The enthronement of the new metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro certainly overshadowed the anniversary of the political changes in this country.
Many (including the signatory of these lines) expected an express or a little slower, but definitely explicit dismantling of a freakish and deeply unfair system, and the only dismantling that happened in the meantime took place among the so-called to the "winners" from August 30. The complete, namely, the church structure as it was installed by Metropolitan Amfilohije - was promptly dismantled. That none of Grandfather's "grandchildren" even write.
On the eve of the enthronement, those in favor of the SPC insist that it is the so-called a "traditional" place and custom, but that could hardly be said, because only two enthronements after the dissolution of the autocephalous CPC were in the Cetinje Monastery - in 1961 by Danilo Dajković and in 1990 by Amfilohi Radović.
This need to publicly promote the narrative about the "traditionality" of customs is what, I assume, irritates many, and not only the people of Cetinje. As the narrative about the eight centuries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro was released. Even though she doesn't have that much experience under that name in Serbia either.
Why such stubbornness of the SPC Metropolis in Montenegro? Why is Cetinje so important to them, and they are surprised when they see that Cetinje is also important to others.
If we are talking about the symbolic marking of the territory, it should not be surprising that it looks like an occupation manner to some.
The protest is not disputed. And it should. That belongs to the citizens, but something else is disputed. This is presented as an authentic continuation of the emancipation movement from the nineties, which also flared up in Cetinje, and people gathered not because (some of them) someone paid them gas and daily wages, but for a somewhat different motivation. Which is a perversion of its own kind - because with such manipulation, something that was created in fundamental and unequivocal resistance to that party, its leaders and their politics is placed under the DPS flag.
What is it that additionally makes the committee of the nineties different from today's? Apart from the fact that they were the first (all of the squad) to comment "about their Brašnjenik" and for their ideas... Detail from one of the gatherings at the time - in Bašta cinema Kultura, August 1992. A large gathering, great energy - and among those present, a journalist from the then Kragujevac Pogled , and it was probably the most Chetnik newspaper of all time. No one even gave him a scowl. There was controversy, but charming. No violence whatsoever. This is how you behave when you are sure of your ideas and their emancipatory role.
Even then, the Church and SANA and other dark people came to Cetinje, albeit then as Đukanović's political partners. Every time they were sent off fiercely and with dignity from Cetinje, as befits.
Politicians, as we see, insist that they are able to provide everything "as it should", but I am not sure that this is so. I'm afraid that this is the logic - we have to say that if we are a serious government, and that behind what was said there is neither a comprehensive analysis nor other preparations for the event itself and all the possible scenarios of that day. Most of which are very dangerous.
However, I do not believe that one enthronement, whatever meanings are projected into it, can really set Montenegro on fire. Which doesn't mean it can't - flare up.
I must admit that Minister Srzentić is one of the few politicians from the government whose statements these weeks are very balanced and civically based.
But the statement about "a doctor who kills one man, and the economy kills a thousand" testifies to the many times confirmed public clumsiness of the prime minister. This wording is suspicious even for a block bench where pensioners sit in flip flops and funny t-shirts and, extremely casually, rave about anything and everything.
Perhaps it is not too late for the Prime Minister to ask his friends from the Church to understand the reality and transfer the entire ceremony to the Podgorica temple. Because it would not be good to discover that, in the Prime Minister's vocabulary, in addition to "doctors" and "economy", wrong assessments can kill many...
Bonus video:
