Writes: Xhelal Neziri
North Macedonia is one of the few places where there are many state, religious, ethnic and historical holidays. In 2020, outside the holidays there are weekends, there will be ten more non-working days. Except using holidays not to work, public and state institutions often connect the weekends with the holiday. So for example, if a holiday falls on a Thursday then a decision is made not to work even on Friday in order to link the holiday with the weekend and get a good mini-vacation. We will have six of such extended weekends during the year.
Even the New Year holiday does not last only a day. Usually first is associated with Catholic Christmas, and then with the Orthodox. Therefore, the year-end holidays create a sense of collective lethargy, where almost all of society is in a kind of hibernation, unwilling to make a fresh start.
Developed societies live to work. The moment when there is no engagement, they lose their job or retire; a person may experience bad times not because of social insecurity. Their concern, according to Erich Fromm comes from the feeling that they are useless to society. In our society, dominate the logic of non-work or prolonged rest. Not accidentally, most of the capable people are targeted to state and public institutions. The motive is that you work less, your salary is safe, and you have an internship that will provide you with a decent pension. Retirement seems to be the happiest part of life for a single reason – you do not need to work and again you have a monthly salary.
The new decade we have entered must arouse the new man in us. A person who will work what he wants and accomplishes it, who will fulfill the day with creative commitments, who will respect values and aim for the best. No one has fallen from the sky to the pinnacle of success, but it has climbed there with a lot of hard work, but also pleasure.
The new decade should stimulate the rational man in us, especially that early parliamentary elections will be held in North Macedonia on April 12. When deciding who to trust to represent and manage institutions and money, the voter is often guided by a specific individual interest – whether the party has hired a family member; if there are strong guarantees of employment, favor or tender; if they will make his road close to his house … Or he will not vote for the party because he has not hired a family member or has not kept his promise to employ him. What about schools or universities, where there are many people with suspicious degrees who may be crippling our children? What about the lack of economic development, mismanagement and corruption resulting in low wages and catastrophic living standards? What about the lack of combating negative phenomena such as crime, drugs, thieves? What about the lack of justice in the judiciary? What about road infrastructure that connects the country with its neighbors? What about the lack of water, parking lots, our cities? Aren’t these serious problems to consider when deciding who to vote for?
The new decade should be a new beginning for everyone. It must be finally understood that the exchange of votes for personal interest is corruption. In addition, how then to expect the elected politicians not to exchange their votes in Parliament or the Government for personal interest, not to be corrupted?
Running after work with lots of rest and a little commitment, such as the state job, makes us a prey to the political predators. It is the quality program and framework for its implementation that the parties must present as a contract with the voter. The same must be “notarized” on April 12 by the majority of voters. Any deviation from this contract should result in mass protests by the “contracted” in front of the party headquarters.
In the new, third decade of the 21st century, we need to change in order for the politicians to change. Good people cannot choose bad politicians. Or good politicians to be chosen by bad people. French philosopher, diplomat and politician, Jozeph de Maistre, has said: Every nation has the leaders it deserves.