Chento Postage Stamp Hero

METODI ANDONOV-CHENTO

LEARNS THE TRUTH TOO LATE

 

1943:  Metodi Andonov-Chento (1902-1957) a very popular Prilep merchant and a member of the interwar Serbian-based Alliance of Agrarian Workers, is drawn to the Partisans. Because of his political appeal to the non-communist majority in Macedonia and because he advocates resistance to the Bulgarians, he becomes one of only three Macedonians elected to the Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ). He is present at the historic Yayste meeting of the Council on 29 Nov 1943, which defines Macedonia's place in the Yugoslavia federation. Chento later refuses to sign the new Yugoslavian constitution because the right of the Republics to secede (that is to become independent sovereign states), as originally agreed at the Yayste meeting, is not included. Tempo, Tito's infamous henchman, holds a gun to Chento's chest and forces him to sign.

1944 Aug: Chento is elected first President of the Anti-Fascist Assembly of National Liberation of Macedonia (ANSOM). Later Chento and Pavel Shatev (Minister of Justice, and the only survivor of the Salonica Dynamiters) go to see Tito in Belgrade. At the meeting, the Serb, Alexsander Rankovich (member of Tito's Politburo) turns to Shatev and says

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN HERE, YOU BULGARIAN DOG?"
Alarmed by these events Chento returns to Skopje and tells his friends
"BROTHERS WE HAVE BEEN FOOLED! KNOW WE ARE BULGARIANS, BUT WE WERE THINKING AS MACEDONIANS SO AS TO CROSS THE BRIDGE, BUT ALAS! WE CANNOT LIVE WITH THE SERBS."
[Source: Venko Markovski]

In the Macedonian Assembly Chento now starts speaking out against the Yugoslavian Communist Party and calls for increased Macedonian self-determination.

1945 July:   Chento has his first discussions with a high official from the Soviet Embassy in Belgrade. In the course of the meeting, Chento asked for an answer concerning the alleged decision for a proclamation of an independent Macedonia under American auspices. He had heard about that on the radio news covering the meeting between the Great Powers in Berlin.

1945 Aug:  Chento again meets a representative of the Soviet Embassy in Belgrade. He is very critical of the general situation in Macedonia, particularly the political and the economic circumstances. Among other things, he talks about the disrespect for legality in Macedonia, nepotism in the leading structures, a lack of basic food stuffs, exploitation of Macedonian resources etc. Chento suggests that a group of political and military leaders are removed from Macedonia by sending them to Belgrade. The names of General Mihailo Apostolski, Kiro Gligorov, Vladimir Polezina, Lazar Sokolov, Petre Piruze, Venko Markovski etc, are mentioned.

1946 Summer: Chento resigns his position in the Macedonian government, and travels to Prilep, his birthplace. In the town square Chento makes an angry public speech, attacking the prevailing alignment with Belgrade. He condemns the planned changing of their Bulgarian language and Macedonia's continuing domination by Serbian administrators and advisers. Widespread unrest follows Chento's speech and 37 protesters are reportedly killed at a demonstration in Resen.

1946 July:  Chento is arrested while attempting to cross into Greece on route to the Paris Peace Conference with a petition on the future status of Macedonia. Chento is charged with being a former IMRO agent, a bulgarophile, and working for an independent Macedonia.

1946 Nov 19:  Chento, on Tito and Kolishevski's orders, is tried, convicted and sentenced to 11 years hard labour.
Two of the judges who find Chento guilty are Kole Chashule (who today portrays himself an ex-Communist "literary lion") and Lazar Mojsov, suitably rewarded by later becoming Yugoslav Foreign minister and presently enjoying retirement in Belgrade (where else?).
Pavel Shatev 
1950 Jan 30: Pavel Shatev dies of starvation while kept isolated and under "house-arrest" somewhere in Bitola. He, like many others, finally realise, but much too late, that the only YCP agenda in Macedonia is to eradicate everything Bulgarian. The prisons are full and overflowing. The YCP's executioners work day and night.

 
1955:  After serving 9 long years Chento is released. Kolishevski, hoping Chento is now suitably "re-educated" meets him at the prison gates and offers to drive him back to Skopje. Chento replies:

"I STOPPED RIDING IN THOSE (SERBIAN) CARS A LONG TIME AGO"
and takes the lonely long hard walk home rather than associate with Kolishevski. He eventually finds employment as a labourer 'stringing' telegraph wire across the country.

1957 July 24:  Chento, in very poor health from his long imprisonment, dies in Prilep.

Chento, and many, many others felt they could use the Serbo-communists and their lackeys, like Kolishevski, to achieve their own agenda. However, the Serbs were always one-step ahead, as Chento finally discovered, but way too late. Some like Shatorov, always understood the Serbian solution, that is why he turned his back on Tito's Yugoslavian communist party and fought only for the liberation of Macedonia. And that is why in the end Shatorov and his followers were hunted and killed by both Yugoslavian and Bulgarian communists.
1990: A Macedonian review court overturns Chento's 1946 conviction and declares him 'innocent'. However, no attempt is made to try Kolishevski (died in luxurious retirement, 2000), Chashule or Mojsov for their murderous crimes, not only against Chento, but all the Macedonian people.

1993: Two years after 'Independence' surviving political prisoners demand that the Public Prosecutor's office instigate an inquiry of all the past Macedonian Communist ruling leaders so they may be tried for treason and crimes against humanity. The governing Social Democrats Party orders the Prosecutor's office to drop the investigation.

1993 Aug 2:  As part of the 50th jubilee of the first ASNOM Assembly, Kiro Gligorov and Stojan Andov pay their respects to the fallen fighters at the city partisans cemetery and also at the grave of the first ASNOM president, Metodi Antonov Chento, in Prilep.

2002:   Metodi Antonov Chento is finally immortalised, by his very own executioners, as a postage stamp "hero".

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