I want to start off by expressing my anger and disappointment in the democratic system that is
completely broken. I often feel like the idea of a “democracy”, where the people’s ideas and
wants are represented is completely made up and broken. How can an entire nation protest and
fight for something for so long but their voices are still ignored? I want to share a quote written
by Franklin D. Roosevelt, where he firmly states what democracy should be like, not what it has
become. “Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The
ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and
government officials, but the voters of this country”, the Macedonian people want an
explanation. They deserve an explanation.
Why should our name change when the majority of us refuse the name change? What happened
to our voices? What happened to democracy? About 65% of Macedonians are against the Prespa
Agreement, however Prime Minister of Macedonia Zoran Zaev, continued pressuring the people
to vote for something they clearly oppose. This doesn’t sound like a democracy to me, it sounds
like dictatorship. And that is the truth. The Macedonian people are living in a dictatorship.
According to Atifete Jahjaga, “Democracy must be built through open societies that share
information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are
solutions. When there is no sharing of power, no rule of law, no accountability, there is abuse,
corruption, subjugation and indignation”. It is very ironic how the USA praises democracy,
freedom, and human rights but is pressuring Macedonians to change their name. We do not want our name to be changed, it is that simple. We refuse for our name to be changed. We have been manipulated by the Greeks for a very long time. They have robbed us from our identity, they have killed thousands and thousands of ethnic Macedonians. Why are we still pleasing them? They are trying to wipe us down as a nation, and we are willing to give up our name and identity to satisfy them? How can we make an agreement with the enemy? We can do better than this!
The democratic system is completely broken, government officials are thirsty for power and
money. It seems like they have forgotten what democracy really means. However, we have to
remember that we are bigger than them in numbers. I am encouraging all of the Macedonian
people not to be tricked into changing our name. This is not the right solution to our problems as
a nation. It is true that Macedonia needs to improve as a country, and we can. But we cannot be
told that the only way we can do this is through changing our name and giving up our identity.
First of all, even with our name changed we are not guaranteed an entrance into the EU or
NATO. Secondly, the entrance to EU and NATO will not change our country over night. In
order for Macedonia to improve, we need to work together to end corruption in our government
system. We need to realize we have to change and we have to work towards a better future for
our country! This is our democracy! We make it, protect it, and pass it on!
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The views of the author may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Macedonian Diaspora and Generation M.
