24 February 2008

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

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.

22 February 2008

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

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.

21 February 2008

Serbia beeing serious about going nuts, outcome unknown

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)

15 February 2008

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

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!

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