By Andrej Nikolaidis, CdM columnist
I
Today, we’re going to talk a little bit more about – as Prime Minister Spajic would say – “rural topics”.
It’s true: our Prime Minister, from the stratosphere of modern trends, while holding a “workout drink” in one hand and, if I may assume, a vegan whole-grain sandwich in the other, from the tallest building in the city of the tallest buildings, said the statue honouring Pavle Djurisic and the massive historical revisionism carried out by his political and quasi-spiritual, para-political partners are a “rural topic”.
First of all, that peasant-versus-urban dichotomy used to be a great story, but has long since been exhausted. Today, anyone bringing it up can hardly be called an “urban person”. It’s like you’re still listening to the music of Doctor Iggy or the song ‘Kralj Kokaina’ (eng. King of Cocaine).
Secondly, because of that “rural topic,” far better people than either Spajic or me gave their lives at Sutjeska and Neretva.
Thirdly, it’s clear the Prime Minister doesn’t want to talk about it, because he’s running a catch-all party comprising people who strongly oppose historical revisionism, as well as those who, on that fateful day, regret not having been in Zaostro. So for Spajic, the easiest way is to declare the topic unworthy: amnesia for the sake of cohesion.
Fourthly, it’s clear the Prime Minister doesn’t want to talk about it because that “rural topic” is being pushed onto the public precisely by his political and para-political partners, who have no intention of giving up on it. So what will happen? They will continue with historical revisionism, while the Prime Minister will oppose it by insisting that engaging with it is beneath his honor and his progressive capacities.
Fifthly, the government claims its priority is to join the EU. That won’t be achieved by celebrating Nazis who served directly under the SS, like Djurisic. After all, in Europe, neo-Nazism isn’t considered a “rural issue.” But the people in the EU are a bit… unsophisticated; they’re not as progressive as we are. In that sense, my humble opinion is that the EU could really use a good ‘Europe Now 3’ program.
Sixthly, the Prime Minister, albeit unintentionally, with his statement embarrassed Croatia. Because, if Pavle Djurisic represents a “rural issue,” then so are Thompson and the slogan Za dom spremni. Meanwhile, the Croats, who, let us recall, are in the EU, are dealing with this as best they can.
Seventhly, speaking of Croatia… We can see that Ultra Montenegro is the one fixing relations between the two – well done, guys. Perhaps the Prime Minister should consider handing over the foreign affairs department to Ultra Montenegro, since they manage the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs better than the ministry itself. Or, given that the Prime Minister’s political and para-political partners are constantly and deliberately sabotaging MNE-CRO relations, maybe it’s best to declare that as a “rural topic” as well.
Eighthly, resisting historical revisionism and celebrating Nazis is not a “rural issue,” but an ethical imperative. Ethics is not found in stock market indices; or in cryptocurrencies; it’s not in the financiers of European fascist parties… And yet: a world without ethics is like shit in the rain. Or, if you prefer I’ll put it like this – ethics is like a parachute you carry day and night. Walking through the world isn’t easy; even sleeping with a parachute on your back isn’t easy. It isn’t. But when you fall, or someone pushes you off a cliff, that ethical parachute is the only thing that saves you.
II
Here’s a short documentary segment on rural topics: how Draza spoke about Pavle.
So, Draza is on trial. What follows are the transcripts from the Belgrade Trial of 1946, as found on novidani.com.
“The President: Were you aware at the time that Blazo Djukanovic, Lasic and Pavle Djurisic were collaborating with the occupiers?
The accused: I wasn’t aware of that until I came to Montenegro…
The President: Who held Kolasin at the time?
The accused: Pavle Djurisic.
The President: Were there any Italians?
The accused: None
The President: Did he take it by fighting or by an agreement with them?
The accused: By an agreement with the Italians.
The President: What kind of court did the Chetniks have in Kolasin?
The accused: I wasn’t involved in that in Montenegro, but what I do know is that Dragisa Vasic and Stevan Moljevic went there; someone was tried, but I don’t know who.
Let’s continue.
“Judge Lakovic: Were you constantly there, in the towns, together with Pavle Djurisic and Baja Stanisic?
The accused: Stanisic lived in Ostrog, and Djurisic in Kolasin.
Judge Lakovic: Did he go to Cetinje and whom did he visit?
The accused: He did, he went to see the governor.
Judge Lakovic: Was General Djukanovic under your command?
The accused: Yes, for specific reasons.
Judge Lakovic: Where did he live?
The accused: In Cetinje. I had my reasons for that.
Judge Lakovic: And the governor Biroli also lived in Cetinje. Against whom were your units fighting?
The accused: Against the Partisans, against the Ustashas, those were the enemies that needed to be…
Judge Lakovic: Primarily against whom?
The accused: Wherever the Ustashas were, against them.
Judge Lakovic: We have evidence that they collaborated with the Italians against the Partisans.
Accused: Those were units acting on their own. And all those agreements were made independently.
Judge Lakovic: When you were informed about this, what were your feelings and thoughts about the situation and those reports?
The accused: I don’t know, I didn’t approve of such actions.”
And then…
“The prosecutor: Alright, during the Third Offensive, were the people from those missions at your headquarters aware that Pavle Djurisic and other Montenegrin commanders were collaborating with the Italians?
The accused: I think Ostojic was handling that matter. That’s my opinion.
The prosecutor: For example: did Hudson (a member of the British mission) know that Pavle Djurisic had been collaborating with the Italians?
The accused: He could have concluded that on the very first day of the journey to Montenegro.
The President: Did Pavle Djurisic have any conflicts with the Germans from the moment you crossed the Lim River into Serbia?
The accused: He did not.
And we have finally come to the best part: Draza expressing his disgust over Djurisic’s crimes.
“The President: Are you aware that the commanders of the Chetnik units carried out massacres, arson, looting, and the killing of innocent civilians?
The accused: I can see it from the indictment, but I would first like to say the following: that never, from the time I became a soldier until the end of this war, did I ever allow the killing of an enemy soldier or fighter who fell into our hands, and even less a wounded person or civilian population. Both Dragisa Vasic and I were appalled by Pavle Djuricic’s reports, when he went on a mission but carried out actions that were real crimes. Often, the local population also participated, so all those mass crimes that were committed were not only the product of military units, but of entire groups of people…
The President: Alright, are you aware that your units and the commanders of Chetnik units, in collaboration with the occupiers, were killing civilians, committing arsons, and looting?
The accused: I only know about Pavle Djurisic’s actions when he went to the river Drina and the right bank of the Lim river. And I found out about it later, when he submitted a report on what he had done.”
III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECHyptNJ9xc&list=RDECHyptNJ9xc&start_radio=1
(The opinions and views of our columnists aren’t necessarily the opinions or views of the CdM news team)
