Although the residents of Crmnica, Virpazar, Ostros and the surrounding villages protested and blocked the Sozina tunnel in the last period in order to pass a legal solution in the Parliament of Montenegro that would give them relief for passing through the tunnel, that proposal was not passed at the last parliamentary session.
Citizens claim that the authorities and institutions have failed them, and that since the issue was raised in the parliament, they were able to conclude who has sensitivity to this problem. In the speeches of some representatives of the DPS, they did not recognize the support. Politicians from both sides of the parliamentary coin claim that the people of Crmnica are victims of their political rivals.
Of the 43 deputies who voted, 23 abstained, and 20 voted for this proposal. The deputies of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) did not participate in the vote even though they were in the parliamentary hall, while the European Movement now abstained, as well as head of parliament Andrew Mandic.
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The remaining deputies of the New Serbian Democracy and the deputies of Democratic Montenegro voted to adopt this proposal. Branislav Nenezic from the Social Democrats, deputy of the United Montenegro Vladimir from Dobričan, independent MPs Evrosim Pejovic i Worker Chincur and part of the representatives of the Democratic People's Party and the Socialist People's Party, as well as one representative of the Bosniak Party.
Raičević would vote "for"
The residents of Crmni have announced a new protest and blockade of the tunnel for Sunday from 17 to 19 p.m. As the organizers of the protest said, they will continue with the blockades until their precise demands, which they submitted to "Monteput" and the Municipality of Bar, are fulfilled. They said that they expect an immediate reaction from them, and they reminded that even after several months of requests, they still have not been invited to an interview with the President of the Municipality of Bar. Dušan Raičević.
Raičević told "Viječić" that he has been out of the country for a few days, that he did not participate in the work of the parliament this week, so he could not even take part in the vote, which "bared the essence and once again confirmed that the parliamentary majority is exclusively guided by narrow-party interests and political trade that has once again neglected the needs and interests of citizens", in this case his fellow citizens from Crmnica, Šestan and Ostros.
Although his parliamentary club of the DPS did not participate in the vote, if he had been in the hall, he would certainly have supported this legal solution with his vote, as he said, and he sincerely regrets that he could not fulfill the promise.
In any case, he pointed out, his vote would not fundamentally change anything, considering that the decision that this solution would not be supported by the majority in the parliament was already made when the initiative was submitted.
He regrets that his fellow citizens did not recognize in time that they would be victims of the brutal political trade of the current majority in the Montenegrin parliament.
"I am not surprised by the attitude of PES because they once again confirmed that they are a spineless party, without an attitude and without listening to the essential problems of the citizens. Being part of the government at the state level and not making decisions is extremely hypocritical and irresponsible," said Raičević.
He emphasized that three years ago, they recognized the need of the Barans living in this area, so they allocated more than 50 thousand euros from the local budget each year. He announced that "as a responsible authority at the local level" they will propose an increase in grants to the amount of 100 thousand euros and thereby partially neutralize the injustice that was inflicted on Bar and the citizens of Bar.
"Also, we will insist that, by a special decision of the Government of Montenegro, "Monteput" undertakes to set aside an amount of no less than 100,000.00 euros annually from part of the profit, so that all those who are recognized at the level of local community councils will have the right to cost subsidies. Certainly, we will continue to advocate that through adequate criteria and a transparent procedure, this process will continue to be carried out to the satisfaction of the residents of Crmnica, Šestan and Ostros", Raičević concluded.
The organizers of the protest near Sozina, Aleksandar Flamenco i Miloš Petranović, said that the increase in subsidies is not a permanent solution that they require, but they want to sign a contract that will oblige them to solve this problem.
As they say, they expected from the first day of submitting the initiative that the Municipality of Bar would stand by them, but fundamentally and not just formally and populistically. They believe that already then as an urgent measure, but not a permanent one, an increase in the amount of funds for the needs of the people of Crmni could have been determined when it comes to tolls, and not in this way as is the case now, as they said, just to reduce the damage
"We are ready to sit down and sign that contract already tomorrow", they said and added that they expect the immediate involvement of all parties in this process, especially the Municipality of Bar, which they expect to defend the interests of Baran. They are still waiting for an invitation to an interview at the local administration building, they concluded.
Leković: Subsidies also come from citizens' pockets
Member of Democratic Montenegro, one of the proponents of the amendment to the Law on Roads, Momchilo Lekovic, told "Vijesti" that they spent almost two months preparing this legal solution, putting it into procedure, press conferences, debates and fights, and that all of that was canceled in a minute, and that leaves a bitter taste.
"I have to admit that I was afraid of this outcome, especially when support is promised by those for whom the given word means nothing. Today, as we can see, those same people are justifying themselves for not pressing the button, announcing greater municipal subsidies and, behold, miracles, waving the wallets of those same citizens whom they once again defrauded yesterday. It is important to know that every subsidy that comes from the budget of the Municipality of Bar is provided to a greater or lesser extent through fees and taxes by the same citizens to whom it is offered and awarded," said Leković.
According to his information, the biggest proponent of the non-adoption of amendments to the Law on Roads was the company that manages the Sozina tunnel "Monteput", and the director Milan Ljiljanic. Because of this, he expects Ljiljanić to immediately conclude a permanent agreement with the locals with whom he is currently negotiating subsidies.
"Monteput" previously told the editorial office that they do not see the amendments to the Law on Roads as a good solution because they are contrary to the directives of the European Union.
"I am sure that the citizens, like us, have had enough of scams, manipulations and empty stories. We will very soon continue our fight for the citizens through some other models and proposals that this time will include all the citizens of Bar and Montenegro, with the belief that everyone will know how to judge and 'reward' the way that is only fair, to everyone according to their merit". concluded Lekovic.
As the locals say, the blockades and protests will continue until the concrete demands that the representatives of the residents of Virpazar, Crmnica and the surrounding villages deliver to "Monteput" and the Municipality of Bar.
And employment among the requirements
In the letter they sent to "Monteputa", and which "Vijesti" has access to, they demand a permanent solution for passing through the tunnel for the men and women of Crmničan, social responsibility towards the local community, which will be reflected in the investment of funds for the development and support of the local population and " employment of men and women from Crmničan, which would build a model of behavior and contribute to the development of the environment in which they operate" referring to that state-owned enterprise.
The organizers of the protest told "Vijesti" that out of 156 workers employed in "Monteput", only six of them are from Crmni and they see it as a great injustice that needs to be corrected.
They expect it, as they said, from a large company that operates in a small environment, to show a better relationship with the local community. They pointed out that there are several examples of large companies that have invested in infrastructure and in many ways helped the communities in which they operate, which is not the case with "Monteput".
Note: In the first version of the text, it was written that the deputy of United Montenegro Vladimir Dobričanin is an independent deputy. We apologize to the readers and Mr. Dobričanin because of a mistake.
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