Open letter to Mr. Gruevski
Mr. Gruevski,
the events in Skopje yesterday, for which you and your party bare the main responsibility, because you are the ones who incited for violence, will be remembered as another black day in Macedonian history. Let me be clear: the use of violence to oppose democratic procedures in parliament is unacceptable.
I am aware that VMRO is still the biggest party in parliament, but this doesn’t mean anything if you are not able to form a majority. And this is exactly what you, Mr. Gruevski, and your party, have to accept: it is not because you win the elections that you win the government. Today: you are the main opposition party in parliament, because you lost the majority in parliament and lost the government. And no violence will ever change this.
Of course it is easy to blame the others for yesterday’s events. You will probably even see it as a reason for large scale arrests from opposition members. At least, I wouldn’t be surprised if that would be your next step. Your press conference last night was a disgrace, not worthy the leader of a democratic party. Instead of defending true democratic values, we saw democracy crumbling yesterday in the hands of your party members and a group of mobsters.
The election of a new Speaker with the aim to restore democracy in Macedonia was perfectly legal. No Court — even not any of the ones you control — can and should dispute this. According to international law, this election was legitimate, because the main aim was to restore democracy.
Mr. Gruevski, I also want to draw your attention to your new accusations, another series of ‘alternative facts’, but not the truth. The truth is that you and your party members still refuse to accept any reponsibility for the many things that went wrong in recent years. Let me just remember some of to refresh your mind:
- the expulsion of the opposition and journalists from parliament end of 2012 on the occasion of the vote for the Budget;
- the refusal of the members of your party to accept any responsibility for these events during the inquiry following these events;
- the complete denial of any involvement on your side in the scandal of the wiretaps;
- the refusal of you and other VMRO party members to answer honestly any of the questions of the parliamentary inquiry committee;
- the refusal of you and your party members to be accountable for the ‘creative’ financial accounting of your party;
- the refusal of you and your party to respect freedom of media;
- the refusal of you and your party to accept and respect the outcome of the last elections;
- the refusal of you and your party to organise municipal elections on time.
Yesterday’s events left me with more questions than answers: where was the police, who should protect parliament and the members of parliament at all times? How was it possible that mobsters could invade parliament, unless police allowed them to do so?
Mr. Gruevski, contrary to your personal belief, accountability is a core value in a democratic society. You have to accept responsibility for what you do and what you say. In the end, the citizens have the right to know the truth. I do hope that honest people inside parliament and within the police do have the courage to act as whistleblowers and to inform the citizens about what really happened yesterday.
And as far as you are concerned, Mr. Gruevski, yes, it is time to accept defeat and to leave the political scene, pending a thorough investigation into your actions and those of your allies. There is no way back. The citizens in Macedonia, whatever community they belong to, have the right to wake up in a democracy again, free from pressure and fear.
Peter Vanhoutte
https://medium.com/@peter.vanhoutte/open-letter-to-mr-gruevski-280d189cff0d
