Good morning. You’re reading a daily contextual review of the news that marked the previous day.
By Ljubomir Filipović, CdM analyst
Ministers’ arrogance in the parliament
Yesterday, Minister Vesna Bratic and Minister Aleksandar Stijovic, the flagships of the right-wing clerical-nationalist policy of this government, dominated the parliament with their lack of education, waving with hands and quite arrogant attitude. First, Minister Bratic said that “nothing is sacred to the opposition”, that they left Montenegro as after the tsunami and similar things. SPD MP, Ms Draginja Vuksanovic Stankovic, reminded that it wasn’t exactly like that and that she was granted citizenship during rule of the former government, asking her mysteriously which party she was a member of when obtaining citizenship. SD MP, Mr Boris Mugosa, and URA MP, Ms Bozena Jelusic, also reacted to the Minister’s boorish behavior.
Minister Bratic announced that she was going to dismiss heads of public institutions in Montenegro. She even went a step further, telling that they “should not wait to be dismissed by operation of law”, but resign before it. We shouldn’t have doubts about the Minister’s future staff and her criteria in the selection of new directors. It’s enough to take a look at her cabinet.
However, Minister Stijović dominated the stage with his rude behavior, who, in an effort to imitate Mr Abazović, was waving with his hands, and then even yelled at MPs a little bit, threw his documents, taught them how to behave properly. He was angry at farmers as well, whom he insulted and asked “is he supposed to transport their cattle”. The leader and MP of the SDP, Mr Rasko Konjevic, reminded him of the fact that he can’t take out his frustrations on the opposition MPs, but should rather choose those who named him as a minister, adding that he should be nervous at them. If his intention was to help Montenegro, Mr Konjević said, and didn’t care about politics, he can always resign. He mentioned a €200.000 budget line for consulting services in Mr Stojović’s ministry, recalling that a total budget support to the agriculture is of the same amount.
Becic and Abazovic did(n’t) see a fundamental agreement
The DF MP, Mr Milan Knezevic, told that PM Mr Zdravko Krivokapic was not the only one who had seen the fundamental agreement, as DPM, Mr Dritan Abazovic, and the Parliament’s Speaker, Mr Aleksa Becic, saw it as well. “I claim that both DPM Dritan Abazovic and the Parliament’s Speaker Aleksa Becic saw it, as the PM himself was justifying in the Patriarchate that he had been under great pressure of Mr Abazovic and Mr Becic not to sign it, and I think that even some ministers saw it, Mr Vladimir Leposavic who was engaged in its harmonization,” Mr Knezevic told the press in front of the prosecutor’s office.
Democrats denied these allegations. Mr Abazovic didn’t react yesterday.
Integrations
EU integration is not a priority for this government. They’re constantly talking about integrations, but the almost non-existence of a negotiation team is a proof that they really don’t care much for the accession process. So, to disregard political opportunities for a moment, if anything decides on or slows down the process, it will be bureaucratic obstruction.
This is also suggested in the EC’s informal non-paper working paper on Montenegro’s progress. While praising certain reform processes, the EC emphasizes the need to build an independent prosecutor’s office, and pays special attention to the situation in the media – but does not criticize attacks and pressure from the authorities and threats to journalists, but cares about bias of the public broadcaster, RTCG. It seems that someone in Podgorica does not keep people from the EC up-to-date.
The Association of Lawyers of Montenegro called on the government to appoint heads and members of working groups for negotiation chapters 23 and 24 as soon as possible, because it’s extremely inappropriate that a state that has been negotiating with the European Union for nine years does not have nominees for the aforementioned positions.
Reactions to the spread of ethnic hatred by Barbarians
After the unpleasant scenes from the MNE Cup final at the football match between Buducnost and Decic, numerous activists and politicians reacted. President of Montenegro was the first one to react, followed by the Albanian parties. A part of people from all over Montenegro showed solidarity with FC “Decic” on social networks and shared the coat of arms of this football club on their profile pictures.
Joanikije’s statement – a poke in the eye
New Metropolitan Joanikije has not even taken over yet, but has already started to “reconcile” in Montenegro. His first statement was a poke in the eye. The most painful topic and his insistence on construction of a chapel on Mount Lovćen, because that would crown, as he said, the construction of a large number of Lovćen chapels in all “Serbian lands”. Obviously, his task is not to reconcile, but to provoke.
That’s all for today. Until tomorrow.
