Audi or Skoda, a question of integrity in Macedonian politics

Ana Pavlovska-Daneva

The fight against corruption in the public sector, primarily among politicians in the world, is not limited to prosecution of crime within their ranks, but increasing importance is given to the personal and professional integrity of the politician. Something that the Republic of North Macedonia is missing (with some exception), and the same was missing in the Republic of Macedonia as well.
Personal and professional integrity is a prevention, or even a guarantee, that there will be no corruption. The integrity of the politician is a concept, a personal concept of showing consistency in their values, principles, activities, expectations and results. Aristotle made a correct statement when he said that the rulers have power and will therefore be tempted to use that power for their own personal gain. Virtue or power to resist such temptation is integrity. Simply put, the integrity of a politician comes down to several features of his personality: honesty, humanity and responsibility. With these characteristics he should “rule over society”, be a model of citizens’ behavior. The integrity of the politician excludes all kinds of vanity and arrogance, but also of humility and servility.
And it’s not a coincidence that developed democracies, the integrity of politicians (and in general of all holders of public and state functions) are considered as serious tools in preventing corruption. Persons with such personal and professional characteristics are expected to:

– not steal from their voters with fictitious travel expenses;

– not destroy state land, green areas, protected goods due to favors for “friends” that will provide them with a secure future after the expiration of their term, and lacking the capacity to realize that such actions deprive their children and grandchildren of their future;
– not spend the money of their citizens for feeding their enormous vanity that no longer fits in a vehicle driven by the same ones they elected, those from which he emerged, but also needs space for accommodation as big as the car of the head of the neighboring country. Literally!
Several days have passed, and I still cannot believe that the citizens of Struga bought their mayor a car exactly the same way as the one Serbia’s President drove many years ago. If we understood this right, this caused great frustration for the mayor who then was in his first term, because at that time, when the Serbs were driving Audi, he as less important, powerful, potent (who knows what he was feeling?) drove an ordinary Opel! After a decade and a half, finally the moment came for that frustration to be cured, to be closed, to put those difficult times of humiliation of the citizens of Struga behind once and for all. Their dignity has finally been restored – their mayor drives an Audi!
If we consider the fact that the Mayor of Struga has been re-elected several times, and during those terms one cannot find elements from the abovementioned definitions of integrity, a new question about the philosophical science is posed: are we a society without integrity? If the majority of citizens grants political (public) functions to persons without integrity for years (because we can all agree that the Struga mayor is not an isolated case in the country), does that mean that we as citizens-voters do not have our own integrity?
This is an extremely pessimistic view of things, but I cannot the strength within me for an ounce of optimism in a situation where a man without any shame, but with a full bag of arrogance comes out to the public with “argumentation” which insults and degrades us all. An explanation for a decision for public procurement of great value that reads: with an Audi brand, those 400 kilometers from Struga to Skopje and back (as if the mayors around the country must be in the capital every day) will be driven faster than with a vehicle of the Skoda brand!?
Did the mayor forget about the speed limit established by law? Or have we stooped this low and publicly admit that this doesn’t apply to officials (with Audis)? Didn’t any of the councilors or the employees of the Struga municipality think that if you hit the road a little earlier, you can get to Skopje on time with an “ordinary” Skoda? Hasn’t it come to anyone’s mind that if sometimes they said no to “the working lunch” after meetings, there will be no need to hurry back and they wouldn’t have to buy Audi cars?
Well, if someone points out all these things and many more to the mayor (and not only him, of course), when the party (and not only his) distances itself from such actions and never again nominate such a person for any kind of position, when citizens (including party members) say “no” to such proposals in the elections, it is then, and only then will there be hope, optimism (but founded) will prevail, then we can talk about professional and personal integrity in primary schools, and in the institutions it will be visible and applicable. And then citizens will believe in the institutions of the system, and emigrated minds may also return to us to upgrade and perfect that system.

For this to happen, we all need to start from the fact that the comparison criteria between Skoda and Audi are (or should be) one when we select a private vehicle with private money, and others when we choose an official vehicle with someone else’s money. And let’s continue with the fact that we should not compare ourselves to anyone, and when we look do around, let’s not just see what’s in front of our noses where the president of the neighboring country drives a bigger car than mine, but to reach far beyond and see those presidents and mayors whose means of transport are bicycles or public transportation that don’t wear tight suits (which for this mayor of ours automatically means wearing rags), yet are richer than those officials with expensive vehicles. Both in personal integrity and in the budget of their municipalities/cities/countries.