As elusive as they may seem, the “poisons” of this stigmatization are still hidden somewhere behind the scenes of political games, which as invisible extensions circulate among people and in public space. In addition, there will always be protagonists who easily wear the garment of this language of prejudice, stigmatization and hatred. It may seem random, but any correlation is not so coincidental, because there will always be naive “knights”, but also intriguers who will embrace these discourses that create unnecessary divisions.
Author: Bardhyl Zaimi
North Macedonia is already recording a record number of people infected with the corona virus. And this is not a situation that was not expected, because within the time when all seriousness and energy had to be decided to maximally manage the situation with pandemics, political backgrounds had decided to take care of electoral targets, rating and other mysterious things that only they know.
Moreover, where political hypocrisy sets foot, the consequences are reflected in the form of clashes below, in people’s daily lives, where then these fatal flirtations of politics take the form of unfounded accusations. Ethnic excuses for the spread of the virus have not been absent during this time, which again essentially have political motives, but also the government’s excuse for failing to manage pandemics. The accusations that citizens share with them and us are so absurd and paradoxical.
However, it is precisely this cocoon of politics that wants to divide people even in times of coronation and present them as a possible “enemy” to then build deceptive causes and narratives in public space. An infected person in this case can have no identity other than an infected person for people affected by the virus, as citizens of Northern Macedonia. Any other attempt to color the presence of the virus and infections with doses of ethnic and religious divisions is an ignorance of thinking in a pandemic situation when we are all at risk.
As elusive as they may seem, the “poisons” of this stigmatization are still hidden somewhere behind the scenes of political games, which as invisible extensions circulate among people and in public space. In addition, there will always be protagonists who easily wear the garment of this language of prejudice, stigmatization and hatred. It may seem random, but any correlation is not so coincidental, because there will always be naive “knights”, but also intriguers who will embrace these discourses that create unnecessary divisions.
As usual, politics never admits guilt, especially “down here in the Balkans”, while all the frustration of the hopeless situation created by itself is transferred to people with militant minds who always blame the other. Every time politics plays with fire, citizen burn. This is the truth of the government’s failure to manage the situation that seeks to be terribly transposed into divisions that have absolutely no basis in truth.
It is not questionable that there were unconscious individuals during this period, but again the state was not at the height of managing this unconsciousness, which in the case of pandemics poses a permanent risk to the vast majority of citizens who have always been in charge.
However, all of this is already behind us, and any return to this baseless accusation debate risks creating the hysteria of unnecessary divisions. Now is the time for the government to urgently focus on respecting the measures taken by the citizens. It is never too late to do something. On the contrary, the government and all political entities without exception should focus on urgent strategies to prevent the galloping spread of the virus.
Duket se praktika hiq e vinë karantinën vetëm e prolongon shfaqjen e rasteve, sidomos kur njerëzit tashmë nuk e kanë atë durimin e fillimit të qëndrimit në shtëpi. Hiq e vinë nuk është zgjidhja. Urgjentisht duhet strategji gjithëpërfshirëse për respektim të masave, sepse me gjasë edhe gjatë kohë do të jetojmë me këtë virus fatal për jetët e njerëzve.
It is very important that in addition to “reciting” the numbers of infected people, an awareness campaign is launched to respect the measures, such as wearing masks and social distance. Beyond pessimistic and optimistic tones, comprehensive action must begin as soon as possible, because as seen across the globe and as scientists warn, the battle with the corona virus will last. Action to raise awareness of the measures remains so necessary, especially in North Macedonia, when we already have a decomposition of the strategy.
The practice of quarantine seems to only prolog the onset of cases, especially when people no longer have the initial patience to stay home. Put and lift is not the solution. We urgently need a comprehensive strategy to respect the measures, because we are likely to live with this fatal virus for the rest of our lives.