Republic of Macedonia
Republic of MacedoniaMAAK declared itself as a fatherland party of all Macedonians, as well as all citizens of Macedonia, "regardless of social, national or religious affiliations, who accept the party's Program Declaration and Manifesto on free, independent and sovereign Macedonian state." The Movement's Program, made public before the first parliamentary elections, clearly stated "the Macedonian people must not be seduced by games aimed to create some asymmetric and shortened third Yugoslavia." The party proclaimed August 12, 1913, as a Day of National Catastrophe for Macedonia.
1990 was a year of "party action" of MAAK. Following the founding assembly (which appointed only a working presidentship and members of the National Committee), the party announced its Manifesto on free, independent, and sovereign Macedonia, at the Prohor Pcinjski monastery, demanding at the same time withdrawal of all Macedonian special-police forces and forcing the then Yugoslav People's Army to leave Macedonia. They celebrated the death anniversary of Metodija Antonov - Cento in Prilep, and stood behind the Ohrid celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the ancient Samoil Kingdom. A year after its founding assembly, MAAK held the second part of its Congress, announcing its Declaration on Demilitarisation of the Republic of Macedonia. The results were differences among party members, no seat in parliament, and committee members in almost half of the cities in the country. Almost anyone would be satisfied with this, but not MAAK. Because the lion frequently seen on television to announce the party, seemed to have somehow go out of breath.
The so-called National Front was formed on November 12, 1990, to include MAAK, VMRO-DPMNE, the People's Party and the Agricultural Party. For some, this presented a signal for a sudden and dangerous action of uniting of all national forces, and for others it was just means for carrying out daily political goals. Anyhow, the National Front disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and will probably be mostly remembered for the hands raised to the sky at the Skopje city square. It is a fact that MAAK seemed to have lost nerves after the elections. In regard to this, its president Ante Popovski said: "The Movement became too frustrated, succumbed to emotions, began attacking everyone around...The party accepted a radicalism not included in its primary program and its original principles. It began resembling other parties..." The "National Front" was one of the party's mistakes, not coinciding with its initial ambitions. Differently from some, who profited well from this, MAAK waited for all who entered the Front to sit down at the table and divide the tasks. That will be remembered as a big lesson, the party members say today. Despite its Declaration on Demilitarisation, MAAK was among the first parties to welcome the deployment of American troops in Macedonia, last year. "Yes, MAAK came out with a Declaration on Demilitarisation and will insist on it in the future, as well," the Movement's Deputy President Levko Dzambazovski said then, welcoming at the same time the arrival of American soldiers. "At the beginning, we did not think this elevated idea was realisable at once. Especially in a situation like ours, when the country is surrounded by a war madness; it will be a long- lasting process, and thence our attitude towards the Americans," the party leaders explained.
In September 1992, the pompously announced action began. The party undertook to gather 150,000 signatures for calling urgent elections in the country. As loudly as it had been announced, the action died out in too big a silence. "We did gather 128,000 signatures by citizens," party members retell. "The rest was supposed to be gathered by VMRO-DPMNE." The public still does not know why these signatures, referred to as a child's game at the beginning, could not be gathered. Regardless of the reasons, MAAK failed to fulfil the task it assigned onto itself, as a party or a movement.
Today, members seem to dislike to be asked whether MAAK is a fatherland party or an all-Macedonian movement. However, they are said to be the biggest importer of party staff to other parties. Large portion of members went over to VMRO-DPMNE, to VMRO-DP, and some even to SDSM. Was it an inability of the party to keep its membership, or was it something else? Recently, MAAK addressed the public, reacting against "intolerant and illegitimate forms of political struggle, mixed with black-mailing and pressure." MAAK, in fact, attacked other parties for "attempting to complete their own membership with MAAK members, through bribe and corruption."
But all this naturally does not prevent from discussing the party's evolvement. An it could be observed, as Dzambazovski claims, only in segments and events which happened in the meantime. Meaning, in a period when the process of international recognition of Macedonia got complicated, and when the status-quo situation seemed in a way going back to Communism. Today, however, when MAAK no longer acts by a hot- cold system, i.e., now it exists, now it does not, certain new views about this fatherland party seem to appear. Most of all in the sphere of ethnic relations, in which, they say, the attribute "ethnic relations" seems out of place. "The Macedonian people must establish a state-minority relation in its own state. Minorities feel no obligations or responsibilities towards the state, they only demand their rights. It is true they should enjoy all minority rights as stated by international standards, but only on reciprocity basis. If something needs to be changed, it will be changed by the Macedonian people, when it considers it is necessary. Changing because of outside pressure, especially pressure by sworn enemies to Macedonia, would mean destroying the people's dignity and immaturity of the state," Dzambazovski underlines. Despite the mistakes, wrong evaluations and import of membership to other parties, MAAK, at its time, claimed its program had been practically realised and now it was simply time to offer something new. This was, by the way, something which a lot of other parties were similarly proud of. Such changes in MAAK's program, announced essential changes in social politics and economy, are yet to come. The party believes the economy in Macedonia is primarily based on its agriculture, i.e., its food production.
The experience with the never realised National Front coalition is just an experience more. MAAK leaders are again reconsidering similar coalition for the upcoming elections, as, they claim, it is in the best interests of the Macedonian people, especially in certain electoral elections. But all that will this time be based more firmly on the party's interests and done with more wisdom, the Movement members assure, remembering the first elections, at which, according to them, "the National Front coalition never said all it had to say."
