On being proud again
Among the 6.1 million words that Winston Churchill wrote in over 40 books is this truism:
“…people forget sufferings, but not humiliations….”
It’s difficult to be encouraged, to be motivated, to be excited about your future – let alone each morning when you wake up – if you feel humiliated and believe you have been deliberately humiliated by others. That is simply human nature. Your psychological mindset – as an individual or as an entire people – can profoundly affect, in both positive and negative ways, your ability to go forward and simply do and if you feel constantly humiliated, well, it’s just difficult to get up and go.
In being with Macedonia and Macedonians over the past almost three decades, I have observed the sufferings and the humiliations of Macedonia. True to Churchill’s statement, you have forgotten – or at least you have chosen not to dwell on – many of the sufferings. But the humiliations keep coming.
In addition to the humiliations poured on thick on Macedonians by Greece and now Bulgaria, there are those delivered by the Macedonian government under the now-departing SDSM and their craven caving to their ostensibly junior partner, DUI, and not only with relation to Macedonia’s name and identity. This includes the practical take-over of much of Macedonia’s government over the last nearly seven years by DUI which allowed for rampant corruption in the government and crime on the streets.
And then there are the humiliations delivered by the EU. Macedonia has been a candidate since 2005 and yet, time and again, Macedonians have been told, in similar phrases, “You must agree to things that no other candidate country has been told to do in order to join our club.” It’s no wonder that trust in the EU as an institution is rapidly declining.
Today, however, is a new day. Macedonians have not forgotten their humiliations over the past 33 years and today, are raising their voices and reasserting their identity and name. “Macedonia Proud Again,” is not just the slogan of the new president and incoming government. It’s a state of mind designed to actually deliver a bit of pride – rightly understood – in what it is and what it means to be Macedonian.
Granted, Greece, Bulgaria, the EU and the US State Department will continue to tell you that if government leaders insist on saying the word “Macedonia” by itself as a stand along word, then the doors to the EU will remain closed. They will simultaneously tell you that you must join the EU because according to them, you have no choice. It is the one and only card they have to play and they hold it over Macedonia.
But there are two problems, as I see it, with their strategy. First is the fact that their credibility is shot through. Again, Macedonia has been a candidate country since 2005 and the aforementioned have stated that Macedonia can begin accession talks once it gave into Greek demands. Macedonia did – against the will of the people – and then Bulgaria stepped up with its vetoes and was backed by various EU countries. So, what they promised, they never delivered and cannot due to their own internal contradictions and inconsistencies.
The second problem for them is not a problem for Macedonia.
In May, the self-described “think and do” tank Macedonia 2025 held their annual summit in Skopje. Macedonian-born Mike Zafirovski, one of the founders of Macedonia 2025 and himself a former CEO of Motorola, gave an interview to 360 Stepeni after the summit in which he stated, “I think you can get over 5% [economic growth] with or without the EU…I do think the EU is a great club to belong to…but I want to give the message that I don’t think [being in] the EU on its own is going to get to 5% growth, or not being a part of the EU that would prevent us” (listen in at the 47:50 mark, but the entire interview is worth listening to).
And there it is: Macedonia can achieve economic growth of 5% with or without the EU. The words of a successful international business leader. I would trust the former CEO of Motorola, a native-born Macedonian, over the diplomats, bureaucrats, and politicians in the State Department and EU, men and women who have never worked a day of their lives in the private sector.
But before you run off and tell the State Department and the EU to shove it, there is just one more thing that Zafirovski said in that interview that you, as a country and as individuals, must do to achieve that growth: you have to want it and you have to work for it. This means you must fight corruption, work to improve the rule of law, support each other, stop infighting and practice a little forbearance. Each and every citizen must work at this, as must the new government. As Zafirovski said “I encourage everyone in Macedonia to be role models.”
So here we are in June of 2024: a new president, a (almost) new government, a new chance to turn a proverbial corner, be proud again, and go forward. You may not forget those humiliations, but they can serve as a catalyst for positive change in every area of life – as individuals and as a country. An opportunity to be the best you can be as a father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend. To be that role model as a teacher, businessman or businesswoman, artist, worker, farmer, manager, health worker, faith leader, sportsman, and yes, government official. To work on upholding the rule of law at every level, to fight against corruption, to encourage innovation, best practices, and creativity in every area. And to do it all in gratitude, because that is the mother of all proper attitudes.
I hope you do all of this and more, because I know you can.