RESIST � SAY NO! with a New Model of Self-Protection for Citizens

31 August 2005

The RESIST SAY NO! civic action presented today, August 31, the results of its activities over the last 15 months, dedicated to the prevention of rampaging prices in terrestrial telephone services in Macedonia. They also announced the start of the �53 Percent� campaign, which proposes a new manner of payment of the August phone bills by the citizens.

�RESIST SAY NO� civil action has been established in May 2004, in protest of the then announced increase of prices in terrestrial telephony. In the 15 months of its existence, Resist Say No has started over 6,500 initiatives with the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Macedonia, to review the constitutionality of the subscription category introduced by the Telecom; become the second attorney of all citizens involved in litigation against Macedonian Telecommunications Company.

Also, they started an initiative with the State Public Prosecutor against Srecko Lazarevski from the Inspectorate of Markets and Kosta Trpkovski from the National Bureau Telecommunications, on charges of abuse of office. The Civic Action also demanded resignations from minister of transport and telecommunications and economy.

�RESIST SAY NO!� activities will continue with the �53 Percent� campaign, starting officially on September 5. The Action proposes a new way of payment for the August telephone bills, on postal money order form, noted on 53 percent of the total amount listed on the phone bill, together with the VAT calculated for that amount. This will exclude the paying of the �subscription� which is considered illegal by RESIST SAY NO, as well as the VAT on the operational costs bill, which should be an obligation of Macedonian Telecommunications Company to cover.