Booming failure and shame

Aleksandar Nikoloski
Vice President of VMRO-DPMNE

Dear readers of these lines, yesterday in Luxembourg was confirmed something we all already knew, actually something that was clear to some a lot earlier than it was to others – that Macedonia led by Zaev, Dimitrov, Osmani, Shekerinska and the rest of them will not get a date for kicking off accession talks with the EU in June this year. If they continue to do their jobs like this, or not work and just shine, as they themselves say, next June will soon come, and there will still be no date for accession talks.
So, keep in mind that we are talking about a date for starting off accession negotiations, not actual EU membership! Well, just how incapable one has to be, so the EU refuses to let the negotiating begin, for a membership that might happen sometime in the future. What kind of incompetence is that? It is defeating to witness it. They came to power with the help of great promises, criticizing the previous government that was partially justified, but what they are doing now is much worse. Well, as if any major European state would want to see you in the same company with them, when it sees that corruption is booming, the economy is failing, and the way you are trying to maintain power is utterly undemocratic, with the use of political pressures and a desire to throw your political opponents behind bars. Why would they want to see you in the same company, with such destroyed healthcare, in which it is known in advance who will win the tenders and in which state health is deliberately destroyed in order to increase the profit of the private clinics, in which people need to spend everything they own, and even take loans from banks. As if they would want to see you in the same company with them, when there’s drugs in the streets like never before, as if they would want to see you in the same company, when the economy is reduced to the popular saying – My brother and I, plus some of the cousins … And many others…
From this perspective, I can only say that my conscience is clear, through the many contacts I have in the European capitals, I have received information that things are not looking good for Macedonia. That, eve though there is no longer a dispute with Greece, whose solution is the most painful and most humiliating thing that could have happened to the Macedonian people, nevertheless, now there is a problem in the major European member states. There they are not satisfied with the situation in Macedonia and the manner in which Zaev’s government works. I came up with the most patriotic attitude towards the state and released all the information to the public in order to put pressure on the Government and do something about it.
So, I did not work against my country, as SDSM did for years, while it was the opposition with circular e-mails to everyone they could find literally every Friday. I decided to help with public appeals, something that is the only weapon of the opposition. Instead of accepting my appeals and doing something about it, all I got were denials and even offences that everything I said was “made-up” and “science fiction”, but my words have come true, as they did last year, but Zaev’s government, rather than learning something from them and throw themselves to work, they continue to ignore and lie to the public, so now here they are manipulating with July or October as if they were bargaining. Therefore, I will write it here so that is stays recorded – if they continue like this, there will be no talks in July nor October!
We, VMRO-DPMNE, want Macedonia to move forward, because it is beneficial to all citizens. Therefore, instead of using this situation for daily political points, we have publicly and wholeheartedly offered to form teams between VMRO-DPMNE and SDSM who will work on the reforms that the EU requires. Two weeks have passed since the proposal offered by the VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski – have you heard a response from SDSM? No! There isn’t one because they are drowning in arrogance and self-indulgence. Because they cannot do it on their own and don’t even want to, but still refuse help from others. So, I’m openly wondering – is it possible that SDSM and Zaev are fine with not getting a date for kicking off accession talks? Is it possible that they prefer not to be under the control of the EU? Because when negotiations begin, bid rigging will not go as easy, and the family in power and their businesses to keep flourishing.
I want to point out once again that the lack of a date for kicking off accession talks due to inefficiency and inability is a consequence of the biggest mistake of the Macedonian diplomacy, and that is putting Macedonia in the same group with Albania!
Last year, at the beginning of April, I informed the Macedonian public that there is an agreement between the government of  Zaev and Edi Rama, operationalized through Bujar Osmani and the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Ditmir Bushati, which aimed to create a Macedonia – Albania group. Part of the deal was to slow down the reforms so that Macedonia could get a date for negotiations in 2018 in the same package with Albania!
Macedonia, despite the fact that Zaev and Dimitrov decided to sign the humiliating Prespa Agreement, the country did not get a date and did not start negotiations in 2018! And it still has no date in June this year!
When I shared this discovery in April 2018, the Government replied yet again in the same style – that it was “science fiction”!
The quarrel between Stevo Pendarovski on one side and Edi Rama and Ditmir Bushati on the other only confirms how right I was a year and a half ago, and how true everything was. Pendarovski is the first one from Zaev’s power who indirectly had the courage to admit that the group formed between Macedonia and Albania drags the country down. When he said that, he received a sharp response from Rama and Bushati. It seems that my insights were not “science fiction” after all.

Because of Zaev and Osmani’s reckless politics, as well as for crime, corruption, economic decline, Macedonia has lost two years!
I’m not happy that I was right because no one can bring back these lost two years to all citizens of Macedonia.
We must not waste any more time! We should immediately make a plan for separating Macedonia from Albania and placing it in a group with Serbia and Montenegro that are far ahead of us and are already negotiating with the EU. Capable diplomacy with clear guidance from leadership can do this. VMRO-DPMNE is available to assist with all its expert potential and numerous contracts. We want to help for the well-being of Macedonia. But to be honest, I don’t believe that Dimitrov, Osmani, Shekerinska and Zaev know how to do this.
Therefore, resignations are the least they can do for the country.