1 The drama that started with the script for the memorial service marking 95 years since the death of Mara Buneva in Skopje, then built up even more with the beating of the secretary of the club in Ohrid named after the Bulgarian tsar from the time of the fascist occupation of Macedonia, is expected to culminate with the commemoration of Goce Delchev’s birthday. A comedy of errors from the 21st century similar to the one Shakespeare wrote 5 centuries ago.
A Macedonian with a Bulgarian passport beat up a Macedonian citizen who identifies himself as a Bulgarian and has applied for Bulgarian citizenship, but hasn’t received it yet. In addition, according to the Ohrid Prosecutor’s Office, the Macedonian with a Bulgarian passport told the one who still hasn’t received one “Shame on you for declaring yourself a Bulgarian”, although the reason the one who has a Bulgarian passport is because he’s already declared himself a Bulgarian. At the same time, the Bulgarian state sends a government plane to evacuate the Macedonian citizen to Sofia, along with his mother and the Bulgarian ambassador to Skopje, while the Macedonian police is still looking for the Bulgarian citizen. And all of that culminates with a three-day blockade at Goce Delchev’s grave in Skopje, although he was born 151 years ago. There weren’t such blockades in Skopje when US President Bill Clinton came here in 1999 during the refugee crisis with Kosovo, or for Pope Francis in 2018. There’s never been so much security for living people as for someone who died 120 years ago.
So, try to untangle this story and explain all of this in Brussels. And explain it to the other 26 EU member states. Good luck explaining. There’s no need for Bulgaria to explain anything because they’re inside. And by the time we finish explaining ourselves, Goce’s grave won’t be the only thing being blocked because Sofia will block our path to the EU even more. In other words – good night and good luck with Brussels.
2 Before the dissolution of the Parliament, at the last session, the Bulgarian MPs passed a declaration on Macedonia. Unanimously, with only one abstention. In just two years, they’ve gone to elections five times, they’ve been unable to form a government, Rumen Radev picks their ministers with a Russian hand, some of them might not be part of the future parliamentary composition, and out of all the priorities for their state, for the MPs the utmost priority is to solve the problem with Macedonia. Macedonia first – and then Bulgarian elections.
Sorry Brussels, sorry Sofia, but are Bulgarian MPs a bunch of dimwits?
Sorry official Skopje, too. It seems our Government is a bunch of dimwits as well if it thinks the Bulgarian MPs from the dissolved parliament are just marginal politicians and if it still doesn’t take Bulgaria’s intention seriously.
3 On our way to the EU there’s yet another uncertainty. Will the Alliance for Albanians join the Government and do they need exactly their ministers, deputy ministers and directors to fight corruption? While we’re preoccupied with thousands news from Arben Taravari’s meetings and statements, we want to join the Government, we don’t want to join the Government, we fail to see the real European achievements of the current Government. For instance, the fact that the power transformer which was repaired in Serbia has arrived in MEC Bitola. And it’s not the same transformer from the elaborate transport we followed from Istanbul through Thessaloniki to Bitola.
Is it not great success that Minister of Education Jeton Shaqiri announced that 90 percent of textbooks have been distributed to schools on 1st February, ten days after the start of the second semester? For the other 10 percent – better luck on 1st September.
What does including Bulgarians in our Constitution have to do with our everyday life? Let alone with the quality of our life.
Ok, let Bojan Marichic, Bujar Osmani and even Dimitar Kovachevski deal with the European integrations. But what do the constitutional changes have to do with the work of the other ministers, MPs, directors of public enterprises, agencies, directorates, mayors, municipal services and companies…
For instance, what do constitutional changes have to do with the fact there are no textbooks? For three years, they’ve been unable to provide children with certificates on time, at the end of the year, while they’re busy dealing with the constitutional changes because that’s the European way. The same way people drive and park in Tetovo. And the same way people in Arachinovo pay taxes according to European standards. What does including Bulgarians in our constitution have to do with the illegal buildings that pop up in the protected areas?
The government has been unable to find a way to renovate the Universal Hall in Skopje for five years although the renovation had already started; God forbid it had to be rebuilt completely. As for the monument of Mother Theresa, an eyesore in the middle of the capital, even though it’s an illegal building, they don’t bother to demolish it because the commission from that is too small. They haven’t even dismantled a single ship of the ones Nikola Gruevski put in Vardar. They don’t fix the tiles, they don’t change the lights, the government buildings look dilapidated and abandoned, stray dogs will eat us alive, but none of that matters, as long as we change our Constitution.
We’re already over the Kichevo – Ohrid motorway, we won’t see it finished even in this mandate. But what’s happening with the few kilometres from Petrovec to Katlanovo, which they dug before the local elections in 2021, took pictures and forgot about them? Does that road depend on the Preamble as well? Nothing has been done with the motorway to Kosovo because apparently the route is too complicated. However, it’s not complicated to change the Constitution. You pass a law on amnesty, you reward an MP with an ambassadorship, you hire someone’s son or daughter and voila – Good morning Brussels, Europe – wait for us.
4 In the name of European values, the government will find 80 MPs who will vote for constitutional changes but they can’t provide money for 130 people with cystic fibrosis, for a medicine that could save their life. They boasted they’d buy medicine only for eight people.
And once you ask where our money goes, you immediately become an enemy. When you ask why we’re paying more expensive gas than the stock market price and where the money from the surplus ends – you’re a mercenary and you don’t understand the energy sector. When you ask why there are no medicines, you don’t have the expertise to talk about it, you don’t understand the medicine sector. When you ask why they’re not building roads, you don’t understand the construction sector. When you ask why we keep humiliating ourselves so much for Bulgaria, you’re stupid, you don’t understand diplomacy. And you’re not European.
Even if you do understand those sectors, there’s no need for you to ask questions. Or make comments.
Whether they’re stealing in the name of patriotism or in the name of the EU, it’s all the same.
I can’t help but wonder why our authorities are that nervous if they’ve had so much success on our way to the EU?
Translated by Nikola Gjelincheski
