Good morning! Yesterday, the Budva delegation was escorted from Brussels like from the uncle’s house. Did they really think that the EU would accept as the capital of culture a city whose mayor is in prison accused of smuggling cocaine? A city whose delegation is led by a supporter of Russian aggression in Ukraine?
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Budva is the capital of non-culture
This is a city that has been stripped of all dignity. It was taken away from it by the political leaders, who were elected by a large majority in the elections. And it is unimportant who belongs to which party, and how they declare themselves on the national census. It seems that no one is immune to the temptations of which there are too many here.
If we exclude seasonal workers, tourists, Ukrainian refugees and Russian exiles, this is a small place. Together with them, it is the second largest city in the country by population. However, the power is decided by those with regulated residence and citizenship. And those are in the minority, and vote for the ones who offer more. Fifteen years ago, over 70% of the people of Budva voted for the DPS candidate in the elections, and DPS had an absolute majority in the local parliament. In the last elections, Milo Bozovic won an absolute majority with just over 50% of support.
Milo Bozovic had the logistics and support of the top of the Serbian state, as well as the Vijesti concern and Zeljko Ivanovic, who promoted Bozovic as a street hero. Bozovic, until recently an MP in the Parliament of Montenegro, and a member of the Committee on Defense and Security, wasted all the support when, if the prosecution is to be believed, he ran out of cash, so he decided to get some money through a shipment of cocaine.
Budva is a city with many talented and educated people. Unfortunately, the best of us leave only to return sometimes. However, some of them come back and try to give meaning and elevate the city. So, Predrag Zenovic and Petar Markovic, young doctors of science, got a chance to do something and they tried – one as president of the Culture Council, and the other one as our ambassador to the EU. They gave wings to the initiative for Budva to apply for the European Capital of Culture, which Budva with its heritage can be.
But they were naive. They could not foresee that the mayor, who was supposed to introduce us to the EU, would be accused of crime. They did not believe some of us, thinking that we were spreading lies. But we are where we are.
They could not predict that when they hear how much money is at stake, the local and regional budget bloodsuckers will wake up, and they will eventually gather around the loot that was announced.
For months, a war has been going on in Budva over the money that should be allocated to the projects that Budva would need to support its status if elected. One part was supposed to be financed from EU funds, and a larger part from the local budget. An expert was brought from Serbia who launched the site. He received a lot of money for consulting services. After he came into conflict with local people, mutual accusations and threats began, but no one went public until the end. Everything ended with gossip in the corridors and provocations on some kind of panels.
But all of Budva has known about the scandal regarding the candidacy for about half a year. It knows and is silent. If this was happening during the DPS government, all the media and investigative journalists would have gathered here. But now they are all on the same side, and everyone can do what they want.
This city is full of bad taste and violence. The city is no more or less ruled by DF. Due to the burden of the past, DPS cannot fully use its opposition capacities. The DF partners from URA and Democrats are silent because they are afraid of what DF knows about them. Until then, we are decapitated and the city is managed by a guy who DF brought from Mojkovac a few years ago and who in a very short time acquired property that the people of Budva have been acquiring for generations.
That’s it for today. We wish you a pleasant rest of the day.
Kind regards,
Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM analyst and columnist
(The opinions and views of the authors of the columns are not necessarily those of the CdM editorial staff)
