The Standing Questionnaire Commission for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia was obliged to hold a session in the beginning of last month, where according to the agenda of the Commission, the monthly reports from October and November, 2008 on the Human Rights situation by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia, should have been reviewed as the first item on the agenda (and “Various” as a second item on the agenda).
The session was postponed because the majority of the members of the Commission are from the lines of the political party VMRO–DPMNE, and for the second time in 5 sessions of the Commission, they refused to adopt the agenda. This time, they used the pretext that “the monthly reports on the Human Rights situation by the Helsinki Committee for October and November, 2008 are unfounded and are not directed towards the protection of the human rights, but that they are directed towards spreading sheer populism and pre-election marketing of the opposition in order to increase their low rating.”
The votes of the political party that has the majority of the votes in the Commission – the ruling VMRO–DPMNE – were crucial. The question that is implied is why now, after they have respected their earlier decision and discussed the monthly reports of Helsinki Committee, the same parliamentarians, instead of deciding for the power of the arguments (and allow an argument where they would have stated their critical views regarding the reports, and where they would have heard our arguments as well) have decided for the power of the majority votes, disabling a discussion. Even worse, when it was more than obvious that the explanation for the rejection of the daily agenda is just a mask for a material discussion regarding the reports, a member of the Helsinki Committee Board, invited as a guest at the session, was denied the elementary right to respond that such claims in the reports do not exist, but that it is a matter of a complete distortion of our stances.
Because the parliamentarians, who disabled the work of the Standing Questionnaire Commission, were specific that it is a matter of their evaluations (not a matter of the entire parliamentary group, the Party or the Government), Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in the Republic of Macedonia wish to believe that it is a matter of their absentmindedness or lack of information when they declare Helsinki Committee as populists in the function of improving the low rating of the opposition.
After the early parliamentary elections, two members from Helsinki Committee Board were elected and appointed to high state functions by the Parliament in which the Party has the majority. For a long period, when VMRO–DPMNE was the opposite Party, parts of Helsinki Committee monthly reports were taken and were issued in the daily press with the logo of the Party as paid political advertisements.
The passe ruling Party maybe thought that Helsinki Committee were biased to VMRO–DPMNE, but never declared them as such, though, indubitably, VMRO–DPMNE in segments of the reports by Helsinki Committee, has felt this Committee to be close to them. Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republic of Macedonia is convinced that they did not alter their view and public actions, however it seems that the members of the Questionnaire Commission from this Party are demonstrating that it is one thing to be part of the opposition and another to be part of the ruling Party.
Empirically, it can be confirmed that almost everything that the Helsinki Committee claimed in the public expounds, which was challenged by the state power, after a while was returned to it in the shape of clear stances in reports of relevant international factors in this domain. Of course, the price of the reputation of the country was much higher then. Helsinki Committee sent many reports of this kind to the Standing Commission.
For the irony to be even greater, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent documents to the members of the Commission regarding the postponed session where it is clearly stated that “the situation … is painted realistically”. This regards the findings of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council of Europe in which there are tallies that are also part of the reports, for which the Standing Questionnaire Commission refused to discuss last month. However, we did not learn that the Ministry of Internal Affairs is populistic and close to the opposition.
Therefore, the ruling Party can, if they wish, start a war against Helsinki Committee for Human Rights – the ones that mar their idyllic image for the country that we live in. In it, if they wish, they can destroy the Helsinki Committee with their authoritative approach, and they can destroy it as a Non-Governmental Organization, but it is doubtful that all these happenings will paint the truth in orange. This kind of mental engineering was not accomplished by far more powerful and keener autocrats in history, even in the nearby region.
