Radulović: Spajić's worrying attitudes and projections

"They would lead us to bankruptcy in the medium term, and in the long term they would also call into question our biological survival"

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Photo: Boris Pejović
Photo: Boris Pejović
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The views and projections presented by Prime Minister Milojko Spajić at the press conference on Thursday are extremely worrying, they contradict not only the Montenegrin reality, but also the basic logic and global context, trends and processes, assessed Professor Branko Radulović.

"They would lead us to bankruptcy in the medium term, and in the long term they would also question our biological survival," announced Radulović.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Spajić announced that in the next five to seven years, 18 sections of highways and expressways through Montenegro, totaling 480 kilometers, will be completed. He apologized to the citizens for spending four days on vacation in Saint Tropez "because a large number of citizens cannot afford it." Commenting on the accusations on social networks related to his stay in a luxury resort, he said that behind some of the accounts on social networks "stand two organized criminal groups", which support at least two political options.

Radulović points out that in this reaction he does not want to specifically deal with "conspiracy theories, phobias or criminal gangs" that the Prime Minister mentions.

"Unfortunately, I know that this kind of State Prosecutor's Office has failed our expectations and that they will not soon determine the truth of all that. We are far from the truth. The revision of the criminogenic past was absent. A small number of them are responsible for the sins committed. Even today, criminal charges against numerous 'famous' names from the 90s to the present day are languishing in the drawers for the robberies they committed. All this is covered by oblivion, and the perpetrators are not only at large, but they are spending the stolen public money and their descendants are establishing new businesses according to various "dream tropes", stated Radulović.

As he says, some ministers even publicly "kiss and hug" the tycoons who devastated Montenegro and continue as before.

"He didn't mention now that we will soon be Singapore or Luxembourg, everyday life would deny him, he was forced to deal with real life, prices and margins. However, the main elaboration was missing - the huge budget deficit is our reality, its alleged surplus is the product of discrimination of consumer units and groups, so the abolition of the contribution to health care is disastrous, for its support we need to replace around 1,8 billion euros per year if we want to have a European the treatment of treatment, allocations for the growth of wages and pensions that would not be in line with the social product is unsustainable, the discrepancy can only be partial and short-term, in order to cause greater demand, which must be accompanied by a domestic competitive offer and the creation of new value and jobs" , stated Radulović.

He reminds that the foreign trade deficit is increasing, there is inflation, which wipes out everything, and then a large budget deficit and bankruptcy.

He believes that such an increase in salaries and pensions develops other people's economies.

"The claim that pensions will not be reduced is only his fiction, and not economic logic if the contributions for these purposes are halved and if this kind of social product is taken into account. "Solidarity will be replaced by pure mathematics, as much as you set aside for your pension, you will have it in the best case," warns Radulović.

As he says, the prime minister did not say a word about how he managed to get Montenegro into debt in a bad way and according to the amount and time of the debt. "That ignorance or bad intention cost us hundreds of millions of euros more in interest. Not a word about the much-announced reforms. Not to mention how he appropriated the development bank and our money. The proposal of such a fiscal strategy and new economic thoughts also did not deserve his attention in the press".

Radulović points out that the mid-term measures of Prime Minister Spajić, which are based only on the construction of road infrastructure, are of particular concern.

"Not a word about diversification of the economy, a large and sustainable 'Marshall Plan', sectoral reforms, outdated and retrograde strategic documents, compliance with new EU policies, cost-benefit analyzes of various options, remaining resources. None of the many announced sectoral reforms and measures to stop further deindustrialization, exploitation of non-renewable resources, devastation and backward solutions of energy potential, an increasing food deficit, increasingly pronounced seasonality, chaos and primitivism in the tourism sector".

According to Radulović, to make the absurdity even greater, the announced projections in the transport sector are retrograde, contradictory, inconsistent with the planning documents and proposed solutions in the Draft Spatial Plan of Montenegro until 2040, they also contradict the new EU transport policies, often given ad hoc solutions, economically unfeasible and unsustainable.

As he says, Spajić should know that there is a revolution in traffic in the EU and the world, that there is also an accelerated transition of energy sources, that the fuels of the future are green hydrogen and electricity from renewable sources, that the exploitation of current airplanes is already scheduled, ships, railways, transport trucks and passenger cars with existing fuel.

"Finally, we have to respect the expert procedure of arriving at the optimal variants. Spajić's stick, which determines new routes on the map and duplicates highways and expressways, must be replaced with valid project tasks, feasibility studies, conceptual and main projects. "Investments must be in depth, involving as much domestic intelligence, operatives, materials and equipment as possible," said Radulović.

Montenegrin companies must have an advantage

He reminds that Spajić mentioned in the press the famous "Bemax" and Nikšić builders as negative examples.

"Associated Montenegrin operatives in the 'Consortium of Civil Engineering' in a transparent manner and in accordance with the procedure must have an advantage over specially formed regional companies, American or Chinese companies, which get jobs through abbreviated procedures. Also build highways with utilization of less than 10 percent, as shown by the current figures on the Smokovac-Mataševo section or studies such as the French "Louis Berger Sas", investments until 2030 in the amount of even more than 8 billion euros with "shallow" investments , with the generated tolls that cannot even cover the maintenance of new roads and not repaying the loan is insane and leads us directly into bankruptcy," he warned.

Before that, he adds, there will be an artificial increase in tax contributions, which may also be the reason for Prime Minister Spajić's failed investments.

"It is clear, and the experts confirm this, that we must carry out the reconstruction and modernization of the railways of Montenegro, the modernization of two airports, the construction of priority road corridors. Cost-benefit analyzes showed that the construction of the Mataševo-Boljare highway and the high-speed road from Široki brijeg to Sukobin should be continued. Further, not a single meter of highway, but fast highways with uneven crossings and controlled connections".

Radulović believes that the construction of the Adriatic-Ionian highway through Montenegro is disastrous. The optimal option is to expand the highway Nikšić-Trebinje into a high-speed road.

"Also, the analyzes show that the reconstruction of the main road from Podgorica to the bypass around Budva and the main road from Podgorica to the new tunnel along Sozina with a full bypass around Podgorica are optimal and long-term solutions. It is high time to make a study of ecological cement production in Pljevlja".

Montenegro is lagging behind in education and science

As he says, Spajić needs to know how educationally and scientifically backward Montenegro is, what is the number of fake diplomas, even among those in his Government, and only in the Parliament, what is the infrastructure like in schools, university laboratories, that individual successes are not the result of the support of the education system, but of the personal sacrifices of those successful individuals.

"Only for science, after the creation of spatial and technological conditions for non-academic research work, it is necessary to allocate around 200 million euros per year, so that we can cooperate on significant international projects", indicates Radulović.

As he says, he will not specifically deal with whether it is ignorance, superficiality, manipulation "or higher powers that govern Prime Minister Spajić".

"Certainly, there are arguments for one or the other or the fifth and for all together. I do not expect the reaction of our intellectual elite and that they will rise above this absurdity that we live and consume and point to the essence of being and challenging tomorrow".

He reminds that Spajić first expressed the view at the press conference that people are the greatest wealth and potential of Montenegro.

"He compared us to the Far East. I was there and worked with them. We are two worlds, not only in terms of philosophy of life but also in terms of universal values. Unfortunately, we are a primitive and neglected society. "I don't know if it's genetics or an acquired habit, but I know that the current collapse of ethical and professional values ​​is intense," said Radulović.

He warns that Montenegrin society is disappearing - the birth rate is decreasing.

"They predict that by 2050 there will be less than 500.000 of us. Migrations are already taking their toll. There are more and more people who culturally and ethnically do not belong to us and disrupt our hard-won multi-ethnic harmony. What does dual citizenship bring us? If only human rights were at stake, it would be easy".

According to him, it is worrying that Prime Minister Spajić did not emphasize the extreme climatic conditions that will characterize Montenegro, especially in the second half of this century.

"The question of self-sufficiency in drinking water, cumulative self-sufficiency in food and self-sufficiency of electricity from renewable sources that are state-owned will dictate the survival of life in Montenegro. In the end, I want to tell him that if he truly loves Montenegro and is devoted to it, he should think deeply about all this, consult with experts and finally form the "Institute for the Development of Montenegro".

He also appeals to the President of the State, Jakov Milatović, to continue pointing out all anomalies and negativity and not to sign any legal solution that is not in accordance with the European "acquis" and international and domestic legal regulations.

"I also want to draw the attention of the Minister of Transport, Maja Vukićević, to the fact that this insistence on failed traffic projects, without valid expert analysis and respect for procedures, is directly leading to the ruin of Montenegro. I know she doesn't want that," Radulović said

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