“Such statements were not heard four years ago when we, according to the coalition agreement signed by the leader of the Bosniak Party (BS) on behalf of minority parties, accepted the agreement according to which we have supported the current Speaker of the Parliament,” the president of the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI) Marija Vucinovic.
BS representative Suljo Mustafic said that his party might not be called anybody’s satellite. He added that they checked their support running independently in elections.
“When I hear complaints against us by someone who has never run the elections independently and who has 20% participation in the institutions with 3–4% support, I do not understand the reason for such comments and nervousness,” said Mustafic for the public broadcaster RTCG.
Representatives of the Albanian party Forca have also been surprised by the statement of the former head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, who is supposed to be the first to demonstrate respect for human rights, particularly minority rights.
“Krivokapic must understand that all of us are dispensable. Had this statement come earlier, it might have been taken seriously. In this way, it exceeds the threshold of a personal insult,” said Genci Nimanbegu.
For Krivokapic, minority parties are not only DPS’s satellites, but also forgeries of minority peoples who do not protect and do not truly represent the interests of civic and minority parties.
“It is just an excuse. Our voters certainly know who fights for their rights,” Vucinovic said.
Mustafic added that most of the people who had founded BS were in the Party of Democratic Action (SDA).
“We know that this was the only authentic representative of the Bosniaks in 1990s. Some were in the Liberal Alliance (LSCG)… So, we do not really remember the time when the Speaker of the Parliament was on that side, it came a little later,” Mustafic said.
The Liberal Party (LP) was also a Krivokapic’s target.
“At the moment such positions are what we need the least. We do not need a Montenegrin Donald Trump,” said LP leader Andrija Popovic.
He is convinced that Krivokapic’s insistence to remain the head of the Parliament, even though he went to the opposition, was a major stumbling block during the parliamentary dialogue.
“We believe that some kind of barrier to all the process was the survival of the Speaker of the Parliament. It seems to me that Krivokapic somehow has lost the compass in the last month,” said Popovic.
The interviewed representatives of the minority parties believe that the dialogue shall continue and that there is no alternative.
“Basically the parliament’s speaker’s post and fear of losing it was burdensome”, said Mustafic.
Azra Jasavic (the Positive Montenegro) believes Krivokapic’s inappropriate and undeserved rhetoric related to minority political parties is not a surprise. She believes that the political masks have fallen.
“In political terms, Krivokapic and the SDP would not exist if there was no minorities’ support. His statement showed the best who, in fact, simulated respect for minorities and minority peoples and who simulated democracy in this country,” said Jasavic.
