The mountain shook, but not a single mouse was born and the caravan left, and only the dogs remained barking. This is the epilogue of the most shameless increase in officials' salaries, after the frozen base was lifted on March 21 with a petition to the Constitutional Court, so they grew by a fantastic 78 percent. The act began with the supposed surprise of the officials from the Court's decision, so some of the ministers argued that it was not right in the middle of an economic, energy and what-not crisis that they should receive a maximum increase in their monthly incomes, another part of the officials received an attack of nobility and they announced that they would donate the increase, then the opposition shouted "whoa" once, the second time they only shouted "u", and the Government, which rushed to promise the citizens that they would immediately take measures to "cancel" the Court's decision, even more expressively shut up after Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, with a calm voice, calmly taught us all that this is the decision of the Constitutional Court, it is final and must be respected! Since then, the Government respects its judgment, neither proposing nor changing anything. The Assembly also respects itself, in the courts, prosecutor's offices, enterprises, wherever there are elected and appointed officials who "strictly respect the salary law", because, it is known, officials respect laws! And instead of an immediate change, the standard fraud happened and the officials got fed up with the salaries for April and May, increased by about four more minimum salaries, so now one official's salary is equal to eight minimum salaries.

Cheers! To them the salary, to us the nervousness from the thought that 307 thousand workers in Macedonia out of a total of 520 thousand employees work for less than 500 euros per month, and to survive the month in a family of four, a minimum of 900 euros is needed! Of these, as many as 45 workers receive a minimum wage of 330 euros or less, and with two minimum wages the survival of the family is not guaranteed, although the right to life is included in the Constitution. For a family with a minimum wage, however, it is incomprehensible how they manage and how they endure that their children go to bed hungry, and they eat every second or every third day!

And officials, if they want, can eat cakes after every meal! To sweeten themselves after the heavy official duties and responsibilities that bring Macedonia to Europe, as if passing through a golden door. Because, according to their logic, it is more difficult to take the country to the EU than to ensure that the people are not hungry. European integrations are complicated, fitness, common sense, and of course great self-sacrifice are needed, so money for cakes is also needed.

And the citizens also do not sleep from worry. But they don't care about European integration, but about economic problems, about living standards, low wages and pensions, about crime and corruption that flourish everywhere, and about price increases. As the latest NDI public opinion survey showed, as many as 56 percent of citizens believe that the state is moving in the wrong direction. Almost 40 percent believe that the economic situation, the standard of living and the amount of wages and pensions will worsen in the next 12 months.

Government policies are not giving the desired result for the citizens. In a private form, if there are no results, the owner does not increase the salary, but resigns. In the state, the voters, that is, the citizens, not only cannot fire officials who do not meet expectations, but will continue to give them an increased salary. Instead of new schools, playgrounds and parks, the money will go into the pockets of ministers, deputies, mayors, judges, directors, managers... No one knows exactly how many officials there are, nor what their salaries are now, to calculate how many millions of euros a month they flow into their pockets. To the same ones who swear by transparency on the "road to Europe"!