Here we are at the very end of this for many one of the most difficult years. 2020 will not be remembered for good, but on the contrary, it is marked as one of the worst. The general pandemic of Covid 19 contributed 95% to that, which had negative effects on the daily life of man in every aspect. This world phenomenon has not bypassed our country, nor the Roma who live in it.
2020 has made a huge hole economically and socially. But what is most frightening, whether this pandemic subsides, the damage and the consequences are enormous, and in fact from an economic point of view exactly 2021 will be just a summary and counting of the huge losses. This means that if the Roma have been economically most marginalized for decades and centuries, it means that the next 2021 will be even more difficult. The reason is simple because in all that "trouble" who will remember the Roma? So from an economic hole, the Roma will be the "last hole" of the priorities. It will not be the first time.
As for education and the reforms that have been announced, I am not optimistic here either. Despite the difficulties with distance learning, due to lack of technical resources (laptop, computers, mobile, tablets, internet, etc.) Roma children will be even more handicapped because education reforms are a total unknown to this category of citizens. A second additional obstacle is that no Roma entity is involved in creating those plans. This is followed by the study of a language as compulsory where Romani is the third official language, and it is not even mentioned. So 2021 will be an even more complicated school year.
From a political point of view and the Roma political engagement according to the current course, it can be assumed that in 2021 there will be no progressive course or in other words - nothing good is being written to the Roma from that aspect. This is because at the moment there is no political party or leader who is a decision-making factor, and it all comes down to the well-known Roma rhetoric - splitting into small parts. If there is no consolidation, then the future of the Roma is uncertain. Here is the current moment with the local elections planned for 2021 in October. According to the projections, it seems that the mayoral function in Sh. Orizari will be conducted between several currents, which seems to be one of them, that it is time for the first female mayor of Sh. Orizari. At least such ambitions are overseen by the current leadership of the municipality.
But the fact is that to run a municipality no matter who it is requires good project management and implementation. It will be seen how that part will be used and those 1 million euros allocated by the Government of the municipality of Sh. Orizari for infrastructure projects.
Regarding employment due to the pawn with Kovid, it is generally known that many jobs were lost and the Roma were directly affected. Also, will anyone in 2021 remind the Roma that they also need work for economic recovery. Hard! Now the Government announces a fifth package of economic measures for businesses, but whether there will be a special program for Roma, it is very difficult to say. In fact, the chances of not being there are greater than there will be. I also wonder if anyone will try to explain or train those Roma companies and businessmen how they can apply.
One of the highlights of 2021 is the census. It is planned sometime in April 2021. According to previous censuses, Roma were third in number after Macedonians and Albanians. This statistical operation is very important, because in our country it works according to the representation. It is necessary now for the Roma to be aware and mobile for that moment. But will it be so? From the very beginning, it seems that the Roma are in minus 2000 people. This is due to the fact that with these new 700 phantoms who will acquire some kind of document, but is it enough for the census graph to be written as Roma? It is also known that just over 1000 are not even registered and it is known that they are here - they exist. The census is a moment of truth. However, it is known from the past whether those Roma in the past and even the present will be able to merge into another nationality such as Macedonians, Albanians, Turks and others. The risk is current. In Western Macedonia, Roma can easily become Albanians. In the central and southern part of Macedonia - Macedonians and those in the eastern and southeastern part - Turks.
And for employment quotas or scholarships, they are immediately like chameleons, they will immediately remember that they are - Roma.
That is our sad Roma reality. 2020 was black, but in my opinion 2021 will be even blacker, Black like our skin color. Do not be in the skin of the Roma!
