“The people in the public sector wear rubber boots on their feet”

“The positive aspect of the transfer from the civil sector to the state institutions is that a space is open for involvement of new people and fresh ideas. The negative aspect of this transfer is that the civil sector has been weakened because it should have the role to criticize the Government”, Branimir Jovanovik said at the thematic forum of Civica Mobilitas “Cooperation between the new Government and the civil sector in Macedonia” held today (26.10.2017) in hotel Metropol, in Ohrid.

At the forum, besides Jovanovik, Sanela Shkrijelj and Trajan Dimkovski, civic activist until recently, and now engaged in the Government of RM, also talked. They, together with the representatives of civil society organizations had a broad discussion about the phenomenon of increased engagement of the civic activists in state institutions, potentials resulting from such transfers, as well as the opportunities for overcoming the newly created challenges.

“I consider this as a temporary engagement, by which I will contribute to some reforms which I believe should be made”, Sanela Shkrijelj, Chief of the Cabinet of the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, said. She stressed that she believed in an increased partnership between the civil and public sector and in her decision to be part of the change that she wants to achieve.

Trajan Dimkovski, Chief of the Cabinet of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy, said that he did not choose politics, but the politics chose him. However, when he accepted this position, he was not aware that he would face such bureaucracy which was very difficult to move. “I do not believe that this will change soon. On several occasions, I was told that people here wear rubber boots on their feet.”

Branimir Jovanovik, Advisor in the Cabinet of the Minister of Finance, shared his initial experience in the Ministry of Finance. “I expected to face greater resistance by the people already working there. I thought that I was entering an arena of lions and beasts that would tear me apart and that would constantly obstruct us. It was surreal to perceive how great their cooperation was. I am still not sure whether the people had been under such a great pressure and looked forward to seeing things in the Ministry change, or they act and only want to keep their positions and power”, he added.

During the discussion, the representatives of civil society organizations encouraged the former civic activists and told them to adhere to their decisions and that they see them as allies that are going to fight for the civil sector.  But, they also promised them that they would severely criticize their decisions if they lost their current values.