On Saturday, SDSM called on the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption (SCPC) to open a case concerning the statement about employments in the public health sector by 1st Deputy PM and VLEN co-leader Izet Mexhiti.
“On the basis of what criteria will the 3,000 employees be selected? Will there be public competitions or is there already a list of “eligible” candidates? Is this list already at [PM and VMRO-DPMNE leader] Hristijan Mickoski’s table? Is VMRO-DPMNE silent because it’s already been agreed for part of these employments to cover staff of its? VMRO-DPMNE, which, during its time in opposition, would fiercely criticise the issue of employments based on party affiliation, is now silent”, Bogdanka Kuzeska, Spokesperson for the opposition party, stated.
In response, the ruling party said that the accusations from SDSM that the Government would employ 3,000 persons were a complete lie and desperate attempt to make an excuse for its political failure.
Also, VMRO-DPMNE stressed that Venko Filipce’s party had been the one that had created “an army of incompetent party soldiers” and turned the state administration sector into a SDSM HQ.
“If there are employments, they would be exclusively in line with the census and real needs of institutions, not on the basis of a party list, as SDS[M] did during its time in power”, VMRO-DPMNE also stated in the press-release.
Even though Mexhiti had the previous day further explained that his initial statements concerned the Government’s decision to transform the status (from employment on the basis of a temporary service contract to employment over an indefinite period of time) of around 1,500 persons in the public health sector, 750 of whom were members of the ethnic Albanian community, there was a fierce reaction from coalition partner ZNAM, that is, the Minister of Public Administration, Goran Mincev, said the 1st Deputy PM shouldn’t act “like Alice in wonderland”.
Nonetheless, Mexhiti responded to the Minister’s comments by saying the he shouldn’t act like a copy of the leader of Levica, MP Dimitar Apasiev. In that regard, he stressed that equitable representation of ethnic Albanians within state institutions was a constitutional category.
Friday had also seen a reaction from the Minister of Finance, Gordana Dimitrieska-Kocoska, who stated that she hadn’t signed off on any consent on new employment processes.