1 You have to admire the enthusiasm of the people in this country who say: “Report it to the inspectorate, call the police, take it to court…” I’m baffled by the way their minds work when I hear them say: “That can’t be allowed, we have institutions for that, they’ll act…” And I envy their optimism when they believe that if they have a problem, it will be resolved by some inspectorate, the Municipality, a ministry, the courts.

The latest example, the most recent among hundreds previously reported by the media, is the long-running usurpation of the Kameni Kukli[1] natural site in the village of Kuklica, near Kratovo. The site is a protected natural monument, but a father and daughter have been privately managing it and charging tourists entrance fees. The daughter is the lead candidate on a councillor list for the municipal council. Together with her father, she established an environmental NGO and applied for projects. They even received EU funding. When they saw they were doing well, they came up with their best project – they built a little booth and a barrier gate for collecting tickets. If someone refuses to pay, we’ll set the dogs on them.

The Municipality of Kratovo was apparently scared of the dogs as well, so four years ago it sued the councillor’s family for usurping state property. The court is still taking its time deciding whether the state should be allowed to enter its own land, since there is no final and binding ruling yet. Meanwhile, several complaints have been filed against the family of tourism entrepreneurs with the Public Revenue Office and the State Market Inspectorate because they charge tickets illegally and don’t declare that income. They simply charged whatever amount suited them. There’s even a misdemeanour order against the councillor in the municipality for harassing visitors who refused to pay unless they were issued a fiscal receipt.

It’s as if we’re talking about two countries. As if the Municipality were in one country and the court in another. As if the Municipality were in one country and the Public Revenue Office were in another. As if the Municipality were in one country and the Market Inspectorate in another. One country is ranked third, fifth in economic growth, reformed and neatly arranged according to every EU standard, and the other country – not quite. Choking on its own rubbish, where order is imposed by party dogs growling and scaring citizens.

Oh, if only it were just Kuklica. And if only it were just about illegally charging entrance fees. Every day we watch various institutions and officials shift responsibility and declare themselves not responsible. That, combined with getting lost in complicated and slow legal procedures, only testifies to the dysfunction of both local and state institutions.

Fortunately, in some paradoxical way, there are still citizens who believe that there is a state in this country capable of protecting their interests.

2 I don’t know where Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski found his optimism after being the only leader from the Western Balkans to hold bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Merz and French President Macron at the Summit in Tivat, Montenegro. As far as the EU is concerned, there’s no room for optimism. We’ll be dealing with the consequences of the Bulgarian veto for a long time.

With a war in Iran already triggering a major economic crisis throughout the world and a war in Ukraine that’s been destabilising all of Europe for four years, nobody’s going to concern themselves with the frustrations of Macedonia and Bulgaria. Everything Mickoski says every day on the topic of the EU and Bulgaria is intended only for a domestic audience. For the purposes of the new elections. Nothing new. Been there, done that.

The government can’t solve the problem posed by a single café that’s been harassing thousands of residents in the centre of the capital, yet it’s going to stand up to Bulgaria, which has been harassing the entire Macedonian nation, and it’s going to change the negotiating framework with 26 other EU member states.

The trouble is, it doesn’t begin and end with this government. Governments have come and gone, yet the problems caused by local overlords remain unresolved.

The servility of politicians towards bullies is fascinating. That’s what you get when a reservation for a table by the stage matters more to them than the interests of the citizens who elected them. They’re not even ashamed to pose for photographs and post them on Facebook.

There should be nightclubs. There should be nightlife. There should be sports grounds. There should be cafés. There should be outside seating areas. There should be open-air concerts. There should be designated smoking areas. There should be barbecue chimneys. There should be everything.

But that’s precisely why we have institutions, both local and state. Their job is to regulate all of this in a way that allows everyone to coexist. We shouldn’t be afraid when we ask the state for protection. That’s why we elect the government. So that they enforce the rules they themselves have adopted. Not so that the law of the strongest prevails.

After all, that’s why we have a state. Otherwise, we’d be fighting in the streets.

3 I’m just afraid that tomorrow, when it’s time to vote, the parties will wear us down once more and deceive us yet again. We’ll once more forget that, for those we elect, VIP tables and all the small, and perhaps not-so-small, privileges that come with them matter more than our peace and security. They shamelessly celebrate their election victories at the same tables. They pay their bills themselves, don’t they?

Just as the commission paid by the agency that sent a defective bus on a school trip matters more than the safety of our children.

This is a frightening civic apathy. It becomes even more frightening when put into perspective that in three months’ time we’ll be celebrating the 35^th anniversary of our independence.

Speaking of bullying, respect for the law, traffic safety, cooperation between institutions, local and central government, peace between coalition partners, EU standards, may I ask a question without anyone taking offence: What progress has been made on closing the illegal pedestrian crossing at Bit Pazar?

As for illegal buildings, I stopped asking about those a long time ago.

Translated by Nikola Gjelincheski

[1] Translator’s note: Kameni Kukli (literally, “Stone Dolls”) is a protected geological site near Kratovo, consisting of more than 120 naturally formed stone pillars.