By Andrej Nikolaidis, CdM columnist
Guys: what happened with that famous, dangerous nationalism in Montenegro? I mean, what happened with both: Serbian and Montenegrin nationalisms?
I remember, not long ago, how editors and columnists who promoted moderation were seen writing about the dangers of two nationalisms. A bunch of articles published on the cover of ‘Vijesti’ trying to elaborate a thesis for which it wasn’t clear whether it was more stupid or more insidious. At the time, the two nationalisms were equated: one responsible for countless slaughters, ethnic cleansing, systematic rape, eliticide, urbicide and condemned for nationalism, and the other exhausting itself with the statement “we are not Serbs but Montenegrins”.
Where is that terrible Montenegrin nationalism? During which Dritan signed the fundamental agreement calmly and without protest. More people protested against the cutting of cypress trees in Bar than against that fundamental agreement.
And what about the Serbian one? Where are all those famous Serbian nationalists from Montenegro? Here they are – in NATO, their member, minister Krapovic, is trying hard to strengthen the Alliance. Here they are – in the Ministry of Interior, which their man, minister Saranovic, runs worse than Patrick Star, a friend of Sponge Bob, would run although it’s the strongest armed force in Montenegro, a reliable partner to NATO. Here they are backing Ukraine in the fight against homogenous, mono-religious Russia. Dear brothers and sisters, what about Serbian as your official language? What about the chapel, the bequest of Metropolitan Amfilohije? It is what it is, dear Amfilohije – business is business. What about withdrawing your recognition of Kosovo? What does Andrija do for your interests apart from displaying the tricolours across the parliament like a Labrador retrieving a stick from water, while those same flags will be removed as soon as he leaves – and he will leave, because he’s spreading them out like clothes for drying before he amended the Constitution.
Is that so, nationalists: each one of you got something. It’s been lasting for a while so now you’re silent. You have enough time for ideals.
Greater Serbia nationalism that stays in power by the will of Western powers and by disseminating liberal ideology, gained power, but lost everything else, including itself. That nationalism gave up on the anti-Western, anti-democratic, anti-liberal teachings of Justin Popović, in that way giving up on svetosavlje, whose father Popović is. It’s a stick. There are no carrots, because there will be no territorial expansion. Greater Serbia will not happen. They gave everything for nothing. Because they gave everything just to be in power, which is nothing and is less than that.
In that sense, Serbian patriotism of the winners of the 30 August elections looks similar to Montenegrin patriotism of the DPS: both are above all pragmatic, utilitarian and can be precisely expressed in money, as well as the number of jobs and privileges.
So it can be said that nationalism in Montenegro is secondary to Serbian or Montenegrin. It is primarily sponger-like and oriented towards small personal gains.
For dear Greater Serbia nationalists, wherever you are.
(The opinions and views of our columnists aren’t necessarily those of the CdM news team)
