Transitional Government

NIN, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia, August 12 1999

The father of a derelict people, Serbian Patriarch Pavle, in his pastoral mission, again attempted to reconcile a sackful of incongruities. He received the so-called opposition and gave it fatherly advice on how to work in the best interests of the people, in whose (the people's) best interest in claims to exist! The opposition, thus received, behaved according to the Gospel; everything was fine, humane, pious, unified, Amen!

There's always time to pick a fight later!

Now they're waiting for the Holy Transfiguration.

On that day, some kind of Biblical miracle is supposed to happen: president Milosevic, following the meeting, steps down in favor of Mladjan Dinkic in the same Christian manner in which he generally behaves, with kisses, congratulations, good wishes and pats on the shoulder! And Mladjan Dinkic on that occasion says to him: This is extremely favorable for your government. You will leave the government and continue to live in peace, while at the same time we, the opposition, will not get to run the government! The only thing we are actually taking from you is your title of the key player, which, to tell the truth, you never were anyway!

President Milosevic suddenly blinks but he remains calm; he doesn't call the police.

Vlajko Stojiljkovic [Serbian Minister of Police, also known as Vlajko the peasant] is on vacation in the village of Mala Krsna.

General Ojdanic is acting fortificationally: he's crossing pontoon bridges.

The country is happy, Kosovo is peaceful...

Kouchner has been dismissed.

Then, however, the dream hits a sand bar and the wan dream disappears! Vlajko Stojiljkovic is back from his vacation, Ojdanic is drawing new maps and Slobodan Milosevic is negotiating with his wife!

Dinkic and the others remain hopeful. Sartre says that hope is the only thing left to mankind in this imperfect world...

Nothing will come of it...

If the people were to ask my humble opinion, I personally would support the position of Vojislav Kostunica and General Perisic. They haven't used up all their energy in the present government... Kostunica mostly did nothing, while Perisic was a free-thinking soldier.

The state press, amok toward the regime, has a tendency to criticize Patriarch Pavle for getting involved in politics; a role which, the government media say, is not appropriate for the Church. The Church isn't getting involved in politics; it's getting involved in the fate of the people. The Church has always been involved in the fate of the people since the time of Stephen the First-Crowned (St. Sava [founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Stephen's brother] was the meddler then) to the present day. Ivica Dacic [spokesperson of Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia] or even Ivan Markovic from the Yugoslav United Left can't change that.

A part of Church's mission is to make us see reason. The flock must be able to reason. That is why Djindjic is partially right when he says that toward the end of August and the beginning of September pressure must be increased on Milosevic to make him see reason because the price of his departure will be twice as high if it does not occur in the fall.

There is something naive in Djindjic's rationale, nevertheless; a bill to pay without an inn-keeper to pay it to, that is, without Milosevic. What if the man rejects reason?

The dreamers and Dragan Veslinov:

"A transitional government must be established because it is clear that it would have legitimacy among the people, considering the parties standing behind it. Such a government would also attract international attention and, most probably, official recognition."

Considering the parties which stand behind it, I fear that the Patriarch cannot give them a transitional government.

That is the reason why Ivica Dacic just stated that public officials must be very responsible. He probably meant Patriarch Pavle as well, because the Patriarch is a public official. The Patriarch as such, behaves more responsibly than other public officials. He thinks only of the best interests of the people; he has no personal property. He travels by public transportation, frequently walks, uses the official car only when it is unbearably hot, because of his age.

[Patriarch] Pavle (Stojcevic) is, by general consensus, better and more humble than his people, better than every individual to whom it may occur to form a political party. That is why he understands, and receives, leaders of political parties.

With Pavle, says Vojislav Kostunica, one must be more serious:

"After meeting with the Patriarch, I realized that the Holy Transfiguration meeting was organized by a small group of people who did not know the difference between a priest, a bishop and a monk. I am skeptical that this group can do anything on our holy day of the Transfiguration."

One of the visitors, Vladan Batic, was encouraged by the visit and expressed doubt in the charisma of the movement's favorite, former governor Avramovic:

"Dragoslav Avramovic's idea, which still needs to be developed, is to form some kind of political coordination committee of the strongest parties and movements which could evaluate the work of the transitional government. This isn't rocket science. The duties of that government would be crystal clear. The return of Serbia into the world, international institutions, survival through the winter, establishment of diplomatic relations with the world and Europe, and the organization of truly free elections."

After all, the charismatic creator of the Dinar [Yugoslav currency] had already betrayed the opposition once by agreeing to join it and then withdrawing. For health reasons, of all things!

That the Patriarch is not involved in politics is further confirmed by the appeal from the conference of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church: "We appeal to and expect from the present presidents of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and of the Republic of Serbia, to give the opportunity to other people as soon as possible to take the helm of the state and lead the people out of the dead end, unless they really want to make their people and their state be their own hostages, by leading them into inevitable disaster."

From the Patriarch, that should be enough. Finally, the Patriarch will not appear at the Holy Transfiguration meeting: "The Patriarch will not appear because we are of the opinion that such a meeting is not the appropriate venue for a statement of the position of the head of our Church and this appeal is a sufficient message for those who wish to hear it."

The Patriarch has once again shown himself to be much better than his (political) flock...