21.03.2024. » 05:52

OP - ED Between Belgrade and Pristina, how to survive as a member of the non-majority community in Kosovo?

Sixteen years after the self-proclaimed state, we are talking about the same problems and encountering the same or much more difficult information and statistics from the ground, where non-majority communities have been pushed, especially the Serbian community as the largest of them. in the abyss due to the pressure between Belgrade and Pristina.

Never more rights, never more money invested and never less the voice of the people heard. Ordinary people are full of despair, disappointment, debts, families scattered in all corners of the world, all with the aim of preserving their homes as long as possible. Why the law is not respected, why the law is not equal for all, why some people are deprived of their freedom without any evidence, are only part of the questions of ordinary people who have educated their children with their own hands and labor. their honest ones, who are mostly unemployed, or do whatever they want to feed themselves. While Prishtina talks about the opportunities it offers to non-majority communities, especially Serbs, to integrate and enjoy their rights guaranteed by the Constitution, on the other hand, Belgrade protects its people in Kosovo by reminding them mainly before the elections, after that, families are left to fend for themselves, especially those in remote and desolate villages, and as a result of all this, families leave us every day never to return. If only one of the many meetings in Brussels of the two sides were open to the media, perhaps only then would we understand who and how much really means well for us and who is fighting for our survival and prosperity. But it will hardly come this far, at least as long as politics is in the foreground and not human lives.

No matter how much we rewrite the laws of the European Union, we are not close to implementing them, and neither is the European Union itself. And is it possible to change this, of course YES, if people, above all, and the civil sector were stronger and louder. Nowadays, the only and best way to solve citizens' problems is to turn to a non-governmental organization for help, because the response of the competent bodies will come, first of all, through their involvement and of course the involvement of the media. But, unfortunately, we also have non-governmental organizations that deal exclusively with human rights, while they themselves discriminate and violate basic human rights.

For example, in a roundtable that brought together successful activists and organizations to talk about reducing hate speech to a group of young people from different communities, a representative of a well-known organization promoted hate speech among youth from the majority and from the majority communities using images of graffiti written somewhere in public spaces in the northern part of Kosovo as examples of hate speech. Without thinking about the consequences and of course how Serbian families throughout Kosovo feel in their homes (their personal homes) someone has written graffiti that can be understood as a threat and hate speech. This is just one example of discrimination and there are many of them. We only have to confess to each other, whisper that maybe everything will pass and when we see that it is not happening, then we leave quietly, because neither Belgrade nor Prishtina offers peace, stability, equality for everyone!

In which of the key sectors for life should we look at whether ordinary people are discriminated against, and who discriminates against us more on a daily basis, perhaps the health services that function so that most of the employed receive salaries from both Belgrade and Pristina for the sake of of integration and when you turn to them, you cannot get help, because the doctors offer us services for one week a month, then they leave and you wait for them until the next month. If you complain to the administration about the unprofessional behavior of a certain health worker, you will most likely end up forever on the "black list" of unwanted patients. Maybe it would be better if we were all doctors and treated ourselves, we could live longer!

So we don't have peace, freedom, home, work, health, but that's why we have educated and highly educated people. Study, graduation, employment! First of all, studies and graduation go by, with the occasional bomb alarm, protest or sudden invasion, but employment is almost impossible. Finally, verification of diplomas obtained in Kosovo and issued by Serbian schools is ongoing, but nostrification is not. Pristina blames Belgrade, Belgrade blames Pristina, and the youth with university degrees and master's degrees that are not valid, make us the best coffee in cafes. So, we add to the list that we don't even have a job, because the job is what you manage, regardless of qualifications!

And in order not to be "gloomy" that we have nothing and everything, we thank God for the good people we have, who are very rare and when we find them it is true happiness, who will help everyone without distinction religion, skin, color or nation, who need help and who want to do their job to the best of their ability (without any extra benefits). We also have certain media, which try to present problems with all the pressure and send the voice of their people to the world!

We also have several organizations that carry out projects with sincere intentions and work to influence the solution of the problems of their fellow citizens.

And we have saints, who have supported us in these areas for centuries and who unite us to get through the difficult days more easily and motivate us to wait patiently for better days with faith in God.

This would be the answer to the question of how to survive, from personal experience, and also from the experience of many people like me, day after day, until one day there is not an ounce of strength left and you realize that, where the basic human rights do not are respected - there is no hope for life or survival!