On amendments, ignoring your own agreement, and changing your own history
The Government of the Republic of Macedonia has now introduced its four amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia as required by the Greeks and the Prespa agreement. You can read them in Macedonian, here. It’s worth noting — and it’s terribly ironic — that in the explanatory notes the government takes great pains to stress “Macedonia” when, a few paragraphs above, it is proposing an amendment to change the name to “North Macedonia.” That shouts a lack of confidence in the entire deal, the process, and in the future, at least to me. It’s also worth noting that the prime minister claims that the proposed amendments to the amendments from the eight renegade VMRO-DPMNE parliamentarians who gave SDSM and their DUI allies the green light to move forward with this entire debacle are incorporated into this. Someone should ask them if this is so. I suspect not. I’m now taking bets that these amendments cause further problems and issues with a) the Greeks, b) the ethnic Albanian minority parties in Macedonia c) the break-away MPs who voted in favor of the agreement and d) those who do not want to change the name, identity, Constitution, etc.
Speaking of amendments, the agreement, and the process, it seems that both the governments of Macedonia and Greece feel free to violate the Prespa agreement even before it is fulfilled. Prime Minister Zaev has said that the entire process of changing the Constitution should be completed by mid-January. But the agreement states, in Article 1(4)(e) that Macedonia shall “conclude in toto the constitutional amendments by the end of 2018.” I guess the whole thing is more of a set of guidelines than an actual legal agreement.
And then there’s this little under-reported item: “The Joint Inter-disciplinary Committee of Experts on historic, archaeological and educational matters” envisioned in the Prespa agreement and made up of members from both countries’ foreign affairs ministries have begun working, according to MIA. What does this mean? If you go back and read the 19-page agreement (so few do anymore), it is worth reading Article 8(5) which addresses this. As a public service to my readers I’ve re-keyed Article 8(5) here (with my notes in parentheses and highlights of the original text in bold):
“Within one month of the signing of this Agreement (which would have been July 17, 2018), the Parties shall establish by exchange of diplomatic notes, on a parity basis, a Joint Inter-Disciplinary Committee of Experts on historic, archeological and educational matters, to consider the objective, scientific interpretation of historical events based on authentic, evidenced-based and scientifically sound historical sources and archeological findings (meaning both elected politicians and unelected appointed bureaucrats will be making these decisions). The Committee’s work shall be supervised by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Parties in cooperation with other competent national authorities (again, elected politicians and unelected appointed bureaucrats). It shall consider, and, if it deems appropriate, revise any school textbooks and school auxiliary material such as maps, historical atlases, teaching guides, in use in each of the Parties, in accordance with the principles and aims of UNESCO and the Council of Europe. To that effect, the Committee shall set specific timetables so as to ensure in each of the Parties that no school textbooks or school auxiliary material in use the year after the signing of this Agreement (by June, 2019) contains any irredentist/revisionist references (Who decides this? Well, Greece of course). The Committee shall also study any new editions of school textbooks and school auxiliary material as provided for under this Article (which is more than what I’m re-keying here and covers national symbols, monuments, public buildings, infrastructure, flags, etc.). The Committee shall convene regularly, at least twice a year, and shall submit an Annual Report on its activities and recommendations to be approved by the High-Level Cooperative Council, as to be established pursuant to Article 12. (Article 12 goes on to name this “High-Level Cooperative Council.” It will be — wait for it — the prime minister of each country. So, just wait until New Democracy is in charge in Greece, which will be in 2019).
Well now. Parents, teachers, grandparents and anyone else concerned about the education of Macedonia’s children: be prepared to see the schoolbooks, textbooks, maps, atlases and teaching guides which your children now use changed, and changed dramatically. And if any Macedonian — within the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Education or just concerned parents and teachers raise their voice in opposition to this what do you think will happen? Well, Greece will simply say, as they have said so often and with brute force in the past (as well as their collaborators in the international community) “We are in the club and you are not.” So, if you want in the EU and NATO, despite having, at this point, already debased yourself, changed your constitution and engaged in self-flagellation, you will do as you are told and you will like it (“Please sir, may I have another swat on my bottom?”).
(Again, for those interested and who are willing to take the time, you can read the entire 19-page agreement in English here. And you can read about other aspects of the agreement which I have criticized here, here, here, and here.)
Do you think this is a simple agreement about a change of the name? Think again. It is infinitely more and if carried out to the full extent of the visions of its authors and signers, has the potential to eventually wipe out the Macedonian people.
Unless we all take a stand against it.
The good news? There are ways to thwart this both now and in the future. I’ve mentioned some of those in the past and will continue writing about those in the future because Macedonia is worth it.
