Privatization: on the scene in Macedonia

just since i've been here - friday, yesterday and today - the city center of skopje has been completely snarled by roadblocks thrown up by those protesting the planned sale of the national electric company's distribution system to a foreign investor...

The protests against sale of ESM Distribution (ElektroStopanstvo na Makedonija www.esmak.com.mk) that resumed today at Skopje's streets have been organized by "misinformed" citizens, said Macedonian government, proposing a meeting for clarifying the company's privatization process, the Macedonian Makfax agency reports. "We propose a meeting aimed at explaining the facts in order to rectify your confusion caused by false information", Government's spokesman Agim Jonuz told the representatives of the civic association Voice of Light.

[...]

Last week, the three-day protests proved stronger than those organized last month, mobilizing greater attendance and causing heavier traffic congestion. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles were forced to take long detours to reach their destinations.

[...]

The Ambulance Service was the only one to raise objections, since the traffic jam caused delayed call responses. Nevertheless, the employees underlined that their vehicles were never denied passing through. In the meantime, the government braces for the final stage of the ESM public bidding procedure.

what many of my fellow citizens in the u.s. fail to understand is that, while our u.s. government piously preaches the benefits of private enterprise and pushes privatization in former command economies at every turn, the good people in these countries have gotten consistently, repeatedly and seriously ripped off... when macedonia privatized its telecom, there was an enormous cash surge into the country but over 25% of it disappeared into the private pockets of the "usual suspects..." shortly thereafter, the average monthly phone bill increased from 500-600 denars to 1500-1800 denars... and that's just ONE example... the citizens are, quite understandably, fed up, not only with their government's corruption but also with the holier-than-thou crap that so often gets shoved down their throats...

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