Uljarević: Congratulations to Vučić from Montenegrin officials are hypocritical; Vuksanović: These same political figures previously remained silent in the face of insults from the Serbian president
If you look at the labels Vučić used to describe students in Serbia, albeit over a somewhat longer period than was the case with the activities of the informal student group „Kamo śutra“ and the actions of Montenegrin government representatives, particularly officials from the Democrats, you will find identical expressions. In both countries, these labels were directed at actual political opponents and groups. The aim of discrediting them was the same - Uljarević stated
Executive Director of the Centre for Civic Education (CCE), Daliborka Uljarević, described the congratulations issued by Montenegrin officials following the election results in Serbia as hypocritical, inconsistent and insincere, warning that Montenegro’s democratic development is being constrained by Aleksandar Vučić’s political allies, who should not be forgotten.
In her view, it is particularly problematic that those offering congratulations included politicians who had previously failed to support the student movement.
- Yesterday, of course, the elections were followed with great interest. We did not all have the same attitude towards everything that had happened over the previous two years. The congratulations that came in were hypocritical, inconsistent and insincere - those who had so far offered no support whatsoever to the student movement were largely at the forefront of issuing them - Uljarević said.
She recalled that some Serbian students had faced difficulties when visiting Montenegro and had not been given sufficient media coverage by outlets controlled by the governing majority.
- In fact, they were at the forefront of attempts to censor coverage so that nothing about Vučić would be published that could be interpreted as expressing their own position - Uljarević stated.
She also pointed to previous events which, in her assessment, illustrate the attitude of Montenegrin officials towards Serbia and its president, recalling the charter flight incident and the organisation of a summit in Montenegro.
- Let us also remember that notorious charter flight, which was supposed to disrupt, in some way, the organisation of what was, at the time, the largest summit ever held in Montenegro. You could not hear a single word of protest from any Montenegrin official directed at Serbia or Aleksandar Vučić - Uljarević said.
She added that the congratulations issued by certain politicians could even backfire, given Vučić’s character and the way he treats political figures.
- Vučić is a very vindictive man. If he has time to analyse those messages of congratulations, they could come back to haunt their authors - Uljarević stressed.
Speaking about politicians who had remained consistent in their stance towards Vučić, Uljarević mentioned president of the Democratic People's Party Milan Knežević, leader of Free Montenegro Vladislav Dajković and leader of the Movement of People's Trust and former Minister of Sports Dragoslav Šćekić.
- There are other messages of congratulations as well. Some have remained consistent, such as Knežević, Dajković and Šćekić, while others have fallen silent in the hope that we will forget the decorations they received. We must not forget all of Vučić’s allies, because they are the ones constraining our society’s democratic development - Uljarević said.
She also highlighted similarities between the ways political actors in Serbia and Montenegro had discredited student and civic initiatives. According to her, similar expressions and messages were used in both cases to portray certain groups as threats to those in power.
- If you look at the labels Vučić used to describe students in Serbia, albeit over a somewhat longer period than was the case with the activities of the informal student group „Kamo śutra“ and the actions of Montenegrin government representatives, particularly officials from the Democrats, you will find identical expressions. In both countries, these labels were directed at actual political opponents and groups. The aim of discrediting them was the same - Uljarević stated.
Vuksanović: Serbia must come to terms with its past
President of the Croatian Civic Initiative and a member of the Parliament of Montenegro, Adrijan Vuksanović, said that some Montenegrin officials may have been surprised and confused by the election results in Serbia, prompting them to issue messages of congratulations immediately. Nevertheless, he believes they would have been just as quick to congratulate Vučić had the election outcome been different.
- Many of them would have congratulated him just the same if Vučić had won - Vuksanović said.
He believes Serbia needs to turn its attention to its own problems, confront its past and establish clear values that will serve as a guide for its future development.
- All of this looks to me like another attempt to rush forward and prove oneself in the public eye. I want Serbia to focus on itself, because it has done that less than anything else - to come to terms with its past and establish standards and role models that will guide it, rather than constantly wandering through the past and the darkness, blaming everyone else - Vuksanović said.
Speaking about the social and political consequences of the tragedy that triggered a wave of discontent in Serbia, Vuksanović warned that similar events in Montenegro were also being used to advance political objectives.
- The tragedy was the trigger. A major tragedy also occurred here, and it is a wound that will remain forever. But you can see that there are people on our political scene who want to turn every situation and every opportunity into something that serves their political interests. At that point, neither consistency nor principles remain - Vuksanović said.
He added that some recent statements by Montenegrin politicians gave the impression that Montenegro had always been a stronghold of anti-Vučić politics, even though those same political figures had previously remained silent in the face of insults from the Serbian president.
- If you look at today’s statements, you would think that this place had been a stronghold of anti-Vučić politics. Those leading the way are the very people who never uttered a word in response to all the insults coming from Aleksandar Vučić. Today, they are beating their chests and appearing rather belligerent, giving the impression that they have a long record of opposing Vučić. We must, however, acknowledge that Milan Knežević has been principled and has remained consistent in this regard - Vuksanović concluded.