MONTENEGRO, BIH, KOSOVO The relativizers of the 'Serbian World' idea are a bigger problem than the actors themselves!

By: Nevena Kovačević

The Mayor of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš, organized a formal academy on February 14th in the hall of the Pljevlja Cultural Center to mark the Statehood Day of Serbia, which is celebrated on February 15th and 16th, in commemoration of the 220th anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising and the 189th anniversary of the adoption of the first Constitution.

After the Serbian anthem "Bože pravde" was played, Vraneš addressed the attendees, stating that it is the anthem of all Serbs, wherever they live. He also stated that Pljevlja is the center of Serbdom, and that Montenegro, as a Serbian land, has many enemies, adding, among other things, that the borders between Serbian lands were established by enemies.

It is more than clear that "Serbian lands" refers to the states that Aleksandar Vučić and his protégés, through territorial disintegration, want to make an integral part of the Greater Serbian empire. The celebration of the national holiday of another country, in a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional city, passed without reaction from state officials.

The President of the country, Jakov Milatović, as well as Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, preoccupied with official visits, once again gave the green light to unconstitutional behavior and undermining state sovereignty with their loud silence.

Vraneš is, by the way, an official of the New Serbian Democracy, a party that is part of the coalition For the Future of Montenegro, led by Andrija Mandić, the President of the Montenegrin Parliament. In addition to ZBCG, the local government in Pljevlja consists of the Europe Now movement, led by Spajić and Milatović, and the Democrats of Aleksa Bečić.

The local PES stated that Vraneš threatens to cause a serious crisis in the local government, while the Democrats announced that the municipality does not have the legal authority to organize the celebration of another country's holiday, even if it is friendly Serbia. Similar messages from the constituents of the municipal government, along with flattering phrases about neighboring, dear, and friendly Serbia, do not, however, indicate more concrete steps, such as support for the initiative to dismiss the mayor, which, unlike the platitudinous statements, would represent an expression of true opposition to policies by which Montenegro, through gradual Serbification, is sought to be brought into a vassal and inferior position and thus subjugated to Serbia.

The President of the Democratic Party of Socialists, Danijel Živković, stated that Vraneš is a true reflection of the current parliamentary majority, and most opposition parties share the view that Vraneš violated the Constitution with this act and endangered state independence.

After the announcement of the formal academy organized by the Municipality of Pljevlja, the former imam of the Islamic Community, Samir Kadribašić, also reacted.

- State, we await a reaction to this direct attack on the Constitution and laws. If you allow this, then let us cease to exist - Kadribašić wrote on the social network X.

However, appeals have long been in vain. Protectors of endangered Serbdom are allowed everything, because those who form a government with them dream the same dreams, forced to use more palatable rhetoric under the guise of Europeanism.

Although they sometimes, especially President Milatović, let slip phrases that are inexperienced gaffes for outsiders, and for those better informed, significant messages about Montenegro as the third Serbian republic, identical to those that, albeit much more explicitly, are daily disseminated by the ideologues of the Serbian world.

Since taking office as the Mayor of the Municipality of Pljevlja, Dario Vraneš has been known for his chauvinistic outbursts. Thus, speaking about the celebration of May 21st, Montenegro's Independence Day, he said that he would put an end to the practice of turning the city into a circus performance on the day of the state holiday.

Then, as we previously wrote, acting on the orders of the Serbian Orthodox priest Atanasije, he initiated the adoption of a decision to change the Municipality Day, which was adopted at the SO Pljevlja session, so instead of November 20th, the day symbolizing the liberation and victory of the anti-fascists in World War II, the religious holiday of Holy Petka, celebrated on October 27th, was declared Municipality Day.

We remind you that the proposal to change the Municipality Day was also supported by Bečić's Democrats, while the councilors of the Europe Now movement left the session. Awaiting the Government's decision on this matter is still pending, as Dritan Abazović was still at the head of the executive branch at the time the decision was made.

Recently, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Battle of Pljevlja, Vraneš also stated that communists, who fought against Italian soldiers, were responsible for the crimes committed against civilians in that city. Such a absurd thesis undoubtedly represented a new attempt to equate the partisan movement with Chetnik formations, recognized for shedding blood and creating mass graves.

And the fact that the celebration in Pljevlja was not organized without the support of the Serbian authorities is evidenced by Vraneš's presence today at the central celebration of Serbia's Statehood Day, where, during a meeting with Aleksandar Vučić, he thanked the Serbian leadership for their efforts to protect the rights of Serbs in the region, expressing hope that Vučić will continue to bravely and wisely protect the rights of Serbs in Montenegro.

The Mayor of Pljevlja, like the rest of his party colleagues, clearly lives in the hope that in the near future he too will be awarded the Order of the Serbian Flag, like Abazović's Minister of Justice, Marko Kovač, whom Vučić awarded last night, in gratitude for his immeasurable contribution to gifting Montenegrin sacral heritage to the Serbian Orthodox Church by signing the so-called foundational agreement.

Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević also announced their attendance at the central celebration, but Mandić avoided answering the question of whether he was attending the celebration in his capacity as Speaker of Parliament. Since Vraneš's coalition partners only conceptually understand the notion of principled action on a rhetorical level, there is no doubt that their response to this shameful act will remain at the level of the harshest condemnations, by which his actions are sought to be presented as an isolated case.

By claiming that the Mayor of Pljevlja is acting contrary to his party's actions at the state level, the Europe Now movement is trying to absolve Andrija Mandić, as the controller of the current majority, and the rest of the For the Future of Montenegro coalition, which provides minority support to Spajić's Government, of responsibility.

However, the period behind us shows that isolated cases do not exist. The selective actions of judicial bodies are particularly problematic when it comes to proceedings that constitute a violation of state dignity and mockery of state symbols, which glorifying another state, a foreign flag, and a foreign anthem certainly is.

However, even when the prosecution has opened cases based on complaints regarding the violation of state dignity, the proceedings have ended with the same outcome - a decision that there are no elements of a criminal offense, nor even administrative responsibility.

The most recent example is the case of the Mayor of Nikšić, Marko Kovačević, against whom proceedings were initiated for raising his middle finger during the playing of the national anthem at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Day Center in Nikšić.

The fact that the plan for more effective state disintegration through the Serbification of municipalities led by the former Democratic Front has been fundamentally prepared by coordinating structures from outside Montenegro has been shown by the electoral battles for Nikšić, Budva, and Podgorica.

Bosniaks living in Pljevlja have been targeted by Greater Serbian nationalists since the parliamentary elections held in 2020.

From then until today, there has been torture against the Bosniak population, through threats of mass emigration, and war-mongering graffiti such as the most frequently displayed ones: "knife, wire, Srebrenica", "a black bird has flown, Pljevlja will be Srebrenica".

Today, the sowers of hatred and fear are supported by the local, as well as the state authorities, who silently observe the destruction of multi-ethnic harmony and the movement towards a dead end. Perhaps the best illustration of the relativistic support for officials who undermine state dignity is the statement by Prime Minister Spajić, who today in Brussels, responding to a question about the presence of Montenegrin officials at the celebration of the unconstitutional day of RS, said that Andrija Mandić did not attend the mentioned celebration because the understanding that the politics of division is outdated prevails, even though Mandić very decisively stated that he could not accept Dodik's invitation because it was his slava that day.

Objectively speaking, the actors who clearly and without reservation express their right-wing orientation are not the problem for Montenegro and the rest of the regional countries under attack by imperialist policies, but rather those who, by relativizing such actions, create a vacuum and maneuver space for the realization of the ambitions of war veterans and their followers.