Polyparty-ism - Search for Common Ground

To forget the past
for the sake of the future
Xhengis Aliu
Six months ago, there was a huge
pessimism about when and how will
Macedonia exit from the war that had
engulfed us. Today, that pessimism has
turned into a reality full of hope.
Although there are things that have not
changed at all and that will not change
for a long time (due to their very
nature), the overall environment has
started normalizing. Now, it seems that
things have started improving.
Everyone sees the future differently,
better and full of hope.
As every war, this one that happened
to us also has its own consequences.
These consequences are now
becoming visible in every field. Its
greatest effect is on the young people -
they suffered most since they still seem
to be confused. Ever since the beginning
of this crisis they were in the middle.
Willing or not, they had to face
with the surrounding reality. However,
it did not look like the way they wanted.
It did not coincide with their mentality
and philosophy. In many cases,
they had to break up their contacts with
friends or neighbors… since much
attention was paid to ethnicity… The
greatest irony of the created situation
was that the young people had no guilt
at all, except for being young and easy
to manipulate with. They became victims
of misinformation, of provoking
titles in newspapers and electronic
media, which were informing with such
a high tone, that it seemed as if they
were competing which one of them will
present the reality in a darker and louder
way, and with more victims. They
were competing which one of them will
present more victims while informing!
The young people were expected to
do the worse but, in fact, they turned to
The biggest irony of the
created situation was the
fact that the young people
had no guilt, except for
being young and easy to
manipulate with
be quite different, stronger and smarter
from what was expected. They
remained calm and hoping that no matter
what happens, it will be better, no
matter how bad the situation was, there
will come better days, no matter how
distant they were becoming from one
another, still there will be a day in the
future when they will extend their hand
to one another and will live along with
each other. Although they were maximally
confused, they were certain that a
day will come which will bring a different
life to the young people.
And that is what happened. The war
is over, the worst is gone.
If we talk to the young people
today, they speak of the war as something
that should never be repeated
again. Let the mistakes that were made
six months ago as a result of the decisions
of some political and state leaders
be a lesson learned for the young people
about how should we build a future
of a joint life, regardless of the ethnic or
religious background.
The following represents the message
of the young people to all those
who used their positions to show their
own patriotism: let them transform
this patriotic energy into an energy
that will improve social conditions and
solve social problems the state is facing,
let them engage in creating new
job opportunities. Should they adhere
to the old saying that the state remains
to the youth, we will not care about the
state as it is today, since with such a
state we can never have a certain
future.
The hope of young people for a better
future is based on the fact that each
new day brings new things, each new
day brings us a future in which we will
have a better life and a greater prosperity.
(The author is a journalist)
77
What is happening to us?, May 2002