What did I tell you?

Erol Rizaov

I have been hearing the phrase “what did I tell you” for a whole week after the referendum, as an introduction to all the conversations on the most important topic in the country. A whole army of generals emerged after the battle, experts of all kinds who allegedly warned in time, but no one listened to them.
Legal analysts and defenders of the Constitution interpret each period and comma of the Prespa Agreement and boast on how right they were. Old and new discoverers of the injustices that have been inflicted on Macedonia, Greece and the great powers, from America and the EU are parading around. We read precise addresses on who made which mistake, or how dead or alive was the Agreement with Greece. There is already a horde of gravediggers and resurrectors of the dead. Lists of traitors with their names and surnames are being published on the pillar of shame on social networks. Everyone is calling on the people, all of them love Macedonia immensely, so strongly that they are starting to suffocate it.

My “consultations” with the citizens showed that 90 percent of them want to see Macedonia in the European family. Just as much, over 90 percent, are against the Agreement with Greece. Over 90 percent are against the name change. More than 90 percent are in favor of good relations with neighbors and with the great world powers. Over 90 percent are in favor of a stable and secure country. More than 90 percent are in favor of a better quality of life. More than 90 percent are in favor of a cleaner environment. More than 90 percent want rule of law, independent judiciary and an effective fight against corruption and crime. Over 90 percent are in favor of criminals ending up in prison. Over 90% are in favor of free media and a democratic society. Over 90 percent are in favor of better education and healthcare. More than 90% claim that in the past 27 years of independence, Macedonia has not met the expectations of citizens and did not justify its independence. Over 90 percent of citizens blame this failure on politicians who have managed the country in the past decades of independence. More than 90 percent of citizens are in favor of finding a solution according to the will of the people.

If this “consultation” with the citizens is true, can it be accomplished? Is there anyone who knows how this can be accomplished, if we have not succeeded in doing so in 27 years? We do not trust those who tell us the way and the conditions, and who want to help us get to the goal.
What do you think how many of these 90 percent lie when they claim what they want? How many of these 90 percent really want to be part of Europe? How many of these 90 percent understood which conditions should be met in order to achieve the centuries-old aspirations? How many of these 90 percent know that this is not possible if we do not accept some rules and compete in the world championship? Consultations with the citizens showed that in Macedonia, the goal that more than 90% of the citizens want is clear, but the way to get there is still unknown. Someone is stubbornly setting fake signs, so they pull one another back and forth. Everyone has strong arguments that it is best way because they don’t really distinguish what is ahead and what is back.

When someone asked French President Charles de Gaulle how difficult it is to be the head of France, De Gaulle said that it is difficult to manage a nation that has 400 kinds of cheese. When they asked Gjorge Ivanov, the President of Macedonia, where he sees the future of Macedonia, he said in Europe with NATO and EU membership. He also is among those 90 percent that re in favor of the European future of the country. Can you believe it? In favor of Europe, but also in favor of a dead deal, in favor of justice and law, but also in favor of amnesty for criminals who rob the people, in favor of democracy, but also in favor of disrupting justice. Itar Pejo from Valandovo now says that it is the government’s fault that consensus was not provided. And, imagine, he is right. We did not need a referendum without a consensus. The president demanded a consensus on the boycott. He was against EU integration, against the EU and against NATO. And now he demands responsibility from others for his crimes.

Is there a solution? Of course there is. Those who said they would sacrifice themselves for the country’s European future should do so. They have a historic justification for such steps. After they would all claim that they were in favor of Europe. After all, they are 90 percent.

One thing must be kept in mind by the Macedonian politicians if they fail to bring Macedonia into the EU and NATO it would be our fault, while the whole world supports us. That historic failure would be proof that multi-ethnic and multicultural societies are not possible in the Balkans. This knowledge, if it is found out too late, will be the beginning of the breakup of Macedonia. It will be a great success if the disappearance of Macedonia is without bloodshed. Who is to blame for the failure of the state will not matter at all, as it does not matter that larger countries that have fallen apart, which we witnessed. Only those who will save Macedonia will be remembered. So far, no member of NATO or the EU has dissolved. Be cautious.