English
Today we have battles that we must fight alone, and victories that we must jointly claim. For more than 30 years, politicians in Macedonia have never openly and truly spoken about young people, about what we need to do to make them truly happy. But they have also never listened to what they tell us, even when they pointed out many shortcomings. The greatest failure of a country occurs when the ardor of youth fades, when young people get tired of waiting for a long time to be heard and their time will never come. The fact that young people are leaving Macedonia is not because they have found a better place than their home, but because they were not heard when they spoke out loud, said Prime Minister and leader of VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, at today’s 34th Annual Conference of the Union of Young Forces in Veles.
My heart breaks when I see the empty benches at universities, the empty streets in the cities and the full buses and planes with young people leaving. And this is not the failure of one individual, or just one generation that has led politics in Macedonia, but the collective failure of all those who have not paid attention to the youth, who have systematically destroyed the system with incompetence, crime and corruption. Who did not allow the dream to become a reality. Who have dismantled every desire and motive with collective plunder, by destroying the system, with incompetence and rude shifting of blame. The lost generations do not remind us of the time and the misdeeds they did, and therefore when I talk about what we have inherited, those who brought us here are not listened to. But at the same time I know that the people are tired of excuses, of shifting blame between each other and avoiding responsibility for matters that are jointly important, added Mickoski in his remarks.
We can change things only if we approach them openly and talk openly. Then we will fight together. That is why today every step we take is to restore hope and create a system of order and responsibility. For that, we need mobilization and a chance for every single person who wants to work honestly, and we have shown this past year that it is possible differently. I never promised you miracles, impossible things, but that is why I will fight relentlessly and to the maximum for every single person and for our common future. And we must change the system and restore the hope that is gradually returning. Today we are talking about a proud and dignified Macedonia that is welcomed everywhere with pride and dignity – said Mickoski.
The Macedonian Prime Minister called on everyone to get involved in the fight to change the system.
And know – today I am not just calling you to hope. I am calling you to get involved. To fight. To stand up for yourself. Because no one will give us the future on a platter – we will have to build it ourselves, brick by brick, struggle by struggle, day by day. You young people are not only the future of this country – you are its strongest current heart. You are the generation that will move Macedonia forward. Not with fear, but with ideas. Not with divisions, but with unity – emphasized Mickoski.
He told the young people to stay here, to fight and to build here:
And that is why I want to tell you today: stay here. Fight here. Build here. Macedonia needs your mind, your creativity, your restlessness that changes the world. I extend a hand to the young people and we no longer have the luxury of not succeeding. Your generation must succeed. This is the last chance for success.
