1 I don’t know if it’s because Macedonia is small, so we all seem to know each other in some way, or if it’s because of the fatigue from the three-decade-long transition and the disappointment that progress is rare, or perhaps it’s just my age, but honestly, I find these elections very boring. A friend of mine says it’s like the circus coming to town again. We used to get excited, but now we couldn’t care less.
We’ve seen it all before, including the realignment of the small parties that were in coalition with the government until now. Now, as they see that the opposition is likely to win, they latch onto them, hoping to be put on some list of MPs, so that in the future, in due time, they might be given the position of a deputy minister, director of a public enterprise, anything would do.
They’re called satellite parties. Yet, a satellite is a serious thing. It needs to be launched by a rocket. Do any of the major parties resemble a rocket in a country where the five-kilometre motorway from Petrovec to Katlanovo has been under construction for two and a half years? Okay, let’s not discuss the Ohrid-Kichevo motorway, because that’s just as boring. As for the railway to Bulgaria, it’s hardly worth mentioning. Let’s talk about a simple straight road instead. In the field, on flat ground, no bridges, no tunnels, no anything. Satellites, what a joke. Those are loose parties. They bring in several hundred votes, and that’s why the major parties need them to make sure they wouldn’t fall apart. We all know what it’s like buying loose products at the market. Give me everything you’ve got, here’s an MP.
There’s no vision, no programme, no enthusiasm, no desire to do something for the country. This is a simple battle to hire people, whose salary will burden taxpayers. One will be given a director’s position, another will be hired to laze around. One will rig tenders, get a company car, trade with influence, claim daily allowances, make trips to Brussels to learn what the EU really is, another will be rescued from poverty with a decent state salary, guaranteed holiday leave, days off and public holidays. So, this isn’t a battle for votes. Loose products have no ideology. This is a battle for money.
2 I’ve been writing this column for over 33 years and I often revisit old ones so I’d be able to look at the present through a “historic perspective.” So I’d see if time simply passes by or if there’s been any change. I reread my old columns. I try to compare similar situations in the past.
I went through the 2006 archive. A time when Nikola Gruevski painted VMRO-DPMNE orange and promised us “Revival in 100 steps.” Now, I hear Hristijan Mickoski promising changes with his “Platform with 1,198 projects.” It’s precise. Not 1,200, let’s not exaggerate. They’ll work on Saturdays, Sundays, Easter, and Eid holidays, they’ll complete one project every single day over the next four years. With the same people who talked our ears off about the revival, without a single apology for all the misfortunes they brought upon our country during the 11-year revival while “reforms were winning.”
In the archives, I came across the statement of then-Prime Minister Vladimir Buchkovski from SDSM, that “EU enlargement is their problem, not ours.” And I realize that even back then, SDSM was holding onto the EU like a drowning man to a life raft, much like Dimitar Kovachevski and Bojan Marichikj are doing now. The only difference is that they don’t have a few Portuguese people who, during the pre-election campaign, promoted a hotel in Oteshevo, not a five-star hotel, but a six-star one. We joked that the sixth start was because “the Sun will also become a star” in the EU flag. However, rushing that fast towards the EU, they ended up fining us for speeding.
On 10 June, 2006, I also wrote this: “Before the elections, in addition to money, jobs in the state administration are given liberally. Four years ago, VMRO-DPMNE and DPA were the ones hiring, now it’s SDSM and DUI. I don’t know how many more people can be hired to freeload on public funds. Is there room for everyone? Eventually, someone will have to come and buy Macedonia and fire everyone, just as it’s done in private companies. The difference in the way people were employed four years ago and now is that now SDSM can’t say “no” to DUI. Only Albanians are hired in all open calls and competitions. Macedonians submit documents, but it’s in vain. There’s no room for them in the civil service anymore. In a normal country, this whole deal with the competitions would be called – discrimination. But here, there’s another word for discrimination. It’s called “adequate and fair representation.”
And one more thing: I remember that at that time Ali Ahmeti from DUI and the late Arben Xhaferi from DPA got in a fierce fight. There were also some shootings, so the then U.S. Ambassador Gillian Milovanovic and the EU Ambassador Erwan Fouéré visited villages to point out to the local leaders that it’s better for them not to use weapons. But, again, I couldn’t help but think: “Why should I feel sorry for them? They created these Albanian leaders, let them deal with their problems.” Ali Ahmeti had stated that “incidents are bad for the Albanians, but also for the final status of Kosovo.”
“We’ve seen neither Ali Ahmeti’s men nor Arben Xhaferi’s men waving Macedonian flags. Both when they protest for human rights and when they fight each other with guns, they fly their Albanian flag alongside the flags of the USA and the EU. Where does Macedonia fit in their story?” This was published on 1 July, 2006.
After the elections, when Nikola Gruevski didn’t want to take DUI in the government, Ali Ahmeti threatened: “If DUI is not part of the government, meaning if the will of the majority which voted for the DUI-PDP coalition is not respected, the future government will face problems with the Albanian people.” This was published on 22 July, 2006.
And on 29 July of the same year, I also wrote this: “Bulgaria caused a scandal when it threatened that it wouldn’t unconditionally support Macedonia for EU and NATO membership if it continues to aggressively interfere in our history and our nation.”
Children born in 2006 are now turning 18. And they would vote. If only the state was able to provide them with an ID card.
Oh, if only we remembered more… Perhaps life in Macedonia would be better.
Translated by Nikola Gjelincheski
