman to head a village as a local, Hungarian woman from Csangó?
- When I was young, my friends and I often talked about what it would be like if one of us became mayor, and what we would change in the community if we achieved this. It was a childhood game, but even then we brought up the example of asphalt, because it bothered us that there was nowhere to ride our bikes. We also wanted a bakery, so that there would be a place to buy ten clocks and such. Some things have been implemented since then, but the village is still not where we want it to be in 2024.
I didn't think that I would ever really become a mayor. I rather wanted to gain work experience abroad, because marketing was what really interested me. I also managed to get an internship in London. I didn't like the work community, but I really liked the work itself. I planned to come home and start my own business as a marketer or event planner. Then things took a different turn.
When did you decide to run for office?
Last year I had a conversation with László Pogár, the president of the Bákó county RMDSZ. I took a job at the Association of Moldavian Csángó Hungarians, so we have worked together many times. He said that a leader like me would be needed. Before, I tried to participate in all kinds of events, in community life, so after four years of working together, he already saw that I work, how much energy I put into the realization of something, so it was his idea that I try myself in this field.
At home, in Csángóföld, you can assert yourself as a Hungarian
The entire interview can be read on the Maszol.ro portal!
Featured image: Gál Alina's collection/Chronicle
