FLOATING TOWARDS UNCERTAINTY

AIM, Skopje, March 7, 1995

The tragic events in Tetovo reflect what has long since ceased to be the problem of higher education of the Albanians in Macedonia, but rather, whether the state institutions and political factors in this state have the power to offer the population such a concept of the future which will be acceptable for all those living in this region. Till now, Macedonia could adjust its political moves and hide behind "the Balkan fog", but that credit has been used up; today it definitely has to face the fact that all the political games regarding inter-ethnic relations are over and that the time has come to tell the great truth - whether the civil concept of a multinational, multiconfessional and multicultural environment or of a one-nation state will prevail.

Unless this issue is clarified, Macedonia's future can only be a matter of "temporary arrangements" which can tire the population and impose on it a life of "one-day actions and memories". Let us clarify this! All the political parties acting within or without Parliament agree that this young and small state will confirm the "justifiability" of its existence by its own ability to be "tolerable" for all the national groups living in it. And all this at the time when the two largest national groups - the Macedonians and the Albanians - act as two hills which are drifting farther and farther apart, while the number of "bridge builders" who can erect any kind of a connecting construction between them, is decreasing.

Indeed, increasing is the number of Macedonians who think that it is impossible to live with the Albanians in the same state, as well as the number of Albanians who can "with valid arguments" prove that all state institutions primarily care for the Macedonians, reducing all the others to "subtenants". The well known Balkan story: the "master" of the house and the "guest" whose "house" is somewhere else. The story which has already given its "results" in Bosnia and Croatia. The story from which, it seems, the Macedonian political establishment has learned nothing. In between these two irrealistic reasonings lies the truth that Macedonia's neighbours are also keeping their ears to the ground so as to find out what is going on inside and who are, depending on the "tones" coming from it, preparing their strategy.

Local political rumour has it that such a state of uncertainty has been, perhaps, intentionally imposed so that Macedonia as a state, would "die silently" from within. To make the citizens "see for themselves" that "democratic relations" are powerless to resolve all the problems the country is faced with, and to renounce Macedonia's statehood themselves. Such a scenario is not totally improbable, particularly if it is known that the intention is to preserve social peace by means of inter-ethnic unrest, that inter-ethnic tensions are even being insisted on in order to close the hungry mouths which are daily growing in number. Making the Macedonians "see" that they cannot oppose the "aggressive" Albanians on their own, is the first step towards the implementation of this concept. Such inter-ethnic tensions help those who are, through privatization, plundering what was till yesterday "the workers' wealth".

Thus, Macedonia is currently a "captured city" into which "two Trojan horses" have been brought, as Vladimir Milcin says in his editorial for the party paper of the SDSM

• Demokratija. One for the Macedonians, one for the Albanians. All this so that they would not be able to leave the "city" and to hush up the voice of those who want to tell what is bothering both sides. For mutual fear to be total so that a "saviour" might arrive. Major upheavals are expected these days within the ranks of the most influential party - the SDSM, which pulls the strings of rule over Macedonia. There are speculations that there will be a big clash between the "Serbophile" stream within this party and the "nation-builders".

The quarrel has started. However, it is still being concealed from the public. Some analysts say that the positions of young Branko Crvenkovski have been shaken by the "Serbophile" fraction of Tito Petkovski (vice-president of the Macedonian Assembly). Hence, that the stream of Macedonians wishing to return to the embrace of the "older and more powerful brother" - Serbia, has strenghtened. Everyone is now awaiting the "grand finale", the congress of this party. They are awaiting the opinion of the "father" of this party and nation, President Kiro Gligorov. It is difficult to claim to which extent these speculations are true. What is known is the fact that all quarrels in the political parties of a nationalistic Macedonian hue - start on the subject of the Albanians.

In the case of the Albanian parties, everything is uncertain. They still do not participate in the work of the republican parliament, and rarely issue press releases. After the events in Tetovo, PDP leader, Abdurahman Aliti, is being attacked by the Albanian maximalists. A reasonable politician who is it seems most hindered by those who should keep their promises: the institutions of the government. He has been left in no man's land: accused by his own people for giving in, while the government in which ministers from his party participate, sends the police to pull down the facilities in which the Albanians wish to open a university in their mother tongue.

Nova Makedonija has published the speculation that he visited Tirana secretly a few days ago. And when Tirana is in question, the Macedonian public is vigilantly following the "winds" blowing from that side of the border. And they are colder and colder. In short, the "political sky" of Macedonia this spring will be covered by a thick fog and it is highly disputable whether anyone will enjoy the local sun. The public is waiting for answers to many questions. And the politicians are currently silent as never before. As if they had suddenly realized that the big moment was approaching when they will have to give concrete answers to everything they hid so far behind the "Balkan haze", and frighten the people with "imminent war".

It seems that the people have "overcome" this fear and now want the helmsmen to inform them of the "route" of the ship in which all the passengers will share the same destiny. For in Macedonia, the "dialogue" between the authorities and the Albanians frequently evolves with the mediation of a cordon of policemen and barrage fire and where some Albanians are killed, always under unclarified conditions. When we add to this the slogans and symbols which have remained on the walls of houses in Tetovo after the police withdrew (the "graffiti" written and drawn by the policemen themselves - crosses and four letters "S") it is clear to everyone that some behind the scene games are being played in Macedonia.

The spring sun will make everything clear, because the time for hiding is up. Everyone in Macedonia is aware of that, most of all the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia (the party holding all the strings of power) in whose ranks major reshufflement is in course. It is on it that the destiny of Macedonia will fully depend. And its destiny will be such as merited by all those living in it. Irrespective of how many American soldiers will in the future keep its peace and order.

KIM MEHMETI