SkopjeDiem Macedonia in English
Expectedly, the Q&A session of Parliament, held on Thursday, was marked by fierce accusations between Government representatives and the opposition over multiple topics.
Regarding air pollution, SDSM parliamentarians said that despite the extremely high pollution level, funds for environmental projects had been reduced, electric buses hadn’t been purchased, and the authorities had ignored the Clean Air Plan.
In response, PM Hristijan Mickoski stated that it was not true that funds for a healthy environment had been reduced. Also, he stated that a tender to procure 100-120 eco-friendly buses would have been organised by New Year’s, adding that they would be used for transport in multiple municipalities.
The opposition also criticised the adoption of laws in the shortened procedure. That, it alleged, has resulted in terms of members of regulatory bodies being ended and in them being replaced by party staff. The government was also criticised over the security sector.
However, in response, Mickoski stated that the public would find out very soon what had been done in the sector during the previous government’s term, including illegal wiretapping.
The Albanian language issue, too, was among the topics, with DUI alleging that the government was implementing an anti-Albanian platform. However, Mickoski said it was illegitimate for Ali Ahmeti’s party to try to cause ethnic discord in order to cover up all crimes committed by people close to its leadership.
“We don’t have a platform against Albanians. We do have one against party profiteers and criminals, regardless of their ethnic affiliation, if they’re suspected of crime,” he responded.
According to the PM, DUI’s now using militant rhetoric in order to create ethnic tensions because it is no longer in power and members of the party should be held liable for crime. Answering a question from VMRO-DPMNE MP Bojan Stojanoski about the issue of drug cartels, Mickoski said he was worried by the links between former officials and criminals.
“I am more worried that a big part of these obeyers with health problems were obeyers also of these drug cartels and were on their payroll. That way, they would circumvent justice. So, there is a triangle here: political criminals, drug cartels, and judges and prosecutors. They’re a few, but they now have serious health problems. That’s the country we lived in,” the PM underlined.
Mickoski also said he was warning also those structures that, according to him, now saying around Skopje and at nightclubs that they are close to him and that they will be pardoned.
“A new leaf must be turned over,” he underlined.
Corridor 8 too was among the topics, with the opposition alleging obstructions during the construction. Nonetheless, Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski underlined that though there was work on the rail link towards Bulgaria, a fast rail link was needed on Corridor 10 where the speed would be 200 km/h.
