Политика

In issue 33 of v. "Tempo" got acquainted with the critical remarks of Mr. Alexander Arnaudov, Chairman of IMRO - Pazardzhik and given his final conclusion that I have exposed "claims harmful to the Bulgarian national cause", I allow myself to replicate directly and briefly on what was written:
First: regarding the terms "Macedonians" and "Macedonian Bulgarians". I consider Macedonians to be Bulgarians and then to be the coolest and most worthy Bulgarians. For misunderstood convenience, the "kind" term "Macedonian Bulgarians" is applied, which in its essence is a serious national retreat and a big taffeta mess, because there may be Macedonian Albanians, Macedonian Vlachs or Tsintsars, Macedonian Gypsies, but not Macedonian Bulgarians, as in its essence and content it means "Bulgarian Bulgarians". No one in our country uses a similar term for the other land ingredients of the Bulgarian nation - Dobrudzhans, Thracians, Shopps, etc. and does not call them Dobrudja Bulgarians, Thracian Bulgarians, Shopski Bulgarians, etc. Macedonians were called our ancestors, grandfathers, fathers, etc. and without a shadow of a doubt that they are by nationality only Bulgarians. It is not for a vague and harmful consideration, and that of a political or conjuncture nature, to subvert our own national thesis. That doesn't make any other people.
Second: is the lack of a family root from Macedonia an obstacle in order to join or work socially for the Macedonian idea? In two words: categorically NO. But the content of the problem comes from the opposite side of the one Mr. Arnaudov uses, because the right to settle for Macedonia does not come from your land root as a Bulgarian, but from what you do (and not what you speak) for the people's work.
This is the case with Mr. Karakachanov and some of his associates. Everything I write concerns only the public activity for this share of the Bulgarian nation. I am sorry, but I cannot agree with Mr. Arnaudov that everything was just politics and that only through direct participation in political life would a real solution to the problems be sought. It's a lawyer's plea to create a party. Such creation made Mr. Karakachanov and his friends, and this despite two indisputable circumstances: * what the leaders of the historical V.M.R.O. wrote and defended. (Dame Gruev, Gotse Delchev, Hristo Tatarchev, Hristo Matov, etc.) * the result of the poll among the members of the Macedonian companies in the country: 95% against and less than 5% for a party - the materials from it are available.
There are no other problems for this party current, such as the genocide and marauding committed by the totalitarian state in our country of Macedonian public organizations during the period 1947-51, when in fact and with the repressive resolutions of the court and the prosecution were terminated, obliterated and robbed all Macedonian public organizations - created and supported by the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Macedonia. In the country were over 700 companies, fraternities, clubs, foundations, cooperatives, banks, etc., of which 160 registered as legal entities. In Sofia alone, 50 Macedonian public organizations were defeated. These were essential elements of the Bulgarian civil society. To date, none of them have been recovered.
Have you heard some of your deputies, leaders, etc. to have been alarmed or to have made a call somewhere on the abrogation of this genocide... No, no and no. Because it will not happen what is happening now on 5 Pirotska Street in Sofia... In order not to go into details, I attach the latest declaration of the Bulgarian League for the Protection of Human Rights - for information, if anyone wants to refute what has been written.
Third: as to the actual content and meaning of the concepts of patriotism, nationalism and chauvinism. I allow myself to point out a studio of my uncle Hristo Apostolov Matov, written 1917. with the title "ATLASSA'S ANSWER" on the occasion of what was written by the then Bulgarian Plenipotentiary Minister in Berlin Mr. Dimitar Rizov. This is one of the most edgy writings of this ideologue of the V.M.R.O., in which he condemns and collapses all attempts at chauvinistic flings. He found the latter to be one of the most serious plagues of the Macedonian case. Being the only country that, as a nation, borders on itself does not excuse us for allowing such flings. As to whether they exist or not - let's save it for another time. And as for the other two concepts - patriotism and nationalism, I would remind Mr. Arnaudov that the deputies in the 37th and 38th National Assembly were members of the parliamentary group, at the head of which was a person who denied nationalism and partially accepted patriotism - as long as it did not interfere with our membership in Europe. Let us not forget also that the entire Presidency of Pirotska 5 was included in the election headquarters of the presidential candidate who considered the Macedonian Revolution to be the romantic page of Bulgarian history, forgetting the thousands who gave themselves precisely for the Bulgarianness. I allow myself to invite Mr. Arnaudov to visit when coming to Sofia so that I can provide him with some books and documents, because I believe that we have no conceptual differences.
Hristo Matov, President of the Union of Macedonian Organizations