by: XHABIR DERALLA
A black campaign can be led against various profiles of people – politicians, public figures, journalists, activists… It never starts without a reason, and there is always an organized structure behind it that starts and finances it, or assumes the “energy” from an existing discussion or altercation in the public and directs it to its own benefit. Such campaigns are usually disguised as patriotism, identity, concern for people’s health, environment, workers’ and other rights, more specifically, every topic with which they can aggravate and abuse emotions in people…
The methods are known and well-checked, developed in the propaganda kitchens of the East, ineptly but efficiently enough they adjust to the conditions and needs of the Macedonian political province. Their favourite food is the critical tones of experts and public opinion makers whose analyses, comments and opinions they seize, repackage and turn into their own munition against political opponents or those not like-minded, who they turn into a target for destroying and exterminating. Their political struggle does not entail a competition of arguments, views, knowledge and visions, but an attack by “shooting, hanging, burning, beheading, raping, crushing”, because they see treason, betrayal, espionage, conspiracy in everything…
Black propaganda successfully uses emotions of fear and the need for destruction, but it mostly plays on the feelings of disappointment, vanity and various frustrations and complexes. In their stores of lies, fears and hatred, there is something for everyone.
For rational people with a bit of political consciousness and human conscience, the destructive energy of black propaganda seems hideous and even frightening, but from the commotion it makes they often can’t even hear the original messages in the public communication. That is why people often give up, practically from every attempt of informing themselves, and even more from participating in decision-making processes or in creating public awareness on important topics in society. That leaves them powerless and passive, lethargic and indolent in regards to what is happening in their society.
But no matter how much they try, they can’t hide their real goal.
The purpose of the attacks of the creators of black propaganda with disinformation and hatred is to alter and distort the facts and to disparage the achievements or real challenges and opportunities in a society.
In the case of our country, creators of black propaganda have the aim of defending the regime installations from the legal responsibility for the crime and structural violence they carried out for 11 years and to eventually establish their anti-democratic, criminal and anti-Western regime again. To achieve that, they tirelessly belittle and denigrate the success of North Macedonia in several important areas: the country’s coming out of isolation and returning to the world map of successful democracies, NATO membership, EU approximation, restoring justice, freedom of expression, respect for human rights and freedoms and the concept “One society for all” …
To destroy those benefits, the anti-democratic centers of power need to discredit political leaders, civil society and intellectuals who enjoy reputation and trust both at the national and international level.
It’s easy to predict the attacks. Their timing and intensity coincide with periods important for the democratic processes in the country.
Several events and phases of vital processes are crucial this year, such as the census, local elections, fight against Covid-19 and the disastrous consequences to the public health and economy, the vaccination process, the Bulgarian-Macedonian relations (by themselves and in the context of the EU integrations), NATO, reforms in education, judicial reforms and fight against crime and corruption, the concept “One society for all” … Such an agenda would be difficult and complicated for big and powerful countries, not to mention for a poor country that had been captured and in isolation for 11 years.
Some of the “bosses” and “chiefs” have fled from justice (investigations and legally binding verdicts for serious crimes, violence, electoral fraud and corruption), but a great part of them are free and are located in strategic points in the system and in the media space. Anti-Western and ultranationalist installations in the country are exceptionally vital, well-organized and relatively successful. I say relatively, because some political figures who are most visible and loud exponents of those installations are extremely incompetent, hence the success of their campaigns are also not so great, but also not entirely invisible.
The result of the actions of these centers is a confused public through which an attempt is being made to reduce the support for the democratic and integration processes of the country. It has been written and said many times… The anti-democratic centers of power don’t have the purpose of convincing progressive forces in society that they are making a mistake in their convictions and determinations, but to enter as much as possible loud fuss into the public communication and to tire out those working for the good of society – for freedom, democracy, justice and equality – whether it be in politics, the media, academia, civil society or in business. For their propaganda it’s especially important to convince as many people as possible that they are all the same, both criminals and those who are fighting against crime. So those who are naïve will swallow the bait.
We were seeing this throughout the entire time of the regime, when the whole system was aimed against those not like-minded, with open abuse of public resources and institutions.
Now, when the regime is in the past, the institutions of the regime are forced to change the way they operate. They have entered the underground and use relatively new methods for undermining the democratic processes, though at first glance they are vulgar and obscene outbursts in the public and on the social networks.
However, behind this is a well-devised plan. The installations have hidden themselves in the institutions and in different “gray zones” of society, and have left only their propagandists on the surface and have strengthened them with money. Their plan is good, but isn’t just quite working out. They are experiencing defeats almost every day. Because, the Macedonian successes are their defeats. That equation has long been clear and obvious.
Nevertheless, there is big money, the machinery continues to work. And they are using the dissatisfaction of people and the shortcomings in the functioning of the system every day to manipulate people and to direct them against others. And then, in that confusion, poison of hatred, divisions and distrust is added.
*
No one said it was going to be easy and simple. Even if weren’t for the pandemic.
The Macedonian society can be compared to a patient suffering from a serious illness for 11 years. No matter how good the doctors are, no matter how successful the chosen therapy is, full recovery can’t be expected in four years. The therapy can’t be with warm drinks and cold patches. No matter how great the fear of pain is, the therapy has to be endured, even though it is long, intensive and painful. Treating a serious illness requires doctors to be wise, creative and courageous.
We have such doctors. The patient just has to understand that a little tea does not cure cancer.
