It's not easy to write about Blaž Jovanović (1907-1976)... And not hard at all... Suffice it to say: Blažo! The great Montenegrin revolutionary, member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia since 1924, national hero, statesman, hero of socialist labor, first president of the Constitutional Court of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, reserve major general... A Bastadur from Podgorica's Velje Brdo.
Three years after his birth, in 1910, he lost his father. He was raised by his mother, Marija, from the Montenegrin tribe, who, as the folk song says, "go to war with a dagger in one hand, a rifle in the other, a child on their chest, and bullets in their aprons."
He began his law studies in Belgrade, continued in Zagreb, where he graduated in 1931. He got his first job in Varaždin, where he met his future wife. Lidiu, born in Rijeka, who, having lost her parents at an early age, lived in Varaždin with her uncle, an architect. She was a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia since 1935, holder of the "Partisan Memorial 1941", successfully participated in Montenegrin social life for decades; long-time president of the Red Cross of Montenegro...
Young and educated, he returned to Montenegro. Blaž's contributions to the development of Montenegro are immeasurable. He is, as the academician said, Branislav Kovačević, was a symbol of the establishment of Montenegrin state and national continuity.
One of the organizers of the famous Thirteenth of July Uprising. He wrote about general political issues in the newspapers "Zeta" and "Slobodna misao", as well as an editorial in the first issue of "Pobjeda", on October 24, 1944, and gave his name to that newspaper. In the post-war period, in addition to numerous political duties, he was the Prime Minister of Montenegro and the President of the National Assembly of Montenegro...
A regular visitor to cultural events; art exhibitions, theater and film performances. In the former Titograd Cinema "Kultura", in the middle of the balcony, there were two seats for Lidija and Blaž.
On September 15, 1959, he attended the opening of the Postal and Telegraph Museum in Titograd, the first technical museum in Montenegro.
- This museum is a significant achievement, which should be further developed. It is very impressive, because it connects all the efforts invested from the very beginning to the present day. It is characteristic, and it must be emphasized, that the postal and telegraphic service is one of the first institutions established in Montenegro. I congratulate the organizers and founders of this museum on the success achieved, which is worthy of every praise - said Blažo Jovanović on that occasion.
Man of Tito's of trust, which he gladly welcomed during his visit to Montenegro.
In 1951, when Tito came on his second post-war visit to Montenegro, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the July 13th Uprising with the Montenegrin people, on the crowded Ivan Milutinović Square in Titograd (today Independence Square), Blažo Jovanović greeted Tito and said:
- Comrade Tito, welcome to your Montenegrin people, to your socialist Montenegro, to your Titograd. Your arrival has doubled the already great celebration on the tenth anniversary of the July 13th Uprising. The fact that you are celebrating this tenth anniversary, the greatest date in the history of Montenegro, here with us, is a particularly great joy for all our people. Your arrival here means a huge recognition and reward for all that you have done during the People's Liberation Struggle, the People's Revolution and the building of socialism in our country. The love of the Montenegrin people for you, Tito, is great. We greet you as a leader and teacher, and we welcome you warmly and wholeheartedly as our dearest and best comrade. The Montenegrin people will persevere to the end on the path of building socialism, on the path of defending freedom and independence. The Montenegrin people have known, throughout their entire history and know even more today, that they value their freedom! - said Blažo Jovanović, greeting Tito on Titograd's Ivan Milutinović Square on July 13, 1951.
Time to take off; under the watchful eye of Blaž Jovanović. On the meadows, between Ribnica and Morača, according to the project of the visionary, famous architect Vujadin Popović, the city began; for starters, a hotel of European splendor, with salons, green, red, yellow, hunting, covered with silk wallpapers; a magnificent post office building, with a villa in relief on the facade, symbolizing the speed of postal services; bank, parliament, government buildings... (The current government also resides in buildings built during the socialist era).
Architect Popović, for some unknown reason, left Montenegro; he settled in Australia. He came to Podgorica for a short visit in the early 1990s. I was introduced to him by my friend, an architect. Vajo Knežević.
I was just getting ready to travel to Australia, at the invitation of Montenegrin emigrants, so I agreed with architect Popović to meet in Melbourne, where he lived, in order to write a story about him. When I arrived in Melbourne, I called him, but, unfortunately, architect Popović had traveled somewhere, and I was not able to stay in Melbourne for a longer time. Thus, Popović's testimony about the reasons for leaving Montenegro and the development of Titograd at that time failed... Have we done him justice enough? Judge for yourself.
While living in Cetinje, Blažo Jovanović lived in the building of the former English embassy, near Njegoš Park. When he moved to Titograd, he settled in a small house near the “Savo Pejanović” School, where he remained until the construction of the “Gorica” Villa in 1957. The people called “Gorica” “Blažova vila”. This bothered him and he moved to a small, newly built house below the “Gorica” Villa, which is now connected to the new building of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts.
He drove it. Milo Dabetic, sometimes and Miso Malikovic. These were mostly American sedans, "Cadillacs", "Fords", "Chevrolets". Only later, when the European automotive industry recovered from the devastation of World War II, did "Mercedes", "Opels", "Fiats", "Renaults", "Peugeots" begin to arrive...
He had two companions, Bogić Boljević i Loved ĐurišićThey were nice guys, always elegantly dressed. When Blažo walked along Titograd's Ulica Slobode, one of them would follow Blažo, but about twenty meters away.
In the early 1970s, someone came up with the stupid idea of giving “Gorica” to Television Titograd, which was operating in substandard premises, together with Radio Titograd, in the building that today houses the Monstat Statistical Office. One evening, a meeting of the state leadership was organized with the aim of giving Villa “Gorica” to Television Titograd!
- Where are we going to eat now!? - said my friend, a journalist, a great Montenegrin poet, jokingly, Ratko Vujosevic, alluding to the frequent rich receptions in "Gorica".
He oversold. Veselin Đuranović and thus saved a beautiful building with which the City would have lost a lot and the Television would have gained practically nothing. It was then decided that the Montenegrin Television would get a new, purpose-built building, which was built according to the design of a Belgrade architect Uglješa Bogunovića, who also designed the "Politika" palace in Belgrade.
These were fateful years for Montenegro. In the spring of 1974, the University of Montenegro was founded, the Clinical Center of Montenegro was built, then "Pobjeda", the Scientific Society was formed, the forerunner of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts...
In Žabljak, on August 7, 1970, Montenegrin officials informed Tito about the establishment of the University of Montenegro. Tito gave full support to the initiative and said that Montenegro should create its own personnel...
And all of this was conceived while the "last lord of Montenegro" was Blažo Jovanović.
A refined, measured, accomplished man.
He knew, sometimes, to say to some unknown rascal: Sheep lock!
And a young Montenegrin journalist got stuck on the island of Goli Otok. When he returned from the infamous island, no one wanted to hire him.
- Go to Blaž right away! - his fellow journalists advised him.
In the book "The Red Spot", Rifat Rastodera and Branislav Kovačević, that case is mentioned.
The journalist came to Blaž's office.
- Where are you going!? - the security man asked him.
- I'm going to Blaž to ask him if he can help me work as a journalist again!
- How can you go to Blaž, you traitor, you stabbed the Party in the back, you betrayed the country!? Get out!
At that moment, Blažo was just leaving the office and asked the security man what was that?
- How is it, Comrade President, this guy came from Goli Otok, and he wants you to help him become a journalist.
"Come here, boy," Blažo called the journalist into his office.
The journalist told him that he was young and that he had improved.
- Do you like being a journalist? - Blažo asked him.
- I love it! - said the journalist.
- Well, in that case, go back to Radio Titograd and everything will be fine.
Blažo picked up the phone, called the director of Radio Titograd, Veselin Đuranović, and suggested that he receive the journalist.
That's how he was; he felt other people's suffering.
I met Blažo Jovanović three times. The first time, as a boy, in Cetinje (I wrote about it here, so as not to repeat myself). That “Cetinje meeting” made the next two possible for me. In 1963, Yugoslavia received a new Constitution that provided for the establishment of a Constitutional Court. Blažo Jovanović was appointed president of this very important institution.
The 1963 Constitution provided for the establishment of the Constitutional Court of the Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia and constitutional courts of the republics and provinces. There was great interest. Many newspapers, radio and television stations wanted to interview Blaž Jovanović on this occasion. There was a rush. Everyone was interested in the role of this new institution.
At the time, I was a young journalist at “Index”, a student magazine from the University of Novi Sad and higher education institutions in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. I sent Blaž a letter asking for an interview. He replied immediately and invited me to come to him in Belgrade.
- Socialism has shown in its development that it is not immune to various deformations and violations of the principles of constitutionality and legality. The bureaucracy knew how to twist even the best laws into their opposite and turn them into a screen for lawlessness and arbitrariness. There were periods in the development of certain socialist countries when there were gross deviations from constitutionality and legality and when elementary constitutional rights and freedoms were noticeably violated. We should not close our eyes to the fact that this still happens here and there today, and eliminating these phenomena is one of the major tasks. The 1963 Constitution contains a special chapter on the principle of constitutionality and legality. In doing so, it wanted to emphasize the extraordinary importance of this principle for the realization and development of new socio-political relations, which are based on the principle of social governance and self-government - Blažo Jovanović told me, among other things.
It was one of my big interviews. It was broadcast by all relevant Yugoslav media at the time and by "Pobjeda" in two installments.
At the end of 1967 I went to do my military service in the JNA; coastal artillery. During one of the exercises, an admiral burst into our bunker. Bogdan Pecotic, commander of the Split Army District. We achieved excellent results and received several days of bonus leave. I went to Titograd and, somehow, in a military uniform, stopped by the cafe of the Hotel “Podgorica”. When I got there, Blažo was there with a large group. He recognized me and invited me to his table...
He died in Igalo on February 4, 1976, at the age of sixty-nine. His remains were displayed in the hall of the Parliament of Montenegro, where the Montenegrin people paid their respects in a procession. He was buried in Titograd, at the Čepurci cemetery.
Bonus video:
