News from Serbistan

Serbian "trivia" (7): did you know...?

2009-10-28T03:10:00.000+01:00

…only 7 % of Serbian workforce earned university degree

…although wealthy Jews traders were supplying Serbian rebels with free arms in their struggle against Turks 19th century Serbia “rewarded “ Jews upon liberation with a number of anti-Semite laws

...so far some 500,000 trained and educated young people left Serbia over the past 20ish years in hope of better and safer life, trend continuous

9 years on…where are the doers?

2009-10-05T10:01:00.003+02:00

It is Oct 5, and 9 years on Serbia (together with dangerous Tadic, dogmatic Jovanovic, and comedian Korac etc ) still has:

-kept away from international integrative and internal reform process by stigmatizing ICTY/NATO/EU-AA

- refused to come to the terms with the past

-refused to engage in deep socio-cultural transition and establish firm civilization and cultural matrixes elsewhere internationally widely accepted

-maintain closed society littered with xenophobia and violence, with no reformist media and strong watchdog NGOs

- preserved internal and international absence of flow of people and ideas

- refused to reform and impose civil and democratic control over police and army

- kept rampant political parties controlling the entire state free of any policy processes or program budgeting

- maniacally kept clientalism and nepotism dominant over merit and professionalism

- nurtured command economy to the benefit of few

- preserved economic monopolies and extortion of families’ budges

- stayed away from organizing independent and/or efficient judiciary

- kept parliament as political parties legislative machinery-free of any parliamentarsim

-made sure that the brain drain still goes on for 20 years now

- yet to free people from etatist, collectivist, and nationalist imperatives, and legitimize aspirations for individual prosperity

No political party in Serbia during the past 9 years, including of DS and LDP (and tkz. GSS and SDU), ever considered introduction of monitoring and evaluation as professional and good governance performance measurement tools. In no shape, size, or form. This is way as far as they are concerned they are happy being privileged “eternal revolutionaries” achieving no social change whatsoever.

Are they are not hijacking the valuable liberal-reformist space on the political spectrum in Serbia? What is the mechanism for their accountability, re empowerment and/or replacement?

I am personally sick of having to regularly be an abstinent voter and feel bad about that.

They surely can not be the best this society can yield in terms of liberal and reform minded thinkers and doers.

Manifesto: What happened to Serbia?

2008-07-16T03:57:00.012+02:00

(my last of the sort to be found within these pages)
(the text is yet to be fully proofread)

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing Serbia that it was doing better than other CEE countries and thus not needing reforms for its own good

Before I go to the crux of this manifesto I feel a need to first clear some of its background. Many people in Serbia over the past 20 years were either members, sympathizers, or believers that DS is a chief if not the party to take Serbia into the 21 century and achieving the necessary modernization through thorough reforms.

Some of us were in one or another category since 1991. But only until few years back. Now it seems that the pro-reform forces in Serbia need to reinvent themselves in order to achieve any tangible edge and capacity to do whats necessary.

Over the 1990s the wars of disintegration of the Titoist Yugoslavia clouded the Serbian political sky as well as any clear judgment regarding the roles of the changing political parties' spectrum in Serbia. The changes of October 2000 rescued DS (and DSS and some others) from losing the reformist role that many imposed on them since the 1989. After the assassination of PM Djindjic and fallen reformists’ hopes, an election of Tadic as the next DS party chief and later as the President of the country did the similar trick and gave to many people new hope.

Unfortunately the final blow came when Tadic performed a coup de etat within DS from his Ministry of Defense office surrounded by his close collaborators at the same time purging the party of the not trusted cadre. Some time later, he was elected President of the country, assisted by by the foreign aid sponsored and executed GO TO (“go to vote”) completely partisan campaign (still within the ream of democratic proces though). His Fall 2004 trip to Kosovo started to reveal and de-mask his politics by him during that trip giving attribute “Serbian” to creaks, trees, and hills across Kosovo, much alike Milosevic some 15 years earlier. Finally, Tadic and DS aligning with SRS and SPS over the issue of creating most shameful constitution in the modern European history (with cheated ballot process supported by US sponsored CESID), most definitely marked in any healthy political mind a closure of gathering a sufficient set of evidence that Tadic and his DS is not up to the mandate than many are entrusting in their hands. The mandate of leading the true reforms in this country.

Subsequent episodes of him becoming the biggest nationalist leader and the protector of Kosovo from Kosovars themselves as well as the most recent marriage with never reformed and still Milosevic praising-SPS, merely represents what was to be expected. One could see two phases in development of Tadic political posture evolved, the first one until the new Constitution during which Tadic was seating at the fence, and the second after and during which he removed his gloves and went into a value-less politics (colored by nationalism) free of real reform substance. Just alike Milosevic's. Killing whatever there was within DS in terms of democratic internal party process and decision making may prove in the long run as one of the most hidden political crimes of Boris Tadic. I’ll stop here short from discussing some of SRS's or SPS' accusations of DS about the mafia background of Tadic and some DS members, or those of General Grahovac that Tadic is a mere extended hand of the secret services and never truly (unlike in other neighboring countries) reformed security and defense sector in Serbia. So, this is where I am coming from.

Until recently many thought that LDP represents precisely the line this article is about to bore you with here. But something changed this year, either they ran out of money and hope and decided to give in and sell their backsides to DS, or they are simply more sensible, honest, and intelligent than most of those who took LDP away from DS decadent politics. How is it possible that LDP is ready to sacrifice its authentic politics to those of DS that adopted the entire DSS and some of SRS platforms, that went into etatist and collectivist waters charted in the 19th century and leaving behind its focus on bettering individual life and achieving modernity through serious reforms while at the same time breaking with the immediate past of Serbia littered with destruction and agony.

The above is a view and the background for this manifesto while the trigger for this somewhat inherently naïve manifesto was my surprising conclusion that there are more and more people these days (summer 2008) in Serbia that are stating and/or supporting the new DS+SPS+LDP chant: "Parties and ideologies are not important, people and (work and issues) promises are.”

This represents not only an obvious attempt to revolutionary change contemporary political thought and good governance practices, but also an expression of naked truth and a statement of the obvious: Whatever existing Serbian reform and democratization efforts have been suspended with this new thought, in favor for something yet to be defined and find solution for.

It seems that there is a need to agree about who devastating the situation is, clearly define the set of problems, and only then create vision and a set of solutions for moving forward the right direction. Hence, saying that the absence of the obvious alternative justifies the current situation represents merely a defeatist approach to the entire problem and will perpetuate our agony with DS and other Serbia pseudo reforms.

One could start a manifesto about present day Serbia with trying to summarize its reality, in fact, in Serbia you’ll presently find the following:

=People vote for parties not for their direct representatives as in many other democracies
=Hence nobody feels accountable to people between the votes and they blindly obey their parties
=Parties are authoritarian-like in their organization and are fully commanded by their leaders
=Parties arbitrarily choose their MPs and make them legally bound (unheard of elsewhere)
=MPs have no voting/political freedom
=Parliament has no oversight of executive function
=Parliament makes no law but merely is approving them by the parties commands
=For years Parliament is not passing such very important laws (land ownership, family, trafic, waste,etc.)
=At this pace of legislation Serbia will not only not ever enter the EU but lose the SAA associated status and trade benefits
=President of the country is the biggest party leader at the same time
=President chooses MP and appoints most of the government
=President also appoints most of the top judges
=Judiciary nor parliament has independent budget not supreme control over their portfolios
=Judiciary is idle,corrupted and expensive, judges dance as parties sing, while the Serbian judiciary embodies all Kafka was writing some 100 years ago

Therefore: President and sometimes few other parties’ leaders command the entire government (legislative/executive/judiciary)
Consensual and value based decision making, policy process, minority opinion, and other procedural mechanism are unheard of in Serbia which functions as 19 th century limited parliamentary democracy

=Media has no corrective/oversight impact to the workings of the government
=President directly/indirectly commands over the majority of most important electronic media
Print media is not read widely
=Civil sector dramatically weakened while many of its players were bought by the government and neutralized
=Foreign democratization pressure weakened in favor of stability due to the continuous use of SRS as chief but false foe

=Economy in Serbia is largely note privatized
=Those privatized to the foreign companies are solvent and major exporters
=Those none transparently and for-nothing privatized to local gang lords fetched no revenue
=These tycoons became shadow government makers and new Serbian economic elites
=The same tycoons pay back to the parties and leaders without any respect of the law of financing political parties public sees nothing, money goes left and right completely unregulated
=All privation revenues were spend for the regular expenses rather than invested
=Serbian budget is commanded by the parties is not transparent and was not accounted for for past seven years
=Serbian financial system has no modern budgeting systems of planning, monitoring and accountability since parties do not seek these
=The percentage of the Serbian state economy within the GDP is absolutely amazingly high and tailors parties cadre need for employment and economic gain
=Thus no decentralization in Serbia as most of to be shared by the elites economic resources are in Belgrade and Novi Sad
=And without decentralization and different voting system empowered people across of Serbia lack agents necessary for change of their miserable lives
=The miserable side of this life is kept largely unknown to people by Serbian media and the government so only random worldwide stats charts show this.

The current economic policies in Serbia are employed by the interest of well paying importers' lobby that thrives in Serbia. By artificially keeping Dinar strong the government is killing the exports and making wealthy their importing friends and sponsors. The value of Dinar is kept constant for several years now while the aggregate Euro zone inflation is at more 15% and home one for at least 30%. While they, the few, are becoming reach the state is impoverished by drawing expensive international credits and privatization money in order to pay for these imports. This finite economy has to collapse once the crocks completely drain the available resources at the expense of all taxpayers in Serbia and many generations to come.

These are only some basic normative, procedural, and economic points for discussion. The absence in Serbia of modern day values achieved by developed world such as women and children rights, minorities rights, environmental or community values, patient rights, the way we threat death and life, are not even mentioned here. Let alone rising the question how and if Serbians have faced and evaluated the results of its deeds during the recent past.

Regarding these values and progress about pushing these forward Serbian is arguably still places in the early 20 th century if nor in 19 th. Etatism and collectivism are the axioms and anachronic national building and xenophobia the poles of the present day Serbian national psychic. This 20 years old disoriented nightmare during which the Serbian national body was unsuccessfully searching for the way forward has been re-accelerated by DS and its politics of cohabitation and compromise.

To cover its misdeeds and lack of vision that would correspond to the goals of creating out of Serbia an open society characterized by the modern libertarian's values, DS-led elites have invented a new chant and dogma that merely rants about the reforms and insists on the past greater Serbian nationalist goals, Kosovo being in its center.

Modernity is a long distance away from present day Serbia, even larger problem is that the current elites are not about to merely occupy the right path. They turned at some points disoriented and at other points autistic to the real needs of Serbian and neighboring peoples alike.

Their political impotence to come up with an efficient and viable vision and strategy fitting to the Serbian reform challenges, silently for many external observers, imploded into continuation of the Milosevic's politics that followed the process of Titoist Yugoslavia's disintegration.

They cunningly hid their economic (privatization) rampage and feudal division of rent yielding economic opportunities by politically (again like in 1990's) hijacking national public agenda and thus monopolizing lives of ordinary people. This has been done by controlling media and purposefully hate mongering and inflaming the popular sentiments in an attempt to turn it away from the real problems of unemployment and hardship of life (especially for minorities and those not economically gravitational towards the gigantic state apparatus) in present day Serbia. As many times before worn out topics of national question replaces the real modern issues.

In the mean time, young and educated and not integrated in the kleptocratic and clientage party system, that was perpetuated for past 20 years in Serbia, will seek their fortunes elsewhere; Serbia will be left with its careerist and values-free elites, often product of the negative selection; Pensioners will stay without those needed to earn their pensions; While the semi literate nation will be happy the way it is living: in absence of the modern day society goods such as decent and affluent life.

To make something clear, it is very obvious that the Western world helped Serbia tremendously. After all, since 1915 when US helped Serbia not to literally starve, the West was the best friends and benefactors to Serbia. Titoist Yugoslavia survived comfortably the way it did in spite of the poor economic performance precisely due to the US cheap credits. The same way, over the past 8 years the Western world extended credits to Serbia thus making the "carrot" bing always more plentiful than the length of the "stick".

Besides the finance and initial investments the West extended many other supports were plentiful, while the diplomatic efforts and technical support (through USAID, Norwegians, CIDA, SIDA, SIPPO, SDC, DFID, GTZ, ADA and others) was simply gigantic (see Thomas Charoters’ The Weakest Chain).

Therefore, one can say that so much was invested in DS and Tadic and yet it seems that the cause of pushing vigorously for economic reforms and opening and democratization of societies (yes, plural) in Serbia was betrayed at worse and failed at best.

As it was not enough that soviet stile bureaucracy installed before 1948, as well as post-1910s Serbian apartheid-ism in Kosovo, still shows resilience in face of the lukewarm reform some 60 years later, Serbian political elites including of so called reformist DS still flock to Moscow for opinion about major state and political decisions. Many accuse US of the exactly same crime, negative influence to Serbian society and politics, but I would say they at least pay for it while Moscow is asking for monetary compensations through buying Serbian Oil Industry and other visible and note so visible to Serbian public economic and etatist wheelings and dealings.

In fact the Russian influence to Serbia has moved from bad to worse. It was difficult to like forcefully thrown at Serbian pupils all the Soviet/Russian stuff that has been thrown. In most general terms, many people grew up in Serbia disliking the way Moscow influence (-ed) Serbian society, culture and politics, and think that they were/are the worse thing ever happened to Serbia in terms of the unavoidable foreign influence by much bigger countries and cultures. Turkish and German influence by contrast I view as brief and terrific (obviously apart for the holocaust and other atrocities and losses).

The problem is that, believe it or not, the Soviet-designed ways are still all around as, from the army and secret services, to the militant health system and all present partism and clientige a la Putin. Actually, most of the present day Russian exports to Serbia sucks. Somehow only products of the darker Russia comes this way since these unfortunately have buried most of the hopes for building open society in Russia itself.

It is actually most amazing how Titoist Yugoslavia was not part of the so called Soviet Bloc (Romania and Albania were neither, in fact) and yet it is among the last ones to still dramatically suffer because of the soviet social-political architecture installed in the Titoist Yugoslavia before he renegaded from Staljin.

This is somewhat ironic too, Yugoslavs allegedly lived much better than any East Europeans and yet they are (still in 2008) fighting their way through the fog of Soviet styled problems. Socio-political elites in Visegrad countries (PL,CR,SL,and HU) somehow managed to create during the 1980s a post-soviet vision for their societies on the basis of opening their societies, reforming the economies, and ripping the state wide open in search for the mall functions that obstruct the implementation of the ideas of free society and competitive economy.

This kind of vision always lacked in Serbia. Their elites never had the strength nor capacity to come up with it. Berlin Wall never fall in Serbia because we were convinced that it never existed and yet it did. As said in one of my favorite movies "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist". Serbia's relation to the reform was pretty much the same. They convinced themselves that they are better than other East Europeans thus eventually ending up to be the worst of all.

The past 20 years of Serbia is the history of the fight for nationalistic steering wheel that emerged from decadent Serbian intelligentsia that did nothing but lamenting over the dead Titoist Yugosoavia and not much else. DS is as much part of this as any other party with or without their butcher representatives in Bosnia and Croatia during the 1990s. While late Djinjic had some reformist vision his successor Tadic has none. Serbia will never become a modern European nation under his tighter and tighter authoritarian rule.

Bottom line, Serbia led by the so called pro-reform elites led by DS and President Boris Tadic is economically rapping blind and politically cheating Serbia and people in it, hence making them eat the seat they are all seating at, without any meaningful accountability nor shown responsibility from governing offices. The falsely hopeful situation of chanting the lies while doing nothing good will be possible and will unfortunately last as long as the cheap international credits and privatization revenues continue to come in.

But once these stop all will collapse or even worse (and more likely) Serbia will be left at the margins of international integrations left with elites not wishing to join EU as by then the joining will yield minimal gain and subventions.

Some people will strongly disagree with the above lines since they after all will not understand where all these criticism is coming from. Others will disagree because they are the part of the described set up, while some other readers will perceive the article as an expression of the author's jealousy for not being the part of the described elites.

The rest will disagree with this article because they believe in the new meaning of President od Serbia and DS Boris Tadic’s (The Putin of Serbia) compromise and appeasement, since most of them think that there is no other way forward. This piece is addressing this group only and invites them for a dialog towards moving away from the “Seselj's SRS the foe” dogma and construction of real (parties dictatorship-free) solutions necessary for the real progress of this, identity-less, collapsing, and in decadence infected country.

Serbian "trivia" (6): did you know that...?

2008-07-16T03:42:00.000+02:00

…each year 10.000 empty places remain in Serbian secondary schools

…existing 15 adult schools in Serbia would need 150 years to provide basic education to all those illiterate and semiliterate in Serbia

…at end of 16^th century Belgrade was home to 273 mosques, most were destroyed during the Austrian rule between 1717 and 1739

Macedonian Ruby: The Pink Beauty

2008-07-10T18:12:00.011+02:00

Ruby is a pink to blood red gemstone, a variety of aluminum oxide. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Ruby (Rubin in Serbian, Macedonian and some other languages) considered one of the four precious stones, is second only to diamond. Rubies have a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Among the natural gems only diamond is harder, with a Mohs 10.0 by definition. Value of rubies are primarily determined by color clarity: similar to diamonds, a clear stone will command a premium, but a ruby without any needle-like inclusions will indicate the stone has been treated one way or another.

Photo: a Macedonian Ruby cut by Skopje's Deco, and craftfully placed in magnificent filigree handcrafted by BK of Bip-Art
(photo courtesy of Bip-Art Skopje)

In the major works of Indian literature, a rich store of knowledge about gemstones has been handed down over a period of more than two thousand years. The term 'corundum', which we use today, is derived from the Sanskrit word 'kuruvinda'. The Sanskrit word for ruby is 'ratnaraj', which means something like 'king of the gemstones'. And it was a royal welcome indeed which used to be prepared for it. Whenever a particularly beautiful ruby crystal was found, the ruler sent high dignitaries out to meet the precious gemstone and welcome it in appropriate style.

Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum, one of the hardest minerals on Earth, only red corundum is entitled to be called ruby, all other colors being classified as sapphires. So it is no wonder that rubies with hardly any inclusions are so valuable that in good colors and larger sizes they achieve top prices at auctions, surpassing even those paid for diamonds in the same category. Ruby is the birthstone associated with July. Thus perfectly suitable as a present to people born in July. The color one spontaneously associate with love and vivacity, passion and love. The king of the gemstones, in the fascinating world of gemstones, the ruby is the undisputed ruler. Ruby is so fit to be a gift for lovers of pink color.

For thousands of years, the ruby has been considered one of the most valuable gemstones on Earth. It has everything a precious stone should have: magnificent color, excellent hardness and outstanding brilliance. In addition to that, it is an extremely rare gemstone. For centuries the South East Asia and India were regarded as the ruby's classical country of origin.

And yet a mine near Prilep in

Macedonia

yielded some nice pieces too, of which most beautifull one thankfully reached us.

Two magical elements are associated with the symbolism of this ruby's colour: fire and blood, implying warmth and life. So ruby-red is not just any old colour, no, it is absolutely undiluted, hot, passionate, powerful color. Like no other gemstone, the ruby is the perfect way to express powerful feelings. Instead of symbolising a calm, controlled affection, a ring set with a precious ruby bears witness to that passionate, unbridled love that people can feel for each other.

Photo: courtesy of Bip-Art Skopje

The color of this ruby is really most important feature. Its transparency is only of secondary importance. So inclusions do not impair the quality of a ruby unless they decrease the transparency of the stone or are located right in the center of its table. On the contrary: inclusions within a ruby could be said to be its 'fingerprint', a statement of its individuality and, at the same time, proof of its genuineness and natural origin. The cut is essential: only a perfect cut will underline the beauty of this valuable and precious stone in a way befitting the 'king of the gemstones'. And this one is beautifully cut by Skopje based Deco's workshop.

Photo: courtesy of Bip-Art Skopje

A really perfect ruby is as rare as perfect love. Nobody should dare to hope to find it. If you do come across it, you should feel fortunate. But when you have found 'your' ruby, don't hesitate: hang on to it! I did. Thankful to the craftiest pair of artisan hands in

Macedonia

(Bip-Art Skopje) we managed to preserve and house this specific Macedonian ruby (see pics), making possible for the loved one to ware and project it.

Palma Kick-boxed Tadic

2008-07-09T02:30:00.003+02:00

In front of the crowd of few thousands made of Palmas co-vilagers some kiolometers away from his Jagodina, Palma hosted Tadic and several diplomats for a Arkan's buddy Prelevic-styled international kick-box tournament. Roasted turkey centered the feast while sexy folk singer Seka Aleksic entertained Tadic and the naive diplomatic core as in one of oriental pashas' tents sometime in the past.
The road from Jagodina was paved for this occasion and the village stadium enlarged. Hence the new government headed by Boris has already started to show concrete development results. Well done! Now I see why we should be happy with the DS reformers and the Boris himself.

Serbian "trivia" (5): did you know that...?

2008-07-09T02:23:00.000+02:00

…monumental Belgrade’s Batal mosque (Mosche Batall-Chamia) was the last of the great Belgrade’s mosques and stood at the place of the Serbian Parliament at the begging of old Tzarigrad Road (today Boulevard of King Alexandar) it was rampaged and destroyed after the Turkish 1867 departure

…the largest city in 1900 in the area covered by present day (2008) Serbia was Subotica with 82,000 people

… some 227.000 people in Serbia verifies his/her signature by a sign of thumb as they are completely illiterate

After 3 months Tadic finally decided: Cvetkovic new PM

2008-06-28T03:04:00.004+02:00

What kind a transition society has political party system that the most pro reforms and pro EU party has an internal democracy situation embodied in facts that the President of the Republic is still the party head and that the main board "voluntarily" delegated a privilege to its president to singlehandedly nominated and promote new PM the way Putin trabantacized Medvedev? party

Contrary to what the Main Board of the DS recommended the President of Serbia (DS Party President and Putin of Serbia) suggested ex Finance Minister Cvetkovic to be confirmed by the National Assembly of Serbia as the new PM.

While LDP is making coalition with SPS in municipality of Vozdovac and tacitly supports the new DS ethnocentric politics, DS’ coalition partner SPS-keepers of the Milosevic’ flame supported this PM nomination while Palma-Arkan’s brother in arms wholeheartedly confirmed in media that Boris made good choice.

While wondering if Serbia became Putinazed presidential system I guess our opinion mattered only when we supported lies in the form of pre-election pledges.

Though, there is one thing that will for sure come along with Cvetkovic: He'll not bullshit us about the many topics former PMs did. He is likely to do his finance/economy work good while leaving the management of the government and the probably most important PM role of motivator and keeper and the seller of the vison to his boss and political debt Boris the omnipotentious.

It is amazing how Kostunica looks better each day alike Jeremic since this evening.

GOVERNMENT NERALY AGREED * SPS’ blast from the pas * DS nearly completed metamorphosis away from the late PM Djindjic’s heritage

2008-06-24T01:35:00.010+02:00

The new Government of Serbia has been almost agreed about between Tadic’s DS (Democratic Party) and their future governing partners SPS (Socialist Party of Serbia)-led Milosevic/Arkan's successors (Palma's Serbian National Unity Party). So, former Milosevic closest associates have dictated the way these post election negotiations took place and have won incredible ministerial gains for the 8% ballot-party.

In fact, SPS' Dacic, and former chief Milosevic-Jugend, emerged today in media so cocky to state that SPS actually all mercifully gave away the PM seat to DS thus demanding rightfully earned hefty compensation. And Tadic, my main point, will give it to them without a blink of an eye: Deputy PM and Speaker of the Parliament position (!?), Police, Secret services, oil industry (NIS), entire energy sector, and much more will be in sole command of newly back Milosevic apparatchiks, war criminals and profiteers, and social demagogues.

The biggest laugh of all is that there is a rumor that Tadic-the-omnipotentious may ask his trabant Vuk Jeremic to form the government !? How sick is this? Incredible in deed.

Two strong impressions I can not escape, the first one of how neatly SPS and Palma match DS company in terms of the current politics, priorities, lingo, etc., and the second, how Dacic is bold enough to be very frank how SPS is not going through any kind of change or god forbid distancing from the 1990s, rather, he is open about saying that this pact with DS is a proof how SPS has noting to answer for regarding the 1990s.

The last is precisely what pisses me of with those DS/Boris voters who declare ability to see how all this is the best thing that can happen to us and that DS is still a force to rest our reform hopes with. LDP is en route to equally making me angry by the lack of stability of their anti-SPS stance and, which eventually was turned into getting into the DS backside. Borise! Why did you turned your back to us?

Plain truth is that without lustration and more serious effort to come with the terms of the past no serious and speedy enough reforms in Serbia are possible, especially not with this kind of SPS’ positioning. Yes, other nations managed without but we could not and will not.

The greatest "traitor" ever Guus Hiddink beats his own, EURO 2008: Russia vs. Netherlands 3:1

2008-06-21T23:52:00.012+02:00

(For the full experience please hit this link before you go on reading this post.)

I though I will never say this: “VPERED ROSSIYA” !!!

In fact, I thank Russian football team for such a wonderful game their treated us to tonight. TRULY AMAZING STUFF!!

Many simply love the Dutch football team and the way they play(-ed) football since the times of the total football invention by Johan Cruyff and his friends. They/we love it for their game's beauty, attractiveness, openness and flare. This sense of somehow granted (actually, well earned) support and expectations on each occasion for them to be better than their opponents did not occur tonight. We did pretty much offer this automatic support until the few minutes into the tonights game, only until we realized how amazingly play the Hiddink's coached Russian team.

On the other hand I personally never supported Russians, let alone their football squad. Quite on contrary. In most general terms, I grew up disliking the way Moscow influence (-ed) Serbian society, culture and politics, and think that they were/are the worse thing ever happened to Serbia in terms of the unavoidable foreign influence by much bigger countries and cultures. Turkish and German influence by contrast I view as brief and terrific. The Soviet-designed ways are still all around as, from the army and secret services, to the militant health system and all present partism and clientalism. I really dislike .... "the way the Moscow talk..the way it walks". I find Dostoevsky loony, Chekhov lousy, Tolstoy boring, their stew-like borsch disgusting, and stiling unattractive. Simply, I really dislike pretty much anything Russian that reaches Serbia these days and try to keep away from it. Till tonight that was. (remark: some people took this personally and I apologize for this. Having many Russian speaking friends I felt I should explain myself, see the new endnote)

YET…tonight during the Holland Vs. Russia EURO 2008 quarterfinal match I was so much enjoying the un-be-fuck-n-livable game of the Hiddink’s team led by cosmic Andrei Aershavin and his comrades that I thought that I am treated to a joy not possible. Russians played UNBELIEVABLY attractive, really! I only have seen Cruyff’s Holland, Platinis’s France, and few more teams play it like it. They were precisely executing passes and pounding the Van der Sar's goal like it is practice! I just could not believe it with my own eyes! Russian's players were running and running and passing and passing for two hours straight! They locked the Dutch play completely, the half dozen of 20m-ish free kicks were the only Dutch chances. Van Basten boys could not believe what is happening to them, they were clearly amazed and confused. They surely expected no such excellent tactical and physical game by Russians, nobody did, but I am sure that amazing Hiddink did!

Tonigh it was famous tika-taka but by the incredible Russians and not Spaniards.

I am sure that nobody but the Dutch themselves wonted their team to actually win tonight, especially not after it was obvious the absolutely wonderful way Russians were playing tonight—some cosmic football rarely seen these days.

END NOTE: Some people protested about my anti-borscht article this is my response

Firstly, sorry to see my borscht dislike was taken literally and personally.

I would never say that for the borsch you any of my friends made for me but than I wonder if any of them would pick borscht to prepare :-) I am open to be convinced that the borscht has comparative edge and I'll take it out of the list. I think this is fair. The same way I would try with you and czevapcziczi should you express disliking with it. But then I'd not expect you to think Kosovo is Serbian should you start liking szevapcziczi.

Hence, I may like better some better made borscht, I even may dig out some contemporary Russian singer (besides the ridiculous guy who won the 2008 Eurovision) that I could like, but I really can not judge current Russian imperial foreign politics but authoritarian and devastating for the nascent Serbian democratization.

Actually I missed listing of made in Russia things that I like since would not fit the article spirit, which means what I listed is truthfully: I did not like borscht, while the attractiveness of the Russian kitchen I know exactly matches the level of amount of good things reaching Serbia from Russia these days. Sorry to say, but really these days Russia is making an historic low in Serbia with its authoritarian and etatist advances.

To be honest it so easy to feel these days in Serbia about Russian exports as Poles/Checks/etc in 1950's. It is completely different thing that there are good things over there that can not surface in Russia itself let alone reach Serbia.

At the end of the day the borscht is just a paradigm, and one liking it like you do or disliking it like me is beside the point.

I LOVE MY RUSSIAN SPEAKING FRIENDS but I JUST SO STRONGLY DISLIKE PUTIN AND 60 YEARS OF MOSCOW INFLUENCE TO BELGRADE!!!

DS-led urban mafia runs up Belgrade new homes prices: Serbia's reform a joke

2008-06-18T03:21:00.005+02:00

It is a common knowledge in Belgrade that if you wanna get any of the necessary licenses for construction of new homes that you need to bribe municipal and city bureaucrats. This practice was firmly established by SPO when they took over the Belgrade administration from SPS in 1997 and was perfected later by the DS urban mafia to a level of existence of the grey price list for every single step in construction of new homes. These costs are estimated in an excellent daily Blic article (link attached) to be over 30% of the price of the new homes.

Moreover, organized political parties' mafia clans ("firms" may be the best name for it, SRS started first behaving like one when started cashing their electoral successes), led by DS, in purpose to keep away big international real estate investors (like those Israeli companieds that constructed thousand of flats in Budapest where square meter costs 1/2-2/3 of the Belgrade's), as well as any effort to modernize the real estate regulation in Serbia and that way make it more transparent and accountable.

This way the real estate business in Serbia- read Belgrade- remains to be a major source of power and wealth for a number of political aparatchiks, their bosses and their political parties. No wonder that Serbia has not any serious budgetary mechanisms controlled by the parliament nor the final account for past seven years, not there is financial control of the political parties finances inclusive of the electoral finances.

In short, DS led political parties and big business mafias have completely hijacked the flow of money and wealth in this country and have never placed themselves in the position of accountability and transparency hence making Serbia a 19 century country in terms of the development of good governance practices and state of democracy. Should we take into an account the bad record on individual and collective human rights, etatist and command organized economy with a system of drainage of in purpose not private huge public and parties controlled sector, and a mere indirect electoral system for the parliament , then it becomes obvious that Serbia represents a joke in terms of achieved reform goals towards a free market and modern libertarian democracy.

Full text on construction mafia in Belgrade
http://www.blic.co.yu/temadana.php?id=45562

Will the Irish “NO” lead to EU “NO” to Serbia's "Deltino" democracy

2008-06-17T02:37:00.003+02:00

It seems that all those Serbian thugs and pseudo reformers not in favor of EU integrations and genuine reform have a reason to laugh and celebrate.

The Irish vote against the Constitutional Treaty will probably seriously threaten anyway vague prospects for any soon Serbia’s EU accession. As the protection of the war criminals such as general Mladic and Bosnian Serbs ex leader Karadzic were not bad enough for Serbia’s poor EU health, now there is a danger that additional conditions may be imposed on the countries such as Serbia (and Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo). Those new conditions will likely be not connected only to the countries' reforms pace and success, but also with the ability and/or willingness of the EU member countries to suck them in.

Not only that it is for a carefully (and vested inters-free) observer in Serbia increasingly difficult to distinguish a genuine EU accession and reform forces from those patriotic ones, but now the capacity of EU to take the region in comes too under the question mark. And yet, we know that the only way forward with the necessary reforms is the carefully watched and regulated tunnel of the EU accession process, SAA and onwards.

Yes, Sule, Bota and the rest of the pseudo modernist DS Co. will probably go for a holiday on one of the Greek islands this August, as usual, continue their stupid anti Kosovo independence chant, treat never reformed security sector as of the holy cow, and continue forming the cabinet and government policies in "Miskovic's restaurant "Deltino". How idiotic is this? That's Serbia for you.

B92 takes much brighter angle on this issue, check it out:
http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2008&mm=06&dd=18&nav_category=11&nav_id=304260

After many months Serbia arrested another war crimes suspect wanted by the Hague Tribunal

2008-06-13T01:19:00.002+02:00

Stojan Župljanin (1951) was arrested yesterday in Pancevo. He is a former Bosnian Serb police commander from Kotor Varoš, a commander of the Bosnian Serb police during the Bosnian war. Župljanin had operational control over the police forces responsible for the detention camps where thousands of prisoners were held in horrific conditions and many were murdered. Župljanin is also alleged to have played a central role in the destruction of Bosniak and Bosnian Croat communities in the Autonomous Region of Krajina. On 14 March 1999 he was charged by ICTY with genocide, crimes against humanity, violations of the laws and customs of war and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.

With the arrest of Stojan Župljanin there are at least three more people indicted for war crimes on the list to be arrested: Ratko Mladić, Radovan Karadžić, and Goran Hadžić. However given the sharp reaction by SPS, DS-would-be colaition partner, after this arrests it remains unclear wheter DS will be capable of any further arrests.

The first result of DS prostitution with SPS: Milosevic Jr. not guilty!

2008-06-11T01:26:00.003+02:00

The first result of post-elections DS prostitution with SPS was a sudden release of Marko Milosevic, he was found not guilty for beating of three ‘Otpor’ members in Pozarevac eight years ago due to lack of evidence.

It is certian that SPS Dacic-led crew demanded this from outgoing-new DS Justice Minister Petrovic as a first sign of good will, before they finally ditch SRS/DSS lunatics.

Th question is what is to come, god knows what else they will get from freaky and compass-less Tadic.

Serbian "trivia" (4): did you know that...?

2008-06-10T02:59:00.000+02:00

…while before WWII Belgrade resided over 10,000 Jews today there only few hundreds remain while incidents of anti-Semitism, including anti-Semitic graffiti, vandalism, small circulation anti-Semitic books, and Internet postings are still to be found
…German minority (Volksdeutsche), in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenians, were the largest (500,000 in 1921) ethnic minority in Serbia, ahead of Hungarians and Albanians
…Serbia is the only country in Europe that over past 15 years experienced a decrease in its tertiary educated population

Emigrate, emigrate, emigrate! Don’t return , don’t return don’t return…

2008-06-10T02:52:00.001+02:00

As you still in Serbia will:

• Have to fuck somebody up big times on daily basis, or be so called a foreign spy, in order to earn more than 15k EUR p/a;
• Wonder if you or someone close to you will be drafted overnight to fight other wars and get killed or fucked up in the process;
• Risk a line for overpriced monopolized petrol, monopolized groceries, and dirty and poor pubic transportation used only by poorest;
• Need a “veza” to get decent, preferably government job;
• Are not meant to work and earn but rather drift around be smart play zero-sum-game, and craftily be wiser than others (verb: prejebati, zajebati, proci, skockati, smuvati, srediti, srediti,na foru, itd.);
• Need visa to go pretty much anywhere decent and are viewed as loony or something when but 200 EUR worth of IKEA rubbish none-existent though in Serbistan;
• Are not guaranteed sometimes even basic healthcare or a bed-place to finally rest;
• Need to bribe all those that are supposed to just do their job and service fellow citizens;
• Need to be close to one of the few equally corrupted political parties in order to do or achieve anything to society meaningful in your life;
• Be pushed to be associated with the state and your blood cells on daily basis;
• Pay for your cable TV and internet sky-high and get the poor service in exchange without being able to do a thin about it;
• Breath the most polluted air in Europe and thinking that it is you being a problem for noticing it;
• Live a life without reaching the limits you are capable of in pursuing high quality of life being surrounded by thieves and wise asses!
• Face one daily bases all those incapable, illiterate, and employed by fathers/husbands/and relatives post clerks, state employees, and poor customer trained shops attenndents;
• If in Serbia get the fuck out of it unless already on the payroll, or if outside of it, stay where you are and make the bets of it!

The come back of the 1990s death ghoust a.k.a. Serbian Socialists Party

2008-06-10T01:21:00.005+02:00

The last word is that rather than the post of PM, the Deputy PM and security agencies goes to the '90s Milosevic-jugent leader Ivica Dacic as a measure of sacrifice in order for turbo reform DS engines to start working

Reported demand by the SPS leader Ivica Dacic to get the PM post in a government that would be formed by ‘ZES’ (the list ‘For European Serbia’) is going to be half- met.

Instead, the fallen Democrats and their Milosevic secret services installed leader Tadic are offering to experienced in horrors of 1990s Dacic the Deputy PM post and Serbian never-reformed or lustrated secret services.

Great! Now we are not to worry who will be misusing never brought to democratic control secret services in Serbia.

Luckily for us, Arkans' party benefactor and his political successor Palma's and G17PLus stern position against SPS, reduced the maneuvering space of Dacic and he will accept slightly less than demanded. So he will not be the PM. Wow, kudos to Palma and Dinkic!

So the Belgrade rumors has it that eventual DS candidate for the PM will be most likely Bojan Pajtic, its Vojvodina chief cadre rather than some of the more closer Tadic's clowns. Shame, I was hopping for Yugopetrol-Jeremic appointment and with it a full laugh.

The main other post elections ridiculous news enabled by Tadic-ruined-by-dictatorship-DS will be return of infamous Mrkonjic-Mrka and Petar Skundric. The first known as the Milosevic's chief rebuilder of the Cultural Revolution sort after the NATO campaign in 1999, and the second as one of the founders of the Milosevic SPS. The first is likely to be promoted to the Minister of Infrastructure or alike and the second is to be resurrected to the Minister of Science. Wonder if the rest of the past will be reanimated too.

Alleluia

Serbian "trivia" (3): did you know that...?

2008-06-06T20:15:00.003+02:00

… of total length of the roads in south western Serbian municipality of Tutin in amount of 1550km only some 50km is paved with asphalt

…over 50% of primary schools in Serbia still operate none-flush toilets used by 25,000 pupils, while some have not even running water and electricity at all

…more people were killed in Titoist Yugoslavia in the period between 1944-1948 than during the war years of 1941-1944 by all occupying forces combined

DS lost it completely

2008-06-06T20:09:00.003+02:00

Alike after the January 2007 parliamentary el(r)ections when they pacted with and supported fascistoid DSS policies DS has lost it again and deteriorated to retriving the political party scene of Serbia to Milosevic times and sending the probe about SPS Dacic becoming PM:

Serbian "trivia" (2): did you know...?

2008-05-23T00:03:00.002+02:00

...that every sixth girl-minor in Serbia was at a point a victim of sexual abuse and violence

…that out of cca. 8 million people in Serbia more than 1,2 million adults is without completed primary education

…..that more ethnic (5,800) Germans in Vojvodina (Volksdeutsche) were killed in the few weeks of fall of 1948 when Bosnian Partisans occupied Vojvodina than in infamous Nazi killings in Kraljevo and Kragujevac combined

The Virtue of Compromise

2008-05-16T06:00:00.000+02:00

Post parliamentary election Serbian kitchen

While we are awaiting new Serbian government, that is, while we are waiting for SPS (Milosevic's Socialist Party) Ivica Dacic to return from Moscow (as stated in media yesterday) with the set of instructions about who SPS should invite in its bed (Seselj's)SRS/DSS(of Kostunica) or (Tadic's)DS/G17 (of Dinkic) Plus/LSV (of Nenad Canak ), I’d like to address the issue of so called “big picture” or “compromise”, as some people call it. That is, some these turbulent days in Serbia argue that DS cohabiting and/or compromising over the past years with DSS/SRS/SPS and potentially now with SPS was and is a matter of necessity and even reform virtue.

I strongly disagree.

Firstly, I am fine with compromise as long as individual freedoms and other libertarian values as well as the basic pillars of security and decent life are not placed at stake. Well, I agree, often in life compromise is wise thing to do, sometimes even necessary, settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions is a logical and conflict resolution tool everybody is using on daily basis. Moreover, compromise is sometimes something intermediate between or blending qualities of two different things. I mean, when the blending is sought for. And this is precisely where my discontent kicks in.

There was enough damage, I would argue, done by so far DS policies of cohabitation and compromise. The clear result of these DS policies was erosion of potential for creating larger liberal and pro reform pole in Serbia. Drowned in personal anger and leadership vanity DS made an effort to localize the only healthy view on the Serbia reality preached by LDP and make it look estranged with its values without actually making a natural step of alignment. In addition, this change of DS stances, happened since Tadic took the party, for the sake of enlarging its support made those changed stances changed for good. So, the explanation how DS is merely verbally patriotizing Kosovo and how DS is only rhetorically being bigger nationalists then the SRS themselves is nothing but an empty talk of those die hard DS supporters.

The truth about what DS became I believe is simple, and all should face it, DS is not anymore the same party what it used to be. Its pro reform leadership potential irreplaceably vanished and the new nationalists dangerous rhetorics became genuine as such immensely dangerous (like when DS pacted with SRS about creation of the stupendous new 2006 Constitution). DS with these rhetorics changed itself so much and attracted so many nationalist and anti reform votes with so little internal democracy exercised that they started becoming ballast and not asset to further reform efforts of society in Serbia.

I know many former always-vote-DS voters who clearly said: We'll never vote for this kind of DS ever again, no matter what. Having SRS in power and losing the Belgrade's wheal of money may be exactly what DS need in order to go back to its pro reform path searching for partners where these are.

Die hard DS supporters should not despair. (Unless they are one of many DS supporters interrupted saucing at one of the budgetary ends.) These are natural processes. Happened all over the CEE/SEE. What happened to DSS after 2000 in terms of growth and change of characters now it happened to DS. Should one add to this a picture of corrupted and technocratized DS freed of a real ideology of transition or reform, than the DS deterioration as the reform agent comes afore stronger than ever. As said, many argue that this is the natural process of the growth of any party but the trick is exactly to balance the two, populism and progressiveness, while shielding from the unrealistic demands of the former and keeping the accent at the later.

By pushing the DS into having so authoritarian leadership (to the point of having the paternal say in the party and bringing the difference between the country and party presidency to the point of not recognition) of essentially populist party Tadic failed to do so and instead created Tadicevism that is good for nothing apart being nutshell for the DS cleptocratic elites.

The peak of a charade of creating a partnership between bestial SPS and Tadicevism was a somewhat desperate finding of a common ground about what SPS calls social justice. While SPS sounds ridiculous for declaratively supporting values they read about in their Soviet handbooks while still wearing the bloody shirts of 1990’s, DS looks equally ridiculous for trying to match SPS while not getting their heads from the bottoms of the Serbian tycoons. Crazy!

While the LDP, to the likings of DS and SRS alike are safely locked at the margin of Serbian political spectrum it is obviously that they are talking the politics far ahead from Serbian public ability to take in, and social capacity to upheld and practice. On the other hand evergreen G17 Plus is appearing again as the ideological savior of the pro refom block’s honesty by basically deciding that if SPS goes with SRS and make ruling coalition in Belgarde than G17 Plus will opt not to work with SPS on the national level. Fair enough and filling the void in lack of principles of Serbian reformers in most prudent way in the given moment, I'll give them that. It is funny however that this comes from a party that has as much ideology in its workings as Serbia true reformers.

Serbian "trivia" (1): did you know...?

2008-05-13T02:48:00.004+02:00

...that during the 11 May 2008 Elections no Officers, NCOs, or soldiers, in the Armed Forces of Serbia were permitted to vote

...that each time there are elections in Serbia the new set of transparent ballot boxes are purchased at the price of 50 eur for each one, so each election/s the boxes cost taxpayers in Serbia circa 1.5M euro

...that antisemitism was official Serbian state policy until the Western powers made Serbia change it in 1878

The past and the future of Serbia

2008-05-13T01:41:00.003+02:00

Tadic's buddies, trio fantastics: Krkobabic, Dacic and the Palma

Back to the past: Viva SPS

2008-05-13T00:14:00.001+02:00

7 May 2008 Vranje

Dacic:

Predsednik Socijalističke partije Srbije (SRS) Ivica Dačić izjavio je u Vranju, na Završnoj konvenciji Koalicije SPS-Partija ujedinjeih penzionera Srbije-Jedinstvena Srbija, da dolazi vreme politike SPS-a i Slobodana Miloševića.

"Došlo je vreme da pokažemo da smo bili u pravu svih onih godina kada smo sa Slobodanom Miloševićem branili ovaj narod, branili i odbranili našu Srbiju", rekao je Dačih burno pozdravljen u prepunoj sporskoj hali u Vranju.

Blic
Belgrade
Tuesday May 13 2008

Koalicija „Za evropsku Srbiju“ ponudiće Socijalističkoj partiji Srbije i manjinama da zajedno formiraju novu vladu Srbije, saznaje „Blic“. Iako se u prvi mah po objavljivanju izbornih rezultata matematičkom računicom učinilo da SRS, DSS-NS i SPS mogu da formiraju novu vladu, jer imaju 127 mandata, ali politička kombinatorika, tu opciju čini manje verovatnom. Lider Jedinstvene Srbije Dragan Marković Palma, članice koalicije okupljene oko SPS, naklonjeniji je koaliciji sa DS i evropskom putu Srbije, što bi povlačenjem njegova tri mandata vladu SRS učinilo nemogućom.

11 May 2008 Parliamentary Elections in Serbia. And the winner is...well SPS Dacic will decide.

2008-05-12T02:34:00.008+02:00

Looking at the plain results cited below it is obvious that the politically immortal 1990's chief hate monger Vuk Draskovic is back, that DS and G17 are the gainers and DSS the loser while the rest took their old gains.

However, I find something very funny. Boring Radicals, Kustinicas' blood sucking DSS, and Molosevic’s SPS won 127 seats, a majority, two seats over the simple 125 majority of 250 seats, and yet DS leadership is talking about some kind of pro EU victory and encouraging people to go out to and occupy streets in celebration. Yes, as my friend C. put it: "They missed a chance to capitalize on Kosovo departure so if now SRS do not form the government in four years time will be safely on our EU road away from Kosovo".

While this true the numbers are quite grim and show no change in Serbian electorate regarding the sharp cleavage over the issue of Western international integrations.

Jan 2007 May 2008 Change

% seats % seats % seats

Radicals 28,7 81 28.5 77 0 -4

Democrats 22,9 65 39/103 (coalition w/G17,SPO,LSV) cca +8 to10

G17 19 25 +6

SPO 0 ? ?

LSV 3? 3? 0

DSS/NS 47 30 -17

JS 2 +2

PUPS 2 +2

SPS 16 16 (+4) 0

LDP 15 13 -2

HUN 3 4/5 +1/2

ROM 1+1 ? ?
SDA 2 2 0

ALB 1 1 0

*final results may change these for +/-1 seat

So when DS say Serbia chose Europe that means "we made a deal to buy support from Milosevic's SPS". While not pretending to be a puritan here we are talking about the exactly same SPS as the one that ruled during the 1990's. I guess that this kind of political pragmatism and wisdom will find fully fertile ground in Serbia only once us who vividly remembers 1990's are still around.

On top of this Tadic is so open about him taking Serbia into EU with Kosovo only (!) that he not only scares me but also insults my libertarian feelings in terms of him saying that 2 milion Kosovo Albanians should give in to 120k remaining die hard Serbs or that they are idiots and will come back under the Tadic coat as soon as he forms the government. The little happiness around as found by that bunch remains to be DS target perpetuating as LDP would say "politics of territories and not of people for people". Any debate on this topic would be unaccaptable beyond silly and thus Tadic stand is plain crazy! Even be it for PR purposes as many are trying to explain it.

Back to SPS, I mean…one thing is if some Belgrade treasury money loaded DS yuppies already bought our SPS support with few public companies board seats here and few there, another one is that Serbia is yet to gain critical majority for reforms and EU integrations.

The two leaders, Nikolic and Tadic, essentially failed to move the old boundaries and thus achieved no success, both of them should account for these lack of gains to their parties, and yet none of the two will. Certainly Tadic who steadily grew into a small Putin by killing all there was of the internal DS democracy and melting the Presidency of the Republic into the DS leadership. Not sure which of the two makes me more disillusioned. Probably the combining unfortunate result that effectively will prevent DS from becoming a serious vehicle on any genuine reforms road, a hallucinating hope by a part of DS voters that have no direct personal interest out of the DS corrupt and irresponsible Belgrade or national governance.

If anything, this elections are spitting image of the one from Jan 08 with a 5 seats less for the Radicals and as many more for DS. The rest is the same. Only naïve and overly hopeful will let be confused by sudden coalitions and some achieved synergies. Also, to mention, it is shame that LDO couldn't pull more than 5 nationally and 7 % in Belgrade. This is also a call for Ceda to reconsider his so far autocratic leadership style and decide if he'll let LDP outgrow him some time in the future or does it have to stay his own private ring. It seems that only that when this takes place and when painfully hermeneutic in their views Ceda's colegues get the idea of the movement expansion, more present unhappy DS supporters will turn to them.

At the end of the day, the numbers are irreversible and painfully rigid. Will see who exactly will buy whom and who'll form the government, one idiotic rumor from very close DS had it previous days that little Jugopetrol boy turned Hardvardian wonder foreign minister Jeremic himself will become the Medvedev, pard me, Serbian PM. One thing is for sure though, albeit ticking the stupid eurocratic boxes Serbian is nowhere nearer EU or for that matter economic reforms or much needed political cleansing in the form of consensus about its European future.

11 May 2008 Extraordinary Parliamentary Elections

2008-05-11T19:04:00.004+02:00

Instead of dwelling about the standard unfortunate Serbian parliamentary elections affairs I'll turn to preparation of some of my most favorite food:

Tabouli

We just love tabouli, a Persian/Lebanese/Near Eastern salad made of tomatoes, couscous (bulgur wheat), and loads of parsley.

First time I had this wonderfull salad at our dear Budapest friends' house Nadia and Rui. This week, however, I got adventurous and decided to find the necessary ingredients to make it myself for my Belgrade friends. This is the way I do it:

Allow 15 minutes

1 cup couscous
2 cups water
2 bunches parsley
3 red juicy tomatoes
4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
some chopped black olives

Bring the water to a boil, then remove from heat and pour in couscous. Allow to sit 5 - 10 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Separate the parsley leaves from the stems, then place leaves in food processor and chop until very fine. Chop the tomatoes as finely as possible. Combine couscous, parsley, tomatoes and black olives, mixing well. Stir the lemon juice and olive oil together then pour over couscous and mix well. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour before enjoying.

Enjoy it!

Serbian Nazis mark Hitler's birthday by organizing a picnic gathering nearby Nis

2008-04-23T00:30:00.005+02:00

Kostunica-Beckovic sponsored marsh towards the right yielded yet another victory.

Some hundreds die hards a.k.a. Serbian Nazis decided to completely go of their rocker and mark Hitler's birthday by organizing a countryside picnic gathering alike well known Chetniks' at Ravna Gora.

Super Skroz or --SS

To remind: The first attempts of mass executions of prisoned inmates by poison gas in WWII were carried out by Serbia's Nazis. Serbia was the first country to proudly declare itself “Judenfrei”.

In Summer of 1942 the head of the Nazi German civil administration in Serbia proudly declared that Serbia became the first country in which the “Jewish question” was solved and that Belgrade was “ the first place of a New Europe to be Judenfrei.”

What is Serbian set of values, anybody?

2008-04-21T23:53:00.010+02:00

For an example, the Australian officially declared set of values include:

respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual
equality of men and women
freedom of religion
commitment to the rule of law
support for Parliamentary democracy
a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play, compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good
equal opportunity for individuals, regardless of their race, religion or ethnic background

So...what about

Serbia

Where did sanity go?

2008-04-18T13:52:00.003+02:00

Although quite difficult for any close observer of the Serbian kleptomaniac and accountableness politics, I’ll refrain from passing any of many remarks regarding shamefully elections campaign in Serbia where none of the major political parties feels compelled nor accountable to genuinely address voter’s concerns nor verifiable pledges.

Rather I have to share with you my this morning paradigmatic impression that one liter of 3.2% fat yogurt know as “Kravica” costs in a low-budget Serbian shops chain whooping 130 eurocents!!!

So much for reduced-to-one-man-show-DS grandiose many times promised reforms and blast-from-the-past-SRS/DSS pathetic patriotic rhetoric for you. None of the two works for me. Uh, I wish LDP could throw the distance, but not any time soon nor with Ceda-the-boss.

May Elections

2008-04-09T12:39:00.000+02:00

The May 2008 Parliamentary and Local elections campaigns are stepping up. These look more of a total propaganda war that targets all those scarce political ideas advocating Serbia’s modernization and joining the free world than anything else.

Unfortunately for those free thinking people in Republic of Serbia worn out Democratic Party failed again to choose to be a unifying factor and the major agent of change in Serbia. Rather, those business and petit leadership interests prevailed, leaving Serbia in a desperate leaderless situation and torn apart between the desperate and futile show up of Liberals and a strong pull by DSS/SRS fascists into the bleak collectivists past.

Just under one million educated and skilled young people were kicked out of Serbia over the past 15 years or so. They chose future and freedom over the collectivists’ patriarchal agony. More will go during the coming days. Only those with a miraculous surplus of energy and hope, or those with accumulated vested interests, or in deed, those without any choice, will stay, together with vast senseless masses so blind and so screwed up.

Serbia and Racism

2008-04-09T12:07:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was the World Roma Day

Some 49% of the Roma population in Serbia lives in poverty, whereas 60% never finish primary education (grammar school), 7.8% graduate from high school and only 0.3% from university. 60% of Serbia’s jobless belong to that community. According to the 2002 population census 108,000 Roma live in Serbia, whereas UN estimates that their number lies between 400,000 and 700,000. Roma organizations’ are the only in Serbia to state the truth: there is no consistent development strategy for the Roma community and whatever progress is achieved is a result of sporadic efforts based on personal engagement with foreign assistance rather than clearly defined government programs.

Serbia, 3 days after the Kosovo myth turned into looting the downtown shops: Nationalists still planning, Democrats dead, liberals still hiding

2008-02-24T11:13:00.005+01:00

Most written immediately after the Thursday 21 Feb 08 events still stands. One thing was not recognized though, that the entire event was in essence post/pre election rely of the Serbian Radicals, in which PM Kostunica and the rest of actors took their rightful place.

To move on, it seems now that another set of questions seek answers and clarification in order to better understand what is happening. The following is an open list (please contribute):

How Kostunica & Co. reacted to the 21 Feb 08 events? Why no police official explained why the security system failed?
Is anybody still in doubt that the Democratic Party actually does not exist? Did President Tadic escape the Thursday event because he couldn’t or did not wish to stop the 21 Feb 08 taking place?
What’s wrong with the Serbian liberals? Why the organized reaction to the past Thursday events is missing? Why a part of if thinks that Serbia “lost” Kosovo in 1999?
What is to be and what’s to be done?
What's wrong with Serbian people, one could rightfully ask, are they drunk to ride on the nationalists made waves and really believe that Kosovo is theirs? Is theirs disorientation the standard part of cleansing process alike the one in post WWI Hungary or post WWII Germany?
Last but not the least, what is the social and capital cost of all this mess and irresponsible state and social reactions to what should be regarded as inevitable events?

Soon to be filled in/expanded on.

If tonight was the foreplay (as they said), I wonder what actualy their finale will be made of, spooky!

2008-02-22T02:24:00.011+01:00

Belgrade, 21 Feb 08

"Emire, Srbine..Eire, Srbine!!!" (movie director Emir Kusturica) Today is my lucky day, being Serbian stopped being an ethnic category; we became a civic society after all. Or did we?

Serbian collective frenzy, led by completely freed from sanity Serbian leadership, entered today into the new phase of blind chanting and open violence. The idea was seemingly to repeat so many times "Kosovo is Serbia" for hooligans to start looting Belgrade downtown, and everybody in the World inclusive of finally-happy Kosovars say "Ok, it, is, just stop repeating that!".

Today, Serbian "one million people march" claiming freedom for Serbian people, trapped in newly independent and Albanian dominated Kosovo, turned into a 200,000 people hate-mongered rally. During the two hour long state organized event Serbian government head Kostunica, the Radicals leader Nikolic, celebrated director turned into orthodox fundamentalist Kostunica, and a manipulated top world tennis player Djokovic, performed their emotional best to manipulate people into the subsequent violence and whatever else will come down at us during the coming days.

The shouting patriotic nationalistic speakers were openly attacking all that is Western and especially the US government. 'Long live Serbia, Long Live Russia" chant by thousands kind of returned me in my mind all the way to 1944/5. The row of pathetic odes and loud screams by speakers in front of the Serbian Parliament addressing the crowd were only interrupted by a number of five minute patriotic poems that were amplifying the former, recited by actors who were completely off their rocker, like on LCD or something. One poem, really disgusting one, a cry out about the lost Kosovo, was by Matija Beckovic, a leading creator of post 2000 Serbian nationalist, collectivist, anti-western, and retrograde ideology, that world, I fear, is yet to hear about.

The entire scenario and logistics behind it was already seen during the 1990’s. The crowd was shipped to Belgrade, and than invited (like in the Cubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” movie, ok, ok, others had it in their heads before they ‘arose’) to fight and defend imaginary values, and some of them actuary start doing it immediately after the wholly all Serbian event by smashing other peoples property and staling running shoes and other equipment from smashed sports shops. Those predetermined and additionally heated by the hate-speeches during the really, immediately after the rally torched a part of US embassy building. During this event a student from Novi Sad (1988, Z.V.) was torched to a horrible death. They also rampaged and demolished much of the downtown and looted a number of shops. Many like the leader of Serbian Liberals appeared soon on B92 television and called as damaging and wrong in terms of people from Belgrade destroying their own city because they are angry at somebody else. I would add that this was pathetic, sad, and so much telling about the present day Serbian nationalism, and the capabilities of the State of Serbia to do anything, let alone care about the 1.8m Kosovars they do not admit for citizens and yet claim for slaves. The overall gist I have is that of a left by his illtrated wife abusive and alcoholic husband had plead for her return, and now when all is to late, has started to drink again and show his genuine face again.

It is true that some 1000 or 2000 hooligans took part of the actual violence, but was that not enough!? Will that be not enough tomorrow for realization of some sick Kostunica & Beckovic’s project? How many were killing and looting in Bosnia!? How many of them will do that again somewhere else, now, again!? Kostunica was very blunt about this, in his threatening in the way "yesterday border barricades were blasted, today will do this, and tomorrow, guess?" he asked. I do not know what, really. But, a month ago, while discussing with friends over a dinner if to vote or not for Tadic, since some of us disbelieved he had capacity for the demanded job and that the new parliamentary elections should be rather the way forward, one friend said how she does not think that the new right wing movement/s in Serbia do not pose any serious threat. The truth is that there is such a proactive political far right wing group in Belgrade, several thousand of extremists, little known by the wider audience, following the Beckovic's and others ideology, and who regularly meet every Thursday at the Belgrade Faculty for Mechanical Engineering. Student organizations like “Knight”, a group of “Obraz”, etc, together with some Serbian Orthodox Priests (who fund summer camps and networking), merged effectively into a potent ultra right wing block that are capable of organized activities, tolerated by the Kostunica’s regime (alike the vent in Novi Sad last Fall). They are actively spreading the hate, xenophobia, orthodox fundamentalism, aggressive pan Slavism, and anti-westernism. Walking these days down the Belgrade streets you’ll find many new bookshops and outlets of these organizations and the Church. As well as the www presentations. Police did/does nothing about this. They became legit and courageous.

The truth is that most probably these together with, by police for long time tolerated hooligans would-be-supporters of football clubs Rad, Partizan, and Zvezda, went forward into the rampage and killing, tacitly encouraged by the Kostunica made atmosphere and the realm of Beckovic ideology, alike before Milosevic 's regime tolerated and supported, now well known war criminal Arkan, back than just a football hooligan, in his Bosnian endeavors of war criminal. Policy did not fail tonight to protect people, property, and foreign missions, as some said, they actually declined to do so to create a political pretext for what they are planning for us and for stirring the people up to become responsive to their xenophobic politics! They are good at this, no wonder plenty of experience behind.

All they (first wave of late tonight interviewed officials together with absent-from-earth Belgrade mayor Alimpic, who the author of this piece happens to know from the times of the Democratic Party formation in Belgrade municipality of Cukarica in 1990-92) had to say, “all in under control”, hell was I’d say, and “well, people were provoked, frustrate, and one should understand”, wow, what a set of arrogant geniuses!

Maybe the most spooky thing of all regarding these modern day Serbiana-nationalism manifestation, besides the authorities tacitly inviting this violence by not securing the downtown and protecting important buildings, is that that we were told by all in charge, and most graphically by famous-yet-turned-mad director and a state-budget-sucker and regime artist Emir Kostunica, that he knows that all those "foreign mercenaries" that is "the fifth column", that is us, are now scarred into hiding in "mouse wholes". Sure thing we did since anybody since Sunday who would say anything to contrast the Serbian nationalist chant about how "Kosovo is Serbia" would be warned, for now, how it is not the right time to diverge and break file & rank ahead of the next Kosovo Battle. TV and radio station B92 was openly targeted as the next physical target. The crowd was chanting "Emire, Srbine..Emire, Srbine!!!" while the director was producing one of the most spectacular anti western speeches I have heard west of Damascus. He vastly improved since taking lessons from Nikita Mihalkov and the rest of pan-slavists and anti-western crew who live of the money earned from the same Western box offices. Anyhow, every authoritarian ruler had his artists, Kostunica happens to be one of Kostunica’s.

I feel very sorry for the family of the killed young student from Novi Sad, I also felt sorry for all those who had show up today as a part of today's ludicrous ideological masquerade in a form of a rally, like the members of the TV Belgrade orchestra, playing during the rally, and alike. Actually even some friends, teachers in Belgrade’s primary and secondary schools, reported that they were swiftly proclaimed by their superiors and more patriotic colleagues a traitors for not together with half animated and half pushed into all this pupils, leaving the school to come and join the rally’s crowd. Universities were obviously also corrupted, Belgrade's University Rector gave such a speech that I thought he was blackmailed with his family lives by Kostunica & Co. into sorrowing for lost Kosovo like it iz Nis or Novi Sad. He came on so incredibly naive and false that one would feel ashamed to listen, you know, like when you watch very bad B movie, this is how some of us felt. One of his intellectual bravura, he thought, was that he said he felt more respect for those who came to the rally today, on state sponsored and paid for coaches and trains, than for "all those Nobel prize winners" he use to give lectures to in the past. Che! Imagine this! What a character!

If any, the good thing is that only 200-300k people took part today, in spite of the pushy government and state institutions heads, and free transportations and sandwiches. Great many more people who very terrified by all this were hidden in the safety of their homes. The hope is that some of them will be the force that Kostunica will have to recon with, otherwise, Serbian European way forward may relay be lost. I doubt that the chief pretender, Liberal Party of Serbia, has sufficient capacity to lead on this way, far broader civil society has to close ranks, alike elsewhere during the tough changing times.

To warn, Serbia (read: Serbian government) have, again, slowly but most obviously (and I was saying this to my colleagues and friends for at least past two years), fall under another period of ideological one-mindedness and political authoritarianisms led by Kostunica, his party, and his circles of Serbian neo-nationalism of the 2000. If this governmental, social and media climate prevails, there will not be need to legally ban any civic freedoms, freedom of thought and speech, these have been already in a way suspended. Many is the world played down the ball by saying that if this is all of violence we’ll se coming from Serbia than we’ll be fine. Like, the things will work out themselves. Hell they will, I say, at least not for people living here during the times to come.

Serbia beeing serious about going nuts, outcome unknown

2008-02-21T01:23:00.000+01:00

Lacking time to cover every fuckin' ugly detail going on around me these days, and inability to that in a better way than Pera Lukovic made me just cut & paste Pera's stuff (thanks P. !), here it is (will try to get it in English too):

Petar Luković, Feral Tribune, 20/02/2008

U tjednu u kojem je Kosovo 17.2. 2008. postalo nezavisna država, što bi po patriotskom defaultu na emocionalnoj skali srbovanja bilo otprilike ravno najrazornijem duševnom zemljotresu – prava antička tragedija dogodila se, u stvari, u Novom Sadu gde je u nedelju ujutru, u dva posle ponoći, u kafiću „Lounge“, u samom centru grada, u namerno izazvanom požaru, izgorelo osam mladih ljudi. Besan što su ga iz kafića izbacili zbog pijanstva i nasilničkog ponašanja, ubica je upaljačem zapalio jamboliju kojom su obloženi zidovi kafića: za samo nekoliko minuta „Lounge“ se pretvorio u Danteov Inferno: pokojnike su identifikovali preko DNK jer su, naprosto, sagoreli. Pitanje: kakav je to mozak spreman da ubije, zapali, uništi, poništi ili likvidira osam života mladih ljudi (koji su bizarnom ironijom bili ili najbolji studenti ili deca kojima bi se svako ponosio), odjednom više nije lokalna anamneza, već slika Države u kojoj su ovakvi debili odrasli. U poređenju sa novosadskim ludakom (koji po vrlo strogim srpskim zakonima može biti osuđen najviše na 12 godina robije zbog ugrožavanja javne bezbednosti ili već neke takve romantične definicije), ono što se iste večeri dešavalo u Beogradu – gde se palilo, žarilo, razbijalo, uništavalo u navodno spontanim ali savršeno organizovanim profašističkim protestima u kojima je svaki nacistički odred s hitlerovskim pozdravom odradio svoj zadatak – izgledalo je kao veselo kombinovana Srpska Slika gde se učinak pojedinca upaljačem sukladno ali vatreno slaže sa kolektivnom traumom u kojoj je sve dozvoljeno, svejedno da li je osam mrtvih u novosadskom kafiću ili stotine povređenih na ulicama države koja Nasilje uvek vidi kao jedini izlaz, večito alibi-objašnjavajući da su u pitanju frustracija, zavera, vaskoliki neprijatelji, mržnja prema pravoslavlju ili sankcije – ta slika izgorelog novosadskog kafića koji nikakve veze s politikom nije imao, ideološka je freeze-frame fotografija režima koji nema vremena da se bavi banalnim detaljima oko osam mrtvih dok u istom trenutku Kosovo proglašava nezavisnost. Jer, ako vest o smrti nesrećnih Novosađana stigne u 26. minut u državni RTS „Dnevnik“, a da prethodno vidimo i čujemo svaku državnotvorno-ministarsku budalu koja lamentira nad Kosovom, odbijajući da prizna da se u Prištini desilo ono što se desilo – onda smo gospodo, rekao bi Winston Churchill, u „velikom problemu“. A je li Vojislav Koštunica uputio saučešće porodicama nastradilih u Novom Sadu? A je li Boris Tadić uputio saučešće porodicama nastradalih u Novom Sadu? A je li Tomislav Nikolić uputio saučešće porodicama nastradalih u Novom Sadu? Naravno da niko od njih nije ni pomislio da je osam mrtvih u kafiću nešto bitno što bi nas u danu kad je Kosovo postalo nezavisno skrenulo s puta – važno je samo da nekako, bilo kako, čak i nikako zadržimo Kosovo u okviru Srbije, ostalo su trice i kučine, This Is Serbia!

01. FRIDAY ON MY MIND: DAN DRŽAVNOSTI ILI KOŠTUNICA NA KONSULTACIJAMA SA KARAĐORĐEM: "Došli smo u Orašac da se posavetujemo sa Karađorđem,"... rekao je premijer Koštunica na proslavi Dana državnosti Srbije, ne objašnjavajući tehničke detalje konsultacija; hoće li Koštunica Vojislav lično iskopati mrtvog Karađorđa i s kosturom u komadima voditi sadržajan i konstruktivan razgovor, ili će dead Karađorđe lično ustati iz groba, otresti prašinu, i sa sekirom u ruci pristupiti pregovorima glede Kosova, jer, o čemu bi se sa srpskim premijerom moglo razgovarati 48 sati uoči kosovske nezavisnosti? Budući da su razgovori između dva mrtvaca, Koštunice & Karađorđa, ostali nedostupni javnosti, jedino smo čuli dr Voju koji se vratio sa briefinga sa koštunjavim ostacama Karađorđa; odmah nam je – ustanički – poručio da „Srbija brani pravni poredak i budućnost sveta“. Ovo sa budućnošću sveta već smo 1999. čuli od Mirjane Marković: ili je Karađorđe bio drogiran šljivovicom dok je ovako nešto savetovao Koštunicu ili se Koštunica nudistički predao Matiji Bećkoviću koji mu je za ovu priliku pisao budalaštine tipa da je "u našoj istoriji, ovo prvi put da otimači od nas traže da se složimo, da odobrimo i prihvatimo, da ropski pozdravimo otimanje Kosova. Da potpišemo da nije naše - ono što vekovima jeste naše. Da priznamo kako nismo sa Kosova, odakle jesmo". Bećkovićevo-mirjanamarkovićevski- pastiši koji lirski poništavaju razliku između Matije & Mire, dosegli su Koštuničin erotski ego u rečenicama tipa: "Svet nas pita - koliko košta to što vi Srbi jeste? Koliko košta vaše sećanje? Pošto je vaša istorija? Koliko kvadratnih metara imaju vaši manastiri, pa da vas obeštetimo. Bolje je da vam platimo da budete nešto drugo. Isplati vam se da budete nešto drugo, a ne ono što jeste. I još više, da potpišemo kako na sve to pristajemo. Da kaznimo i sami sebe. Da sednemo za sto evropske porodice kao jedina država koja je stolicu za evropskim stolom dobila nedostojnom trgovinom, samoodricanjem od sećanja i identiteta. Ima glasova i među nama da je tako lakše. Da nam se više isplati. Takvu računicu ne umem da izvedem". Kad nam je Karađorđe na ruralni srpski preveo Koštunicu, shvatili smo da smo najebali: život mora da stane sve dok se Kosovo ne vrati pod skute Srbije!

03. SATURDAY: PARANOIA IS SKILL: Najava da će Parlament Kosova (čitaj: nelegitimni, veštački, nepriznati, teroristički, secesionistički) već u nedelju u tri popodne proglasiti nezavisnost – oblikovala se kroz udarnu poruku („Sutra otimaju!“) sa naslovne strane „Večernjih novosti“. Uteha da je Vlada Srbije još u četvrtak, unapred, poništila sve odluke koje će separatističko šiptarsko pleme doneti tek u nedelju – što jeste pravni fenomen: da se poništava ono što još nije obelodanjeno –bila je tek uvod u suočenje sa grubom stvarnošću. Do pre 24 časa, Koštunica Vojislav & Comp. uveravali su nas da je Ahtisarijev plan mrtav i duboko zakopan, potpuno zaboravljen i poništen; kad su iz Prištine stigle vesti o nadirućoj nezavisnosti uz pomoć misije Europske Unije a po Ahtisarijevom planu – ispostavilo se da Ahtisari nikad nije bio živahniji! Toliko o srpskoj diplomatiji i uverenju da Kosovo nikad, never, taman posla – neće proglasiti nezavisnost jer, objašnjavano nam je, ne smeju pičke, ne usuđuju se, Rusija je na našoj strani, pravda je na našoj strani, Šri Lanka je uz nas, moćni Kipar zapretiće svima koji se usude da Kosovo odvoje od majke Srbije! A tek Subotica!

04. SUNDAY FUN: DEAD FLOWERS FOREVER: Točno 60 minuta nakon što je Kosovo postalo nezavisno, pred novinare u Vladi Srbije izašao je dr Koštunica Vojislav, pažljivo isfeniran, sa legalno stepenastim ali celovitim šiškama na čitavoj teritoriji svoje kosovske frizure, da nam, budalama, objasni o čemu se, zapravo, radi. „Nikada se kao danas nije jasnije pokazala istina zašto je Srbija divljački razarana pod NATO bombama. Pravi temelj lažne države Kosovo čine bombe kojima je NATO rušio Srbiju“, rekao je dr Voja i u laganom speedu ukazao na glavne srpske neprijatelje: „Amerika je prisilila Evropu da je sledi u nečuvenom nasilju koje demonstrira nad Srbima. Evropa je danas pognula glavu i zbog toga će ona biti odgovorna za sve dalekosežne posledice koje će ovo nasilje imati po evropski i svetski poredak“. A onda poentirao: „Dok politika sile misli da je danas trijumfovavala praveći lažnu državu, milioni Srba već misle o danu slobode koji mora doći. Niko još nije uspeo da spreči srpski narod da ostvari svoju slobodu“. Koštunica se za ovaj govor verovatno konsultovao sa mrtvim Miloševićem, jer sve što smo od feniranog Voje čuli – jeste falsifikovani re-make Miloševićevih najvećih hitova iz 1999, s precizno targetiranim neprijateljima kojima pod hitno, što pre, koliko večeras, treba jebati majku, da osete srpsku crnu ruku.

05. BURN, BABY, BURN: Vodeći srpski hamburger-neprijatelj, nesrećni „McDonalds“, oboren na kolena još 1999, uz čuvenu parolu „Vi imate Mek, mi imao Tvrd“, opet je bio na udaru „patriotskih organizacija i predstavnika nevladinog sektora“ kako je dan kasnije somnabulna „Politika“ pokušala da opiše horde huligana, klerofašista, nacista, rasističkih navijača i ostalih pomahnitalih pojedinaca koji su odmah po Koštuničinom tipovanju – ukapirali da sve što ima veze sa odvratnom Amerikom i pičkastom EU valja pretvoriti u sveti kosovski prah. Kako je srpska policija imala patriotski zadatak da pokaže simpatije prema kolektivnim izlivima Kosova u mozak, na meti su se našle američka i slovenačka ambasada, svaki kafić i svaki automobil na putu do kosovskog cilja, svaka podla žardinjera ili kontejner za đubre, a posebice nesrećni „Mercator“ kojeg su u Čačku blokirale kamiondžije a u Beogradu, klasično, maltretirali lažnim dojavama za bombu koja samo što nije eksplodirala. Sve se, razume se, nastavilo i narednih dana širom Srbije: na meti su bili LDP-odbori, poslastičarnice čiji vlasnici nisu imali „ić“ u prezimenu, sve što smrdi na slovenačku robu, albanska ambasada, vozilo ambasadora Brazila, slučajni koleteralno štetni kafići, opet „McDonald“, opet „Mercator“, ponovo „McDonald“ kojem nije pomoglo ni što je svojevremeno šajkaču stavio na svoj američki znak – tek da pokaže koliko je ovo, u stvari, srpsko preduzeće nacionalno osvešćeno! Ova kristalna noć koja je trajala i traje nekoliko dana, bez namere da se okonča, postavlja nove standarde političke akcije: šta li će se tek desiti kad Hrvatska prizna Kosovo? I tko je rekao „Idea“?

06. SUNDAY NIGHT FEVER: DAN KAD JE MILOŠEVIĆ REHABILITOVAN:
Možda izgleda hrvatski zabavno, ali je bolesno srpski istinito: dočekali smo da nam Ivica Dačić, šef Miloševićevih socijalista (SPS) otkriva toplu vodu ovdašnje politike; predsednik SPS ocenio je kako su reakcije predsednika i premijera Srbije, povodom kosovskog problema, Borisa Tadića i Vojislava Koštunice, "nažalost, potpuna moralna i politička satisfakcija" za politiku koju je SPS vodio prethodne decenije. "Nema nikakve razlike između jučerašnjih izlaganja Koštunice i Tadića i politike SPS iz 90-tih godina. Zahvalan sam Koštunici na dirljivim rečima o NATO bombardovanju 1999. godine", rekao je Dačić. Kako li se posle ovakvih komplimenata, pitam se, osećaju glasači Borisa Tadića, koji su u prostodušnoj naivnosti poverovali da glasajući za Kena glasaju za nekakve europske integracije i nešto civilizovaniji život?

07. „POTVRĐIVANJE ODLUKE O PONIŠTENJU ODLUKE“: Pod ovakvim raskošnim naslovom teme o kojoj se raspravljalo – Skupština Srbije je većinom od 225 glasova (bez LDP) aklamacijom odbacila nezavisnost Kosova, uveravajući nas da se ništa nije promenilo; Kosovo nije nezavisno; tko prizna taj je pizda; Srbija funkcioniše na čitavom Kosovu (hi-hi-hi); Kosovo će zauvek biti deo celovite Srbije. Sjajni govori Čedomira Jovanovića i Nenada Čanka koji su do detalja objasnili i razgolitili ulogu Koštunice u ovom najnovijem srpskom porazu – naišli su na prezrivi smeh premijera i njegovih saradnika; kao da su se zapanjili pred činjenicom da ima Srba koji su već odavno znali da će se sve ovo dogoditi, na to upozoravali, ali ih je Koštunica, uvek u pravu, uveravao da to nije moguće i da Kosovo nikad neće postati nezavisno, a posebice da kad je postalo nezavisno to ništa ne znači i da je pravi trenutak da se „pregovori nastave“ što je realno koliko da se plan Z4 na Hrvatsku primeni od sutra!

08. KOSOVO IS BURNING: Poslednjih 24 časa, nasilje iz Beograda i ostalih srpskih gradova fokusiralo se na severni deo Kosova; eksplozije, bombe, dizanje u vazduh graničnih prelaza – integralni su deo srpske strategije da se ni po koju cenu ne dozvoli da „lažno Kosovo“ ostvari plan jedinstvene države. Slobodan Samardžić, mračna figura Koštuničinog Nacionalnog Fronta, tzv. ministar za „Kosovo i Metohiju“, što je titula koja mu je faktički prestala u nedelju popodne jer je Kosovo postalo nezavisno – izjavio je da možda nije lepo što se „sve ovo“ dešava ali da je potpuno „legitimno“ i u skladu sa planovima i idejama Vlade Srbije da se nikako ne dozvoli da „lažno Kosovo“ stigne na granice Srbije. Hoće se reći da je ovo tek početak oružanog sukoba niskog intenziteta i da nema nikakve šanse da se čitav problem zatvori nekakvim kompromisom, jer u srpskom jeziku – kad je ta fucking word u pitanju – nema tog pojma. Još kad se zna da severnim Kosovom rukovode pomahnitali DSS kadrovi koji imaju strogo lični/finansijski interes da čitavo ludilo pretvore u vrstu rata, onda je sasvim logično da prisustvujemo palestinskom scenariju, uz nacionalno nadahnuće onog tipa kad su SAO ćelije bile u modi. SAO Hrvatska, recimo!

09. SERBIA: LITTLE MISS APOCALYPSE: Naslovi u srpskim dnevnim novinama („Bombe na srpsku decu“, „Stop teroru“, „Odbrana Kosmeta“, „Na ivici“, „Prekid kontakta sa zemljama koje priznaju Kosovo“, „Srbi zapalili kontrolne punktove u Jarinju i Brnjaku“, „Ko da mi otme iz moje duše Kosovo“) emocionalna je hrana za ovdašnju javnost uplašenu da pita za budalaštine tipa Europska Unija ili ukidanje viza; ritualni strah pomešan sa osvetničkim radikalizmom – prava je mera ovdašnje atmosfere u kojoj ona vrsta politike koja zagovora izolaciju, kurčenje i pravednu borbu protiv srpskih neprijatelja ne samo da indoktrinira nego i trijumfuje apokaliptičnim slikama budućnosti, priželjkujući raspad Amerike, raspad Evoropske Unije, raspad bilo čega - jer bi tek nečija najveća nesreća bila prava mera ovdašnje najveće srpske sreće. Osetilo se to u izjavi Slobodana Samardžića, onog hipotetičkog ministra za Kosovo, koji je na pitanje kako reaguje na napade na ambasade, na vandalsko ponašanje fašista i huligana – odgovorio da je to smešno porediti sa „onim što su ONI nama učinili“, otvarajući prostor za svaku vrstu paljevine, jer je u ovakvim okolnostima, tako smo ga sasvim ispravno razumeli, ama baš sve dozvoljeno, naročito kad se obračunavamo sa Evropom i Amerikom, seremo se na puszi Evropu i puszi Ameriku!

10. DRŽAVOTVORNI MITING: WE WRITE OUR OWN ANTHEMS: U četvrtak će se, ispred nekadašnje SFRJ Skupštine, održati spektakularni miting, u zajedničkoj organizaciji Vojislava Koštunice, Borisa Tadića i Tomislava Nikolića. Sama pornografska činjenica da će Boris Tadić govoriti u tandemu sa Koštunicom i Nikolićem, poslednji je ekser u mrtvački kovčeg moderne Srbije; isti taj Tadić koji je izbore dobio na navodno europskoj destinaciji, optužujući radikale za sva zla devedesetih – govoriće pred radikalskom publikom, izgovarajući iste kosovske zavete kao Koštunica i Nikolić. Deca tog dana neće ići u školu; studenti neće ići na predavanja; vozovi će besplatno dovoziti građane u Beograd; sve je spremno da ova dirljiva DS&DSS&SRS koalicija Srbiju povede putevima Slobodana Miloševića i Mirjane Marković. Kosovsko ludilo traje i trajaće: još kad se setimo SAO Krajine... gde će nam biti kraj ako kraja uopće ima!

*Za naslove u tekstu obilato koristio pesme sa albuma „Everybody Makes Some Noise“ grupe The A.K.A.S (Are Everywhere)

Presidential election in Serbia, Jan/Feb 2008: Toma, Voja i BOTA.

2008-02-15T03:48:00.000+01:00

Believed to be the pro-EU candidate Boris Tadic, a.k.a DS BOTA and/or DS BORI-SE, won the Serbian presidency by a very narrow margin with a very large effort (of which some included bullying and/or paying for people's ballot). Many international journalists-would-be-writers were relieved and reported from in front of the flourishing Belgrade downtown buildings that Serbian electorate chose Europe over the past, etc. The complexity of this victory, covered by the subsequent news coverage, was that the election left

Serbia

divided and split wide open. This excludes the Kosovo issue over which, actually, most of the nation went collectively blind mad. Years of brainwashing and elites' hatemongering led to people's lack of mental and cultural capacity to understand and accept that the People of Kosovo have right to chose their future. And who could blame them, I would too opt for the way away from this kind of never de-1990's-ized and largely Putinized Serbia.

Now, as the Belgrade's political analyzers would have it, a question is arising will the so called democratic block (political forces that toppled Milosevic’s regime, and in power since then) and the Kostunica’s Government, actually politically survive, or will it face necessary reconstruction or even the new parliamentary elections? That is, will Boris and DS get their act together and listen to the people who voted for him/them? Does Boris think that the Radicals (SRS) are really stopped or will the soon-expected Kosovo departure bring them into the driving seat, first time since the fall of Milosevic’s regime? Or would Boris first seat in the seat by re-becoming the biggest Serb and patriot of Kosovo brand? I said what I think about this by not voting for 'BORI-SE'.

DS-BORI-SE managed to sell the just completed Serbian presidential election as a fight alike the Alien Vs. Predator, sequence 13, in which he actually plays none of the two but nothing short of Cinderella. So, the the nation’s choice between Deputy President of the Radical Party of Serbia (SRS) Tomislav Nikolic and DS President and past Serbian President Boris Tadic was the fake one! Only the politically naive would of actually thought over his/her ballot as being actually invested into some pro EU future. In fact, as during the last presidential election in 2004, during this election too, held on 20 Jan and 3 Feb 2008, DS tried hard to divide the electorate and the country between so called supporters of a pro-European course for Serbia and those who advocate for the ultra nationalist stand on Kosovo and cooperation (or lack thereof) with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Surprisingly to a sane external viewing, DS BORI-SE actually managed to scare many into voting for him only to get back into the Voja-the-fascist stomach through the back door . Again! Don't tell me you who now would gladly chew your ballot rather than again vote for DS BORI-SE have not been warned about this.

The victory for DS BORI-SE, although only by a slight 2% margin (50.5% vs. 47.9%), enjoyed the highest voters turn out (67.6%) since the toppling of Milosevic’s regime in 2000. Uh, so many people got scarred and bought into voting. Actually, let us be honest and say that during his campaign DS BORI-SE was greatly challenged by SRS Nikolic hard-line stand on Kosovo and the ICTY, and his popularity on the rise in front of the determination of Kosovo final status. So much that Tadic was quick in adopted Toma's rhetorics energized by those elegant watter polo champion-like mimics. And boy, did he do well, from impersonating Toma and the SRS gang to paying people in cash to bring votes in, in the Serbiastan's provice alike Priboj. Hence, of course, DS BORI-SE managed to get the backing of those scared alike ethnic minority parties, most of sp called liberal votes, as well as some moderate nationalist votes. What a stew! The slight damage he could not care less about in his mind, a phenomenon driven by this real DS BOTA's rhetoric and lack of internal democracy within the DS, was pushing away from him, small part of liberal voters in Serbia and/or those least believing in the pro-reform and pro-EU capacities of Boris Tadic’s leadership.

The real nature of of the so called democratic block's stability will become apparent with the further developments regarding the Kosovo status. Actually, it already did, i na way to show that there is not ANY REAL difference between Voja and BOTA. Idiotic official Belgrade's campaign over the issue of Kosovo will soon turn into its practical manifesto, DS BOTA being the coo-driver. We'll se what this exactly will bring us apart of the inetrnational isolation and political harassment of those thinking differently. A likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill wil start jumping out from their massive glossy billboards reading “Kosovo is Serbia”. Famous world leaders will join Voja and Bota in their "struggle for preserving the borders of their nation". The rest of the country will form Serbian version of 1 million people march orchestrated by Toma the SRS and surrely supported (tacitly) by Voja and sports-like energetically by DS BOTA .

Underneath of this victory for pro-EU Serbia does not resides a rift between the Serbian opposing political poles. There is not anymore so called democratic (pro reform) and conservative (1990’s regime) blocs as these stopped to be sharply opposed and have in effect blended into each other stance's over the import set of issues. On the otehr hand the DS cohabitation has been turned into a rape of the (good part of the) 2.2 m of ballots and merrige of the same kind. Those still refusing this reality into their hads must have some vasted interets or they read different news than I do. Do not know about you, but I am not expecting new elections any time soon, nor anything else, for that matter, from BOTA & the imploded DS Co.

Welcome to Liberal-Serbia!

2008-02-15T03:15:00.000+01:00

After many tears abroad, I returned to Serbia 4 yeahs ago. As the time was pissing I felt increasingly disconnected with the developing social surrealities and what to only few seemed to be the Serbian plunge into the ideological and political captivity by people who belong to the invented past rather than to any future. Most recently I noticed some sane people I thought I could bare have also awakened to the call for rampage, hatred, and denial.

This blog is an attempt to reach out and create another, among several other, points for gathering of those liberal minded and currently politically dyslexic in Serbia, till not gone altogether.

I'll move on from these initial swords to the work of building up a stick of resources, relevant to current issues important for liberal agenda (I'll pretend there is such a thing) in Serbiastan and hopefully interesting resources for those revisiting.

Best regards,
Mladen