PART OF THE MONOGRAPH “GOJKO JAKOVLEVSKI” BY SLAVE KATIN
Since coming to Germany, Goyko Yakovleski has been involved in the activities of the emigration at that time. Thus, he met in Munich with one of the oldest emigrants Blagoja Shambevski – Shambe with the intention of establishing closer contacts with the Macedonian polit ical emigration. With his help, Goyko met Dragan Bogdanovski and provided him with closer links with Croatian and Serbian emi gration.
On August 22, 1963, Goyko Yakovleski gained political asylum. To obtain that sta tus, he spent six months in the Zirndorf refugee camp. The camp was located near Nuremberg, Bavaria. He spent his camp days in contact with the emigration that was also in the camp.
As a result of his connections with emi gration, Goyko Yakovleski became a mem ber of the Presidency of the Yugoslav Dem ocratic Union “Buducnost” at the Assembly held on December 1, 1962, in Munich. Boards of Croats, Serbs and Bosnian Muslims were elected at the conference, and a Macedoni an national group was formed, led by Goyko Yakovleski, for which he got membership ID card.
In his early years, Goyko Yakovleski man ifested political, cultural and church activ ity, and maintained relationships with nu merous Macedonian emigrants in Europe. According to Goyko’s story, in August 1971 at his request he changed his name and sur name from Goyko Yakovleski to Gotse of Macedonia. His activities were the main rea son why he had to wait many years to obtain German citizenship.
However, his persistence and deep con viction in honesty and loyalty to the Ger man state, which he always saw as the em bodiment of stable democratic society and a trustworthy righteous mediator, would yield the result of acquiring German citizenship.
At that time in Germany, Gotse of Mac edonia became a prominent businessman and respected citizen, but at the same time he was more affectionate towards his native homeland Macedonia.
As early as 1972, at the initiative of Dimko Nechevski as a president and Dragan Bog danovski as a member of the revolutionary wing of the Macedonian Liberation Com mittee (OKM), Gotse of Macedonia began his activity in the Macedonian patriotic organ izations. On the advice of Gotse of Macedo nia, the Organization will change its name from the Macedonian Liberation Committee to the Movement for the Unification of Mac edonia – DOM, at the Second Extraordinary Congress of the Committee held on April 30, 1972 in Bremen.
The main purpose of the Organization was the unification of the fragmented and enslaved Macedonia into an independent Macedonian state, so it accepted in its ranks anyone who wanted to work for the unifica tion of Macedonia, regardless of his person al ideas and philosophical understandings, regardless of whether he was a Democrat, Communist or Anti-Communist, and re gardless of his former ideological-political understandings and party affiliation.
Berlin
However, the authority of Gotse of Mac edonia among the emigration in West Ger many and wider in Europe was undisputed and undivided. He was a powerful man in the shadow, or in other words, an non-crowned leader of Macedonian emigration in Eu rope. He achieved this through his constant quiet and unobtrusive activity, and mutual contacts, which he had with the leadership of DOOM regardless of the individuals who were fractionally divided within that organ ization. Gotse of Macedonia was the pillar of the organization. His advises were wel comed in the organization and always im plemented.
In those early days of the formation of Macedonian patriotic organizations, Gotse of Macedonia contacted Bogdanovski and Shambevski and suggested that the DOM Organization (Movement for the Libera tion of Macedonia) be given the name of the Movement for Liberation and Unification of Macedonia – DOOM which was accepted with satisfaction among the first people in the organization. It should be mentioned that DOOM’s policy towards the Socialist Republic of Macedonia within the Yugo slav federation was clearly defined in the Political Platform adopted at the Bremen Congress. DOOM considered the Socialist Republic of Macedonia as a great histori cal achievement of the Macedonian people, as a Macedonian national state, and thus DOOM’s policy was not directed against the existence of SRM.
In March 1993, with the foundation of the Initiative Board for establishment of the Macedonian Orthodox Church “St. Clement of Ohrid” in West Berlin – Germany, the Holy Archbishop’ Synod unanimously confirmed and formalized the proposed composition, in which Goyko Yakovleski (Gotse of Mac edonia) would be the President.
Then, on January 27, 2002, at the Annual Assembly, on the proposal of the diocese’s bishop His Highness Gorazd, Goyko Yakovleski was ac cepted by acclamation as lifelong president of the Church of “St. Clement of Ohrid” in Berlin. Goyko Yakovleski was also a member of the Football Club “Macedonia” from Berlin since January 1, 1974, with which Goyko con tinued his sports activity he practiced as a student at the “Hajduk”, a club from Zubovce. In Berlin, his financial status enabled him to donate funds and help two Macedonian foot ball clubs “Macedonia” and “Ilinden”, as well as other Macedonian associations, organi zations and individuals.
On July 7, 1976, the Organizing Commit tee of the United Macedonians in West Ber lin headed by Gotse of Macedonia sent an invitation to all Macedonians living in West Germany at that time. In that invitation, the Board invited them on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the Macedonian nation al holiday “Ilinden”, organized by KUD “Var dar” and the football clubs: “Ilinden 1903” and “Macedonia” from West Berlin, to attend the festive celebration held on August 1 of the same year. The celebration was followed by a football tournament and a cultural-art event. In the crowded hall of Macedonian families, Gotse of Macedonia addressed the audience.
However, Gotse of Macedonia repeatedly contacted Dragan Bogdanovski who lived in Paris at that time. So did his brother Mane Yakovleski, whom Bogdanovski called “Duke Mane”. These two being affirmators and de fenders of ethnic Macedonia, in addition to their personal meetings with Bogdanovski, also had extensive written correspondence through which one can see his views on the future of the organization and the Mace donian emigration in the world in general. At the same time, Goyko and Mane knew about the temptations Bogdanovski was going through and what difficult problems he faced daily, from his imprisonment, tri al, serving his sentence, his activities to his death.
Gotse of Macedonia is one of the found ers of the political party VMRO DPMNE. Namely, in April 1990, Bogdanovski came to Berlin, where, with Gotse of Macedonia, his brother Manoil Yakovleski-Mane and Ste vo Donevski-the Mother, held the first con sultative meeting in the restaurant “New Skopje” for the establishment of the DPMNE (Democratic Party for Macedonian Nation al Unity) in the Republic of Macedonia. The same year, on June 17, the respected and honored for Macedonia, one of the founders of DPMNE – Goyko Yakovleski, alias Goyko Delchev Rafkin – Gotse of Macedonia ad dressed at the solemn assembly held in the “25 May” Youth House in Skopje when the party was named VMRO-DPMNE (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization – Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity).
To be continue
By SLAVE KATIN
