Good morning. You’re reading a daily contextual review of the news that marked the previous day.
By Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM observer
Serbia’s meddling
Some people seem to have woken up last week and saw that Serbia has been meddling in Montenegro’s affairs. Some of us could have told them about it a long time ago. What has actually happened so that a part of the public has figured out that the independence of the country is threatened? A year, five and 10 years ago, leaders of Serbia were telling the same things they’re telling now. What made Mr Becic passionately declare that he would defend Montenegro from enemies. It’s true that members of his party, not once but twice, after that justified themselves by noting that they’re friends of Serbia and that Serbs and Montenegrin are still brothers. It’s true that the PM told two days ago that we and Serbs are one. But we’re not one with Vucic. Why? What does our PM find wrong with Vucic? Or better to ask: what does Vucic find wrong with the PM? Is Vucic an autocrat – he is. Is the situation in Serbia when it comes to human rights worse, when it comes to media freedom – than it has ever been in Montenegro? It is.
Daliborka Uljarevic believes that Vucic is frustrated because he doesn’t control the processes in Montenegro. But, is it that he really doesn’t control the processes, or he doesn’t control them as much as he would like. His people run medicine, science and culture, they also run the largest religious community in Montenegro, they run the electricity industry, agriculture, urbanism and construction, and they run some media. And all this is the result of changes that were wholeheartedly backed by Krivokapic, Becic, Abazovic and a bunch of activists who are becoming aware of it today. Nobody cared that Vucic directly and indirectly funded religious processions and waged a media war against Montenegro during the processions, nobody cared about growing a pumpkin of change of the government in Montenegro with him. Now, all of a sudden, it’s no longer a funny story that they will take our country to the city of Cacak.
Ivica Dacic urged Joanikije to gather members of the opposition, after which Aleksa Becic reacted. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted as well, to resent Dacic’s suggestion to have a meeting at the Metropolitan’s. Dacic then reminded them of the fact that this government was formed in a monastery, as it couldn’t be done differently. An interesting conflict, having in mind close ties between the Democrats and the SPS. Did our leaders wake up when the Serbian tabloids started to run campaigns against them, or it’s just another game.
We’re facing a clash of two worlds and proof that Montenegro and Serbia are not the same. There are great cultural and other differences between our societies. Montenegrin Serbism is still provincial and, in Belgrade, it seems as if it came from Vranje, for example. Belgrade makes fun of it, its accent, patriarchy, peasant naivety – it’s what Vucic and Dacic are doing right now with that Belgrade arrogance, looking at it with a kind of contempt. By provoking from the spond, Dacic provoked a statement of the Democrats – the two-sided
nonsense and phrases that no one in Belgrade is reading. But you yourself chose to be the province of that world, instead of being the boss in your house. I hope it changes now.
While official Belgrade is making fun of us all, together with our lost fellow citizens, and while we’re fooling around with politics, they are gradually but definitely grabbing our economy.
Issues in the ruling coalition
The Democratic Front harshly reacted to the attacks by their coalition partners on their boss from Belgrade. Speaking on B92, Andrija Mandic heated up nonsense that Zdravko Krivokapic and Aleksa Becic had betrayed Serbianness with the Srebrenica resolution. The SNP and Miodrag Lekic launched an initiative for talks within the coalition, excluding the PM. At the same time, Knezevic was mentioning Abazovic and Becic, noting that new elections depended on them.
The expelled former Secretary General of the Government, Bozo Milonjic, says he’ll air some dirty laundry in the media if they somehow reveal some compromising facts that they’re talking about secretly. Prime Minister Krivokapic is also threatening professional Serbs and Montenegrins. While Dritan Abazovic speaks very badly about the PM at party meetings, the DF offers him the post of a prime minister. All in all, intrigues and powerlessness. Anarchy.
Minister yells at businessmen
Yesterday, the Board of the Association of Traders of the Chamber of Commerce held its 10th extraordinary session, at which the announced amendments to the Law on Internal Trade were discussed, enabling companies and micro-enterprises to work on Sundays during the season. On that occasion, the young minister Jakov Milatovic shouted at the present businessmen, who asked him to behave more decently. It was painful to watch.
They signed memorandum with themselves
While the DPM threatens the half of Montenegro, that half seems to be laughing out loud at his comic inability to perform affairs in the administration. They have obviously nothing to do and sign memorandums with themselves. As an old Serbian saying goes – Idleness is the devil’s workshop.
DF against rector Bozovic
The DF can’t forget the “betrayal” of the acting rector Vladimir Bozovic and his support to PM Krivokapic. Either that’s the thing or some personal conflict between the PzP officials and the Rector. Several PzP members work at the university and maybe he blocked something theirs, so it’s why they make problems over his choice.
Dismissal of Branko Azeski
Not many countries can boast about having an honorary consul who’s the president of that country’s Chamber of Commerce. This was the case until recently in North Macedonia, where the Montenegrin consul was Branko Azeski. Now our government is saying that Mr
Azeski was working against the interests of Montenegro. They allegedly found out about it from the security services. This should be investigated.
Recommendation
Watch the TV show ‘Zumiranje’ on the public broadcaster and Djordje Scepanovic speaking in it. His views are interesting, whereas his columns are widely read.
That’s all for today. Until tomorrow.
