Unfortunately, even after signing the Ohrid Agreement, the two biggest ethnic communities (at least in mathematical sense), have stayed in their own area, believe in their national symbols and believe in their ethnic history.
The first issue regarding the political culture that I would propound is whether Macedonia as a country as whole, has specific national or state code and systems acting by. Simply, whether there is political and state culture. Whenever you hear politicians of any color talking about national and state interest, you should immediately know that they are talking about national and state culture. Some of them do not recognize themselves in the state culture, others do not want to be a part only of the national culture. Finally, the problem with the political nation we do not have is well-known. Briefly, how this specific national and state style is formed. First of all, from the historic experience which should be at least a little bit common for us all since we live in the same country, especially during the formation years of the country, in this case since 1991. We all know that, the two biggest ethnic communities were on a completely different side whenever capital project have been discussed. In that 1991 the political elite of that time, tried to place the political culture of Macedonia, on a quite confusing combination of communistic legacy plus the beliefs and values of the numerously dominant nation. This condition, with difficulties, lasted ten years and in 2001 this politics has been disputed, not only in terms of security, not only politically, but culturally, too. This resulted with the Framework Agreement. Besides all the legal and constitutional changes, including the annexes, preamble and the other acts (which is certainly excellent), it should have marked a new beginning in building a common political culture in the country. Unfortunately, up to date, the two big ethnic communities cannot agree upon the capital state projects. The Framework Agreement, then, as well as today, had to be read as an attempt, at least for the strategic projects, to establish not ethnic, but multiethnic support. This can be noticed following the last issue: the name vis a vis to the NATO and EU membership. By all means we are divided regarding this issue as well.
Unfortunately, even today, the two big ethnic communities, (at least in mathematical sense), have stayed in their own area, believe in their national symbols and believe in their ethnic history. That is why they have a different culture: both political and any other kind. When this kind of cultures exists in one and the same country, then there is a terrible problem in making a consistent state politics in any area. Then, there are different inputs from the big constituents of the electorate, whereby, I claim that, even with ultimate efforts, let alone if there is no complete will, it is impossible to make a consistent state strategy. That is why the Macedonian policy in the last years goes on strictly ethnical line, especially where the figures make it possible, even in the key areas, such as the foreign and internal policy.
How to overcome this division, this fragmentation of cultures in Macedonia. Provided that we cannot, or as it seems to me, we have no dominant political will to overpass those differences, then, can we, at least sometimes, at least somewhere, at least for a while, try to believe in something third that can unite us. That cohesive project is well-known and it is called integrating Macedonia in the Euro-Atlantic integrations. Aside from the so called strict national values, can we believe in, for instance, legality, in morality, in dialogue, in consensus.. Those are pan-European values. To try, Albanians, Macedonians and all the others, since we cannot overpass the bridge that divides us, at least to believe in these values. Finally, a pan-European identity is being built today, though quite shyly and quite slowly, which does not dispute the national ethnic identities at all. That is the European constitutionalism, those are the values written in the documents that keep us together.
Only two examples can illustrate how we missed a great opportunity as a country, to score on behalf of the country, and not in behalf of any ethnic community. Those are the project for Skanderbeg Monument, and “Skopje 2014”, which have identical, that is ethnic logic behind. Skanderbeg Monument has started as a political initiative, that is, its maximal achievement is to be supported by a single ethnic community. Although, considering the personality it represents it has all the preconditions to be respected by the other ethnic communities as well, it was managed in such a way, for its maximal achievement to be in the ethnic community only. “Skopje 2014” is a project, still unfinished, and although it also had all preconditions to be a capital state project in which we will all believe, unfortunately, it started and is pushed forward only as a party initiative. At the end, this project will also stay supported in one ethnic community only.
(Stevo Pendarovski is a professor at the American College)
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