Instead of holding a discussion on the revised budget for the Municipality of Bitola at today’s meeting, councilors from the ruling and opposition party argued over bilingualism. Igor Hadziev, a councilor of the VMRO-DPMNE party, caused quite a reaction when he spoke from the podium about villages and streets names in Bitola in Macedonian and Albanian.
“There will be investments in the village of Lopatica, or in Albanian “Lopatich”. Asphalt will be used for Siroka Street, or in Albanian “Igera” Street. This is what Macedonia will sound like with Zaev’s bilingual efforts”, said Hadziev.
Goran Kozarov, a councilor from the SDSM party interrupted the speech, and began to shout names in Bulgarian and Greek.
Isa Ibish, a councilor of Turkish ethnicity, and a coalition partner of the ruling party, when asked how he interpreted the provocation on bilingualism, he said that as a Turk he would demand a trilingual system in the country.
At the end, a councilor from the SDSM, Natasha Petrovska closed the discussion by saying that it is good for councilors from the government to read the Law on Languages, because apparently, they have been only watching one television channel.
