There is not a single reason, or excuse for the tolerance threshold towards the nationalist hysteria and extremism to constantly rise. It’s the same as tolerating, or even legalizing crime. If the number of pedophiles rises, tolerance towards them won’t rise as well. The same goes for extreme nationalism. They are forbidden by law and have to be sanctioned. It may not be easy, but there is nothing simpler than that.
Gruevski and the Family fostered extremism, and now Ivanov has become his most outstanding promoter, the usurper of the presidential function and a figure who is desperately trying to prove that his nickname Ficus is not entirely correct. And he succeeds among people who are misled or paid to harm Macedonia’s accelerating progress. The government claims that their number is small, and that their profile is already well known. If this really is true, the lack of an appropriate response from the institutions, the society and the public is disturbing. There is confusion in the country, extreme gangs are raging, while the scandals have become (remained) our everyday lives. The Government has to explain this chaos.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev says that he will resign if there are more people who will vote AGAINST the Referendum than those who will vote FOR. That is unacceptable thinking. The referendum is for the citizens, reply to a question that concerns the fate of Macedonia, and is not an electoral question. The voters will answer whether they want Zoran Zaev and his party to be in power or not at elections, not at this Referendum, regardless of how much that voting is an indicator of his popularity.
The success or failure of the Referendum also depends on how much the institutions and the state will ensure democratic and fair conditions for unhindered running of the process. It’s not difficult to understand that the fear and non-functioning of the institutions can be destructive for the election processes. The freedom of the voters is already threatened with the black campaign and the violence that has taken place, but also with the extremely problematic Voters Register, with the SEC, which is a cat in the bag, and with the lack of rule of law. The system doesn’t have an advisory function, but rather it has to function consistently and entirely. No matter how ridiculous it may be, it seems as if though the politicians have a problem realizing that the red light on the traffic lights means stop, and not “you can stop, and you can also not stop”.
The institutions are weak, and they have been additionally devastated following all the political compromises that SDSM has made with Mickoski and the gang. Despite all the insidious political tricks, all the blackmail and violation of agreements, a political dialogue was insisted, but only according to VMRO-DPMNE’s caprices, outside of the institutions, sometimes behind closed doors, and sometimes behind half-closed doors. The consequences are visible and elaborated in countless analyses, columns and statuses on the social networks. We need to remember: pliancy and tolerance are two different things.
Minister Spasovski (MOI) is called on to act, but he is not the only one. The system cannot depend solely on political action, otherwise we will return to the time of the criminal rule, “MVRO”, “we are lunatics”…Is there a need to explain more than this?
Prime Minister Zaev called for resignation of the director and program council of MRT. Before he makes that call, maybe it’s better for him to answer the question how is it that MRT managed to remain for so long the same Bastille of the darkest time for Macedonia.
Prime Minister Zaev also complained to the public that the incident at Meckin Kamen was caused by the same people that attacked the statehood and lives of the MPs and journalists on April 27, 2017. It is extremely unacceptable that the system allowed that too. Maybe we could have gotten over MRT with the usual cynicism and mockery that has been accompanying this house for decades, but to leave room for action of known extreme violators is unimaginable. If we want the referendum to truly reflect the will of the Macedonian citizens, the rule of law has to rule, and not political bargaining, blackmail and agreements that are not respected.
People can have strong emotions, and even be nationalists, they can hate their fellow citizens or neighbors, can be afraid of Martians…They may not want to vote at the Referendum or want to vote against, we can dispute or approve all of that, debate or even argue. However, it is unacceptable for the judiciary to remain passive when someone is violating the Criminal Code every day on many grounds. Violating the Constitution, endangering the order, violence, extremism, spreading ethnic and religious hatred, and quite likely espionage as well…Is this not enough?
Nationalists and fascists have gained absolute advantage. The celebration of the great Ilinden holiday showed that the target is not only the Referendum, but also the foundations of Macedonia, no matter how much one wants to portray something else.
We couldn’t expect anything else from Ivanov, except to once again show that he is an extremist who pathologically enjoys his role. We cannot find another excuse for him, legal measures are needed for him. Just like for all the other criminals, of course.
As things are now, the entire normal world (and even the nationalists) are left at the mercy of criminals, JUST like before.
Translated by: Natasha Cvetkovska
