A friend recently emailed me from Macedonia and said “we are witnessing a fully-fledged mafia state being endorsed for EU membership by some of the leading democracies on the planet.”
I groaned. I couldn’t be bothered. I was on the road, visiting Istanbul at the time and I didn’t have time for this. I’m fed up with stories of corrupt Balkan countries and surely this has already been covered by the international media?
You would be forgiven for not knowing where Macedonia is. It is one of the newest, smallest and most obscure countries in Europe and, from the perspective of a busy news editor, is probably irrelevant. Once a “republic” of Yugoslavia, Macedonia declared independence in the early 1990s and managed to avoid getting invaded by the Serbs. It is located between Serbia, Kosovo, Greece, Bulgaria and Albania – and the capital city is called Skopje (pronounced “skop-yeah”). I visited Skopje in 1999, during the Kosovo crisis, and thought it was a dump.
My friend wouldn’t leave me in peace. He insisted that I “get the word out” via the Huffington Post and told me the mainstream international media don’t give a damn. As I read his email and researched the story online I realised that political corruption in Macedonia is a hundred times worse than it is in Romania, the country I’m currently based in. How can a “mafia state” about to be granted EU membership?
Reuters published a news story on 6 March which stated that “Macedonia’s opposition leader released a fresh batch of wire-taps on Friday that he said proved the government rigged elections, pursuing a surveillance scandal that has rocked the Balkan country since January.”
The only mainstream British paper which seems to have covered the story is the Financial Times, which described how the Macedonian government (allegedly) carried out a massive phone tapping campaign over six years and then blamed it on the opposition party and foreign intelligence agencies. The FT said the incumbent Prime Minister, who has been in power for 9 years, is accused of “one of the worst election scandals in Europe in recent memory.”
Why is the international media not covering this story?
I can’t answer this question as I’m not plugged into media or diplomatic circles and I’m not in Macedonia (and not sure if they’d let me in after seeing this) but I can share some of the email that my old friend sent me:
“I would like to remain anonymous because I fear that I would quickly lose my business. The situation has been dire for quite a few years now.
The main opposition party have published evidence of the government’s mass wire-tapping policy along with leaked conversations of government Ministers discussing massive election fraud.
Since coming to power in 2006, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has led a campaign of ultra-nationalism and squandered the national budget on a ‘national culture’ plan. Unfortunately, the private sector has had to pay for this nationalistic madness through heavy fines from questionable inspections.
The tax inspectors arrive with pre-written decisions even though the correct legal process is that inspectors must first present their findings to an internal commission. Bypassing the commission and any due process points to a policy of revenue generation rather than standards enforcement. Fines start at €3,000 for small infractions, such as a sign not being in cyrillic, and increase substantially for larger matters.
Macedonia promotes itself as the best destination for foreign investment with taxes of just 10%. Having invested in a company there I would argue that the taxes, including random fines, are closer to 40%.
Up until 2010 business people and foreign diplomats were glad to share their opinions in the media but this is no longer the case. The government has spent years acquiring or closing all media outlets and only those praising the ruling party are allowed to broadcast or publish.
In Macedonia the critics are silenced, opponents are imprisoned, the budget is empty and ethnic tensions are reaching boiling point. What has led to this disaster?
The centrepiece of the Prime Minister’s policy is a so-called ‘cultural’ project called ‘Skopje 2014’. As much as 5% of Macedonia’s state budget – an estimated €300 million so far – has been allocated to this absurd project to build statues and monuments and reinforce Macedonia’s claim to exclusive ownership of Alexander the Great’s legacy. Even the current Minister of Finance said it was mad.
To put this into context, the average monthly salary of Macedonia’s two million citizens is one of the lowest in Europe, at less than €525.
This begs the question: if the constitution has been breached, the elections rigged and the national statistics (allegedly) falsified why does the European Union not suspend its dealings with the country?
And considering the disastrous state of public services – and that the public administration is bloated, bankrupt and unaccountable – should the IMF (International Monetary Fund) keep paying off Macedonia’s national debt? ”
Photo credit: http://theprotocity.com/brand-old-skopje/
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EU membership will NOT happen. Juncker has already stated no enlargement will come in the next 5 years, and I think that for Macedonia, Kosovo and the like no sane mind can believe that it will come in the next 100 years.
ALL governments and their citizens are corrupt – just to a different degree. It takes much more to corrupt a Scandinavian or a German, than, say, a southern European. It has to do, primarily with economic status, and second, I think, with history and genetics – nurture and nature (they influence each other). Also, it has a lot to do with a tribal preservation of cultural and religious identity – us versus them (I have an anthropological theory about it, but that’s a whole other story).
There must be a reason we heard about the economic turmoil in (excuse my offensive pun) the “PIGS” – Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain, with Greece being the “first prize winner”, lately.
As to the republic of Macedonia, the nasty and agressive reader just confirms my theory of “us vs them”. He got very offended by the article – because truth hurts. His best defense was to attack the British historical past, which is also true. This does not help justify present corruption – in Macedonia or anywhere else.
If we really want to improve our lives, we have to start by acknowledging and accepting reality, and try to find a solution for the future without blaming the past, but rather learning from it, and not repeating the same mistakes.
Everbody, these days, wants to be politically independent. They all want their own separate country, with their own government. I say let them have it – because – they will not be politically independent until they are economically independent.
And economic independence is attained by uncorrupt deals between governments, between private companies, by a functioning, uncorrupt, judiciary and financial system, good economic laws in place, businesses and private citizens that pay their REAL share of taxes and, above all, by very hard work.
And people in the Mediterranean basin would rather entertain and socialize than sweat bullets working. I know this first hand. I lived in Greece for two years and I live in New York for twenty-six years.
I have been looked down upon by Eastern Europeans, because “All you do in America is work, you guys don’t know how to live life. By the way, can I borrow a hundred Dollars from you?”
I realized it all was a façade bravery. I could sense the envy and frustration behind those words.
That was my moment of Epiphany. That was when I started to change my system of thinking.
Some my not agree with my opinions, so, I would gladly listen to counterarguments.
Just remember, nobody holds the truth 100%
Rupert ( or thing this way: i dont like your name and you insisst to be in my frends list,but because i dont like your name i say to you – change your name to Stuperd and i will add you to my frend list?!? ——– are you gona accept? ??) your story is complete sranje ☺ , you wrote this when you got letter from someone who is obviously mentally retarded, because if you just surf a litlle and make comparation from how it was before 10 years and how it is now , you will see the difference. But you go with story and trust you frend without checking at all. What if your frend in meantime has go to nervous brbreakdown, and now he is complete out of reality, you gonna trust him? and what is much worse , you gonna publish a story on his saying? If that is yes/yes then your credibility like a journalist is none. Because tomorrow you gonna trust in someone who committed crime, or to pedofil , or … You got my point. I hope you do.
Have a nice day Stuperd.
You’re an asshole who’s lost his love in Macedonia. My country is not garbage or trash, come be my guest i will show you the all beauty of my country.Your are frustrated because GB is caught in wire – tapping to create problems to destabilize the political system.My country its not mafia state, please you now that its not like that they presented.Your country is involved in many massacres around the world, you are not stupid you now that this story for Macedonia is not true.Please don’t make picture for your self that Darwin’s theory is reverse. Wolfe = you see even you middle or nick name is frustrated, Wolf its OK.Sorry but you letter frustrated me too.
@Ace The first paragraph doesn’t say that; neither does the second. The third paragraph says that THE READER would be forgiven for not knowing where Macedonia (or FYROM) is, and the author tells them (the readers) exactly where it is. Read the text before you comment on it.
The message of this article is that if the EU is happy to let a country which is rife with corruption and not very good at democracy in, there must be some set of reasons which are not easily visible or understandable by the general public. Or even by some of the news editors…
I have been to a few places in Macedonia, including Skopje about 11-12 years ago and the picture was already shabby, but there was hope. I guess there is less hope now, other than maybe access to the European job market if the EU membership happens…
Rupert
First paragraph states you do not even know where this beautiful country is but neverthe less you are brave enough to spread such harsh and not verified statements offending one nation.
Not worth reading:( Rubish