NEWS OF THE DAY: Spasovski calls for zero tolerance for hate speech
At today’s press conference, technical Prime Minister Oliver Spasovski, apart from the call for personal and professional responsibility as contribution for the state’s progress, which should be a guarantee that it is in safe hands, also spoke about the presence of hate speech.
“All efforts should be made to maintain the continuity and affirmation of the values that are an essential contribution to intercultural understanding and cooperation. Our primary concern is to respect the mutual values that mark the ethnic, national and religious identity… These values should be indicators on the path to achieving the society equal for all, and on that path there is no room for spreading hatred. What we need is comprehensive action for recognizing and eliminating hate speech. All political parties, every citizen of ours, all social institutions, we must all give joint contribution against hate speech and unite in the widely accepted social consensus: Zero tolerance for hate speech and nothing less”, stressed Spasovski.
This statement of Spasovski comes after the hate speech attack against several journalists and Mayor Jancev, which also coincided with the establishment of the technical government with technical ministers from VMRO-DPMNE, after which the hate speech, already present on the social networks and in the media, additionally strengthened.
Spasovski put the warning of zero tolerance towards hate speech in the context of the early parliamentary election on April 12.
“I expect professional cooperation between the Government and the Parliament, and especially with the State Election Commission, the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, domestic and international observers, as well as with all bodies that have a role in the organization and implementation of the elections. With the organization of the local elections in 2017, the referendum in 2018 and the presidential elections in 2019, we set standards that must not be disrupted and which will also be a guide in the organization of the elections scheduled for April 12 this year”, stated Spasovski.
Xhabir Deralla: Those structures are now part of the government – technical. The one that is supposed to provide conditions for free, fair and democratic elections. There’s nothing further to comment.
STATEMENT OF THE DAY: The SEC is not in charge to decide on Chulev’s demand
POLITICALLY OKAY CORRAL
The request for an opinion of the State Election Commission from Minister of Interior Nakje Chulev, in relation to the disagreement for Risto Stavrevski to be appointed Head of SIA Skopje, has received a conclusion: the SEC is not in charge of giving an opinion. At today’s public session of the SEC, they were decisive that apart from them not having competence in regards to this issue according to the Law on the Government, the decision itself is not bound by two signatures, Chulev’s and of the additional Deputy Minister of Interior, Slavjanka Petrovska.
In the meanwhile, the “Monster” case has been left without jurors and returns, just formally, to the beginning. Regarding “news” in the judiciary, the “Monster” case continues on February 3, with 50 new witnesses according to announcements by lawyers of the defendants. Monster is formally returning from the beginning, due to a submitted resignation of a judge – juror and the expiration of the mandate of another judge – juror.
From today’s hearing on the murder of the five people near the Smilkovsko Lake, the proposal of the prosecutors can be singled out, for SDSM leader Zoran Zaev, whistle-blower Zvonko Kostovski, Zoran Trajkovski (a person figuring in the SPO evidence) and former Director of the BPS, Ljupco Todorovski – Worker to be called on as additional witnesses. The families of those damaged also proposed Sinisa Aleksovski as a witness, who is a long-time security associate of former President Gjorge Ivanov.
There are also “news” on the “TNT” case, the trial of which continues tomorrow. At today’s hearing, defendant Toni Trajkovski again did not appear. This is the second time that defendant Toni Trajkovski has not appeared, after, due to lack of proper summons, he did not appear at the hearing yesterday.
Following the Law on Cancelation of Lustration, which entered parliamentary procedure and incited arguments among the MPs, today a decision was made at a parliamentary session for several legislative solutions to be considered in a shortened procedure. The MPs decided unanimously to pass the Draft Law on amending and supplementing the Law on Assembly, the Draft Law on Strategic Investments, while the laws on amending the Law on Protection of Cultural heritage, and on amending and supplementing the Law on Defence, both submitted by opposition MPs, were not accepted to be adopted in a shortened procedure.
Returning to the lustration, MP Vlatko Gjorcev boasted on the social networks that the Law had successfully been prevented with which during the time of VMRO-DPMNE, in the period 2008 to 2015, precisely the critics of their regime suffered.
Specifically, regarding the elections, “freeing from DUI’s 18-year one party rule”, as Dr Arben Taravari said from the Alliance for Albanians , will be facilitated by a newly-formed coalition in the Albanian bloc. There are still talks on forming a coalition, but the Alliance for Albanians, BESA and Alternative, are a step away from taking DUI down.
“How can we speak of progress and changes for the better, when we have been living for 18 years in a one-party system, in which corruption, settling of scores, calculations and revanchism have been the main ‘trump cards’ available?” – stated Taravari.
NOT LESS IMPORTANT:
This news confirmed by the MOI, comes consecutively as a response to the several reports of individuals, but also of institutions, against Emil Jakimovski. Yesterday, the Central Registry dismissed him due to abuse of sick leave and damage to the reputation of the institution, but also because of threats to employees.
CIVIL NEWS
National-chauvinists with hate speech against Xhabir Deralla – A school example of the functioning of vmro’s national-chauvinist bot machinery is the latest case of attacks on CIVIL’s President, Xhabir Deralla. He is under fierce attacks of the bot machinery on Twitter.
FROM OUR ANGLE
What’s Zaev doing in Tsargrad? – Probably looking for some way to “close” yet another open issue for Macedonia, over which decades of successful political careers in resolving it have been lost, considers Saso Ordanoski, explaining yesterday’s question from VMRO-DPMNE “in which capacity Zaev participated in the meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in the seat of the Tsargrad Patriarchate in Istanbul?”. To emphasize once again: he was in the capacity of a politician who solves problems. And in terms of the current lustration, Zoran Ivanov, from a corner, says: The lustration is dead and the deceased is alive. Why? Well, probably because we need a new initiative for a deep and thorough review of recent lustration solutions and vetting in the judiciary, and afterwards a revision of all lustrations conducted under circumstances of a single regime.
From a legal point of view, Mirjana Najcevska, asks the question who is more dissolved, the MPs or the Parliament? Where, she asks, in the Constitution, Parliament Rules of Procedure or the Law on Assembly, is it mentioned that the announcement of elections or dissolving the Parliament is a reason because of which an MP loses or has their term revoked?
“The young man would like to tell the sadist (N.G asylum seeker in Budapest, notes of the diary keeper) something about the screed of lies: Canovski has not ‘come to a situation’ now to be asking for 40 million for damages that we will need to pay. Strasbourg does not judge by Swarovski principles. We will pay the damage because of your sadism and desire to revenge on those who don’t think like you”, or an express, afternoon conclusion by Petrit Saracini: : In Budapest too it flows through the pants, doesn’t it?
At the end, from our angle, Mersiha Smailovic raised the issue of anti-Semitism, which was raised with her post on Facebook addressed to Technical Minister of Labor and Social Policy Rashela Mizrahi. Or “When all the fuss calms down”: The Bosniaks, like the Jews, often throughout history have been on the verge of extinction. And in such difficult moments, where they coexisted, they helped each other, counting saved lives on both sides. Even at the threat of their own life, they saved the Jewish holy book of Haggadah. Once during World War II, and the second time during the aggression against Bosnia and Hercegovina in 1992, concludes Smailovic.
Biljana Jordanovska
In cooperation with Diana Tahiri, Dehran Muratov, Maja Ivanovska, Xhabir Deralla, saso Ordanoski, Zoran Ivanov, Petrit Saracini, Mirjana Najcevska and Mersiha Smailovic
Translation: Natasa Cvetkovska
