Worthless Value
Gordana Popsimonova
Some time ago, the news portal “Kurir” published an article entitled “Democracy threatened in the country, no one protects national interests”. The first paragraph states that SDSM, led by Zoran Zaev, is carrying out political persecution against anyone who does not think like them, and the tip of the evidence that justifies this claim is: “Macedonia may be the only democratic country in the world where people who have protested to protect the constitutionality of the state are blamed and proclaimes as terrorists”. In support of their thesis, Kurir listed the detained artists: Igor Durlovski – opera singer, Vlado Jovanovski – actor, and for nebulous reasons, placed in their group is also Mitko Chavkov, former Minister of Police and Director of the Public Security Bureau in the time of the events of April 27.
It is uncommon for me to analyze articles from so-called “media” such as “Kurir”, but somehow it’s good to come up with a comparison of what represents value, as opposed to what should be the tools for protecting the same value. And that is why, “Kurir” and all the rest of them, you should read carefully what I have to tell you.
The term “value” is a philosophical category and refers to the accepted belief for something useful, nice, good and desirable, contrary to what is considered unwanted and unacceptable. Value is not a subjective attitude that binds to personal taste and personal discourse, but is a permanent disposition that binds with a variety of related attitudes and a set of behaviors, through which the so-called “System of values”.
If the Constitution is considered a “value” that has to be defended, is the violent intrusion into Parliament and the attempted murder of MPs who supposedly threaten the same Constitution, considered as righteous? According to “Kurir”, as well as according to Gruevski, Gjorchev and their other ‘brothers’ that protested before the Shutka Investigation Prison, it is. Regardless of the fact that the Constitution guarantees basic human rights, including the right to life, “Kurir” wanted to convince me that through violating the basic postulates of the Constitution, its protection is implemented.
To be honest, the term “Constitution of the State”, among other things, means a repertoire of values (rights), which we all agree on. If we do not agree, or we have a different value system, or someone has imposed a different value system on us, the Constitution provides for provisions that protect the durable values through appropriate measures. Usually collected in one thing called the “Criminal Law”. And the Criminal Law does not deal with creative inversions of the system of values, nor with their perverted variations, but with sanctions.
My point is that the portal “Kurir”, defending Gruevski’s policies and attacking the institutions of the state, is actually trying to devalue our values. And precisely on this counterpoint, the logical interpretations of value systems are fiercely colliding. For instance, if we treat Durlovski and his operatic talent as value of Macedonia, or Jovanovski and his acting quality, is their value a substitute for human life? In other words – whether a person with a recognized scientific, artistic, social or any other recognized value has the moral right to endanger another value that is generally accepted. For example, value such as life, justice, peace etc.
This issue is very significant to me because it depends on the answer to the essential dilemma that the whole nation faces today: Is Gruevism a value? If so, please let someone list all of its features or qualifications. So we’d know where we are, who we are, and whether we are at all.