Solidarity Movement Presented in Skopje

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Solidarity is the key left-wing value and without it the weak can’t win in the dispute with the powers that be, said the founders of the new left-wing movement “Solidarity” at the presentation of the new organisation held yesterday, June 14, 2012, in front of the vandalized bust of poet and leftist thinker Kosta Solev Racin in Skopje’s City Park.

Founders of Solidarity Movement at Racin's vandalized monument in Skopje's City Park

“Solidary” promotes social justice, protection for workers’ rights, anti-militarism, anti-nationalism, gender equality and other traditional values of the left. The founders add that the new organisation, born at a time of crisis of the left, will be able to realize its potential and potentials of its activists, primarily to fill in the need for strong left-wing movement in Macedonia.

“Macedonia is increasingly a country of great class divisions. The rich are getting extremely rich, the poor are made even more poor. The state, especially over the past several years, is engaged in restriction of the rights of welfare recipients, the rights of the workers, and there is a need for a strong left. This is an attempt to create such a strong movement of the left, and only the time will show how successful we will be in that venture”, said Zdravko Savevski, one of the founders of “Solidarity” movement.

“Solidarity” believes that the biggest problem in Macedonia is that the citizens are not even aware what happens to them, about the intentional policies of constant restrictions of the social rights of the poor, for the benefit of the rich. The movement representatives add that one off the main reasons for that lack of awareness and neglect of the social issues is the emphasis put on nationalism, which is used to take away the people’s attention from their real problems.

“We shall work, above all, to raise the awareness of the citizens, especially the poor, about their rights. We will work to encourage them to become aware of their power. Solidarity is one of the key values of the left and without solidarity among the weak, they can’t win in the fight with the stronger party, the employers. We believe that raising of awareness is the first step that needs to be made in Macedonia. The people are not aware of the everyday social problems they face”, Savevski said, adding that the citizens don’t have the courage to step forward, get organized and fight for their rights.

He wouldn’t eliminate the possibility for the movement to grow into a political party and believes that the party that is usually nominated at leftist in Macedonia, the Social-Democratic Union (SDSM) has not proved so far that is a true party of the left. Savevski adds that even when existing parties, nominally on the left, come forward with well-substantiated social issues, they face the mistrust of the citizens who are convinced that they do it just to get back to power.

“In a situation of grave social situation and numerous problems with the social state, there is an obvious need for a true party of the left. Whether “Solidarity” will grow into a party, only time will show and we leave that option open. We don’t want to rush in and form a party that will get insignificant support of the voters. We want to prove ourselves on basic levels, through our basic activities. Our organisation will be as strong as the quality of our actions”, Savevski said.

Yesterday was the 69th anniversary of the death of Kosta Solev Racin at Lopušnik (mountain in western Macedonia), and “Solidarity” criticized the lack of attention and care by the state for his monument, and monuments of other leftist thinkers, which are left to vandalism and neglect.

“We know that Kosta Solev Racin was one of the greatest Macedonian poets, but it has to be added that he was one of the most prominent leftist thinkers in Macedonia and he deserves, we believe, much greater attention by the Macedonian state. We stand here, in front of his vandalized monument. At the same time, we witness that millions are being spent in this country on monuments, fancy bridge railings, new building fronts, and we find it shameful and disgraceful that the Macedonian state doesn’t demonstrate the will to build a worthy monument to honour Racin”, said Vasko Lazarevski from “Solidarity”.

They announced the debate, which was held yesterday evening at the Children Theatre Centre (in Skopje’s Old Bazaar), on the subject of “Greek Left and the Situation in Macedonia”, which was to discuss the alternative views on the economic crisis in Greece, the success of SYRIZA and the other parties of the left in last month’s elections, as well as their chances in the coming repeat elections, and analysis of the situation on the left side of political spectrum in Macedonia, the potentials and opportunities for growth and development of Macedonian left.