WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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SOURCE:ANTENA M- AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
None of the initiatives proposed by the Speaker of the Parliament Andrija Mandić are accidental. They all have a clear target and are based on certain assessed needs of that political group, in order to try to protect their particular interests, said the executive director of the Center for Civic Education, Daliborka Uljarević, in the central news bulletin.
Uljarević believes that the current framework in which the initiative of the Speaker of the Parliament Andrija Mandić to declare criminal clans terrorist organizations appears is particularly interesting.
"The initiative was launched to the public immediately after the local government in Budva was formed. It should be borne in mind that one of the groups that refused to obey Mandić is linked to Milo Božović, who is accused of organized criminal association. Not so long ago, Božović was a close comrade of Mandić. So it is possible that this is a form, not only of what is presented to the public as the fight against organized crime and corruption, but also a new dimension of political showdown. I think it should be pointed out how dangerous it is if you introduce this type of political showdown into systemic laws or institutional action," says Uljarević, a guest on TV E.
The participants in the round table at Villa Gorica, where the initiative to declare criminal clans terrorist organizations was discussed, were mainly Mandić's advisors, government deputies, as well as Nebojša Medojević, after a long period of political abstinence. There were no representatives of the opposition, the civil sector, experts... Uljarević believes that there was no effort to, as he says, make the show convincing.
"If there were a serious intention within that political group to strengthen the institutions, then we would not have the police that are in such a state that they cannot catch the murderer (Alija Balijagić) who is in his late sixties for days, or if we had the kind of reaction that we had the opportunity to see in the double massacre in Cetinje. The Special State Prosecutor's Office does not even have decent working conditions, and the authorities try to refer to the successes of that state body every now and then. The Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is not that it is not strengthened, but on its board there is a man whose conflict of interest seriously threatens the integrity of the entire agency," Uljarević reminds.
A losing situation
The Speaker of the Assembly should be the one who establishes, maintains, and promotes dialogue within the legislative chamber, Uljarević believes. She adds that it is a losing situation in which the only way for Mandić to function in the Assembly without opposition is. Therefore, she believes, the Speaker of the Assembly should reconsider his position, how much capacity he has to perform such a function.
"This is not a position in which he (Mandić) can act dictatorially, but must try to find a solution that will be acceptable to both the opposition and the government. On the other hand, we had a period, especially in the run-up to Montenegro receiving IBAR, when the opposition showed a high level of constructiveness and voted for the largest number of laws, although they were aware and publicly said that these laws were not good. This obviously created some kind of desire among the government for the opposition to be an extra in everything, and if it does not behave accordingly - to be punished. This is not democratic and not sustainable," says Uljarević.
Awareness of the public interest
Speaking about the various initiatives of the Government, but also different positions on issues related to the increase in the rental price for beaches or the boycott of supermarkets, Uljarević says that it is clear that the executive branch does not act cohesively.
"Every day we have diametrically opposed positions of members of the Government on various issues. They deny each other every day and that's how it goes. The Minister of Economy is trying to respond in some way to the result of, I would say, a failed boycott, and on the other hand the Prime Minister is calling for such action. The Prime Minister is talking about how the number of employees in public administration is decreasing, and the Minister of Public Administration is citing completely different, exact figures. What we can conclude from this is that everyone in the Government is trying to achieve their own interests and that there is no one most important thing - awareness of the public interest and action in the public interest," Uljarević points out.
Protests, Democrats, Targeting
He believes that most of the Government is approaching the issue of student protests more cautiously, believing in the strategy that the protests will die down over time and people will get tired. However, the students' determination to persevere is obvious.
"We see determination and perseverance among students. The protests are not massive like in Serbia, but they also carry clear political demands, which are very important and are starting to spread like a capillary. This is not something that should be ignored, especially considering that we have elections in certain municipalities, which may affect the ratings of the ruling parties. The Prime Minister should think about how to close this story, adequately addressing the students' demands. It was not difficult It is assumed that his name is increasingly being mentioned in a negative context at protests, and he reacts negatively when his name is mentioned. The question is how much he wants to be a shield for the Democrats," Uljarević pointed out.
She explains that when the government targets those who point out problems, it shows that it does not have the capacity to solve problems. This, she adds, is obviously the case when it comes to the Democrats and the security sector.
"The essential question is how the Democrats will regulate the security sector or give up on it, not how many new enemies they will invent every day. Because, they are obviously laughing, that circle is widening, and it will turn out that everyone is guilty of something that they cannot do in their sector, that they have absolutely no responsibility. It will not be that it is exactly like that. It must be accepted that a certain position carries a certain level of obligations, that it requires certain capacities, both professional and political... If you cannot answer that, there is no shame in giving up and resigning. Many things that are done from those addresses are already becoming shameful," Uljarević concluded.
