by M. KUBUROVIC
Thanks to some Belgrade dailies that also published the abovementioned photo, as well as the Internet and e-mail we found out that the main characters from that photo are Belgrade priest Vladan Perisic and members of the special unit of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, also known as "Frenki's boys" or "Red berets".
Hierarch Dr. Vladan Perisic, professor of Christian Anthropology at the Theology School and Seminary of the Serb Orthodox Church in Belgrade and the priest of the Belgrade church of Ruzica (in the Kalemegdan fort), believing that "there was no need for media exposure" of either him or the mentioned photo, nevertheless politely agreed to answer who the young men in uniform were, where and when he met them and what he said to them...
"My encounter with the special forces members, who were supposed to defend the Radio TV building in Takovska St., took place on October 5 in the afternoon, after the entry of the people in the Federal Parliament, and before the 'fall' of RTS. I approached them, attempting to strike a simple conversation and pleaded with them not to shoot at their own people, even if ordered to do so. Some of them responded favorably to my plea and other were silent. Some of them sought my blessing for their refusal to obey orders even if ordered to shoot. Our conversation was plain, humane and I really can't think of anything else to say about that except that I am happy that everything ended the way it did, in the best possible way and that special forces policemen did not agree to kill their own people in defense of the regime," Dr. Vladan Perisic said yesterday for Politika.
We still haven't managed to find the young men with whom priest Vladan Perisic struck the conversation on that historical Thursday. It is certain that they are members of the Special Operations Unit of the State Security Department of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs who on that crisis day, in armored Humvees were taken to the streets of Belgrade to confront the people. They listened to Fr. Vladan's pleas and refused the use their arms that afternoon and instead merged with the people.
by Jagos DJURETIC
Unfortunately, the parties that refer to themselves as "leftist" could together with the Socialist People's Party of Montenegro form a coalition and a new-old government. Did the people vote for that? The rest of this article aims to prove that a formation of such a coalition would above all cheat the democratic will of the citizens and that the coalition of the "leftist" parties from Serbia and the SNP in the current conditions in the federal state, i.e. between Serbia and Montenegro, has neither legal nor political, nor even moral legitimacy. Why?
Instead of a direct answer, let us first ask the SNP representatives (who, as a rule, have the right to name the federal Prime Minister): will the laws adopted by their coalition partners be accepted in the territory of the state represented by them [in the federal government]? Will any future laws oblige the people of Montenegro or at least that part of the Montenegrin voters who elected them to the federal parliament? "Leftist forces" in Serbia, led by Slobodan Milosevic, with strong support of almost all the political factors in Montenegro did everything to make sure that that is not the case and that Montenegro leave the jurisdiction of the federal legislation, at least in the current constellation of political relations in Montenegro.
The necessary conclusion is also clear: the federal government rules Serbia. And who was elected by Serbian voters to represent their interest in the federal parliament? That is also more than clear - that is the DOS, the coalition that after all the known vote rigging in the House of Citizens of the federal parliament has at least 59 seats, out of 108 allocated to Serbian representatives, which is in any case more than a half of that block while, in the house of states, out of 20 seats allocated to Serbia, the DOS has 10, and "leftist parties" 7 seats.
Therefore, the forces of the former ruling parties (who are former because of the will of the people) remain in power, but with assistance of the SNP, which, by the way, does not have the support of the majority even in its own state. That is, obviously, both politically and morally insupportable.
However, I hear that the SNP insists persistently on the legal aspect saying: "we do not care about moral and political lectures. The Constitution gives us the right to do as we want."
However, if the SNP really cares about the federation, rather than to rule Serbia, because it cannot rule Montenegro, this party will contribute the most in the federal institutions by cooperating with the representatives of the majority in Serbia, and thereby keep an open door for the reintegration of Montenegro in the federation, relying in that role both on the historical and legal legitimacy. With real attempts to find the common ground with the other side in Montenegro in connection with the preservation of the joint state, the SNP would on the one hand assist itself and its opponents to leave the "old sin", and on the other hand confirm its political maturity and consciousness about the historical responsibility that has been missed so dearly in this region during the last decade.
Contrary, by their intransigent quenching of its political thirst from the still not abandoned wells of the former president of FRY these gentlemen only feed their illusions that the new representatives of the popular will do not have alternatives and will refrain from holding new elections in the possible future parliamentary crisis. Besides, that could be the quickest way to the final resolution of the relations between Serbia and Montenegro.
Finally, to make sure the SNP did not additionally complicate the matters by referring to the nature of the currently ruling coalition in Serbia, we should only mention that the abovementioned logic fully applies here as well. Radically different political will of the electorate in Serbia obliges the competent representatives of the popular will to call new elections for the Serbian parliament in which (that new majority) does not have a single representative. At this moment the ruling coalition in Serbia rules without majority support of the people and against its will. Reasons more important than dry legalism are forcing that coalition to shorten that mandate and establish the true democratic conditions. Besides, they are forced to do that by their long-term political interests, if they care about democratic credibility and political dignity.
Finally, it is high time to definitely adopt some rules of the democratic political culture, and without external pressure give our contribution to the civilized world, not in democratic cynicism and hypocrisy, both of which are abundant in these quarters, but exactly in democratic dignity, which is today direly lacking in our country.