1 I don’t realize why they still haven’t punished the teacher who registered the ninth grader Damjan Davkov for the math competition for high-school students. The teacher who recognized his student’s potential and encouraged him to apply for the competition should have already been suspended. In the end, it will turn out that it was a good thing that the Minister of Education Mila Carovska denied the financial prize to the primary-school student from Shtip, Damjan. Because, in his case they have found legal wrongs on the level of organized crime. The teacher is not the only culprit. The mother is also a wrongdoer for having encouraged her son to compete, and even went so far as to file complaints. The teachers organizing the competition are wrongdoers for having allowed the child to compete. The journalists are wrongdoers for chasing sensational news instead of focusing on the education reforms. It’s a whole chain of inciters of the criminal act. And the biggest wrongdoer is Damjan himself, because he’s too good at math and was better even than the high-school students, so – he won.
They did the kid a favor. He learned the life lesson for success in this country. The lesson is that your country isn’t the MPs, nor the ministers, nor the parties that appoint them, nor the prime ministers, nor the illiterate and politicized public administration. Your country is your parents, friends and all the familiar and unfamiliar people who are happy for your success. Because “it’s not about the money from the prize,”as Damjan’s mother says. It’s about acknowledging that success. About the motivation to be even better. And about the inspiration for others to be even better.
Why would Damjan stay in a country that’s not happy for his success? He’ll find another country which will be happy. Why would he fill himself with anger from such an early age? His case, like a million times before, has proved that institutionally, this country doesn’t want the successful. The institutions are hostile towards them. The system has crossed out that kid on his first competition in successfulness.
2 I didn’t want to get into the bizarreness of the stupidity that Damjan was denied the prize because he wasn’t a high-school student, and why the runner-up, who was a high-school student couldn’t receive the prize. However, I was annoyed by the party apologists who started defending minister Mila Carovska and the ministry that they had deprived Damjan of his reward because it was according to the law.
How come the one writing the response didn’t find the case weird? Before signing it, why didn’t the minister think – wait, let’s find a solution to support this kid. Mila isn’t really one of those who don’t get ideas. Or, she didn’t see what she was signing. They told her that it was according to the law and – she signed it.
Even if that was the case, if the minister was misled, if she didn’t know what she was signing and trusted the bureaucrats. I really want to know if someone from the administration will be punished for not using their head at work. In private companies those people are usually punished, they might even lose their job.
As for the rule “Everything is according to the law, boss,” I’m sure that while preparing the big tenders they stick so strictly to the law as they applied it to little Damjan. It’s the same with the employments in the public administration and so on.
3 Covid-19 vaccines will arrive at the end of this month. If not this month, then next. If not in the first quarter, then in the second quarter of the year.
The Health Minister Venko Filipche says the country hasn’t failed in the vaccines procurement. “We have one of the best-prepared systems,” he stated. The lists for vaccination have been made, the locations of the vaccination points have been determined, the freezers have been plugged in, and we’re still waiting for the shot with our rolled up sleeves and our bared upper arms. Everything is ready for the system to kick off. The only thing missing are the vaccines.
The reason why we’re behind with the start of the vaccination process isn’t because the government didn’t want to test the vaccine on us, as the minister Radmila Shekerinska said. What’s really going on is that the minister Filipche is creating a situation of suspense in order to build excitement. The longer we’d wait for the vaccines, the more we’d want them. We’d long for them.
4 What are we to think about the coveted European Union, when we see that their system is rusty? That they’re drowning themselves in their own bureaucracy, and even left their citizens without vaccines. And that the Covid crisis with all those closed borders, movement restrictions, fines and control at every step is exactly what was needed for the triumph of xenophobia, nationalism and the conspiracy theories against science. I’m afraid to think what kinds of regressive and repressive forces will be spawned. And that with the Covid situation, at their very home, the myth of a Europe built on the foundations of solidarity is dying out.
That’s why we shouldn’t be mad at the European Union. Although for us the disappointment with the EU is twofold. Because they’ve failed us twice. First, they promised us that the negotiation process for the membership would start without any conditions. They didn’t keep their promise. Then they promised us that they’d reserve some of their vaccines for us. They didn’t keep their promise. What should your relationship be like with someone who makes promises, but doesn’t keep them?
Besides, that European Union which we find a model for success has experienced a complete diplomatic fiasco in the Western Balkans. They got schooled by Serbia on how the immunization system should be done and Serbia defies them with four types of vaccines, Albania at least has the courage to protest and to complain out loud, and we can’t even cry privately in case they get mad at us, or feel offended. Let’s be frank, there isn’t much to complain about. We were sleeping at the wheel expecting Covax would get things done. As for our homework – we didn’t do it.
It’s all right, at least they won’t get mad at us if we take Chinese vaccines. That’s what Prime Minister Zaev said after consulting with our strategic partners and Washington. But, how come we didn’t ask if we’re allowed to take the Russian ones during the same conversation. Here’s the deal – either EU or death.
5 And since we are talking about our strategic partners, brothers, friends, good neighbours and God knows what other bootlicking phrases we’re using, let’s remind ourselves once again what is the main reason for our disappointment with the EU. Bulgaria’s attitude and the powerlessness of the other 26 member states to oppose that attitude.
We had already forgotten of the EU and the Bulgarian veto, when just like that, out of nowhere, they felt like reminding us. It was Goce Delchev’s 149th birthday. So, Bojko Borisov said that he hoped that we’d celebrate the 150th birthday together.
You may celebrate Goce where you want and as you want. Brothers and friends ought to be helped in trouble and sickness so they’d stay safe and sound. You don’t do that by celebrating birthdays of the ones already dead.
Translated by Nikola Gjelincheski
