Good morning! Yesterday was Humanitarian Aid Day, but I didn’t see anyone mark it in Montenegro, except the mayor of Cetinje, who thanked a Montenegrin family from Berlin with whom he has fruitful cooperation. The Prime Minister clarified the situation regarding the plane from the UAE. Here’s why that matters.
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Yesterday was Humanitarian Aid Day
Yesterday, I talked to my friends. Many complain that journalists and columnists only write about identity, politicians, and their quarrels instead of real-life topics. However, when the writing focuses on education, social policies, workers’ rights, or party politics, it seems nobody reads it.
That will probably be the case with today’s text as well. But I believe quality matters more than quantity here. Those who carefully read socially important and responsible texts can better understand social problems and contribute more to solving them.
It hasn’t even been a week since the peak of the catastrophic fires and the wave of solidarity that followed—humanitarian aid, technical and logistical help from everywhere, and a lot of positive energy in difficult and tragic moments. Many were especially touched by the solidarity shown toward the family of the fallen soldier Dejan Božović.
But as soon as that news cycle passed, we started questioning who paid what and whose intentions were pure or not. Aid from Serbia was belittled primarily by the propaganda of Milan Knežević and others, then by inappropriate reactions to it. On the other hand, similar attempts were made to downplay Croatian, Italian, and other support because some felt it wasn’t fast or good enough compared to Serbian aid.
Despite all that, we missed highlighting that all this support was possible thanks to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which covers a significant part of the costs for crews and aircraft sent to Montenegro.
The same applies to the Ukrainian plane from the UAE, for which, according to the Prime Minister, the costs will be covered by their state.
These are important points and need to be emphasised. Yesterday, someone tried to belittle the Alabbar donation. Maybe some don’t like the method or the large checks. Maybe the firefighting teams’ formation before the donor seemed too much, but that doesn’t diminish the importance of the investment.
He has interests and wants to work in Montenegro. That’s why he wants to appeal to the local public, just like many corporations from the US and EU, which have invested millions of euros in humanitarian and reform activities in Montenegro.
That’s why it’s important to remember all donors. Some give publicly, some anonymously. Some donate motivated by business and interests; others out of patriotism. All of this is legitimate.
The lesson we should take from what happened last week is to promote and encourage a culture of giving—everyone according to their means. You saw how €150,000 was raised through small steps by the efforts of students and our young expatriates.
Many wrote last week in a trance that they want to become a Montenegrin family when they grow up. I wonder why wait? Anyone can help now. Maybe not with hundreds of thousands of euros, maybe not even with money at all. But they can do it through volunteering, solidarity, and mutual support.
That’s all for today. Have a pleasant rest of the day.
Kind regards,
Ljubomir Filipovic, CdM analyst and columnist
(Columnists’ opinions and views do not necessarily reflect those of the CdM editorial team)
