If you think that the government that you have already overthrown in the parliament is not to your liking, it is ethical to resign yourself. Abazović has once again shown how important the chair is to him and how much he wants to have absolute power in Montenegro with a small number of deputies, Jakov Milatović, Minister of Economic Development in the Government of Montenegro, said in an interview with Nova.rs.
How would you describe the previous period on the political scene of Montenegro, how did you experience all the turbulent events?
I experienced them quite surprisingly. In December last year, a great result was achieved, the Assembly worked at full capacity, the parliamentary majority, which was voted by the will of the people on August 30, 2020, adopted a series of reform laws.
Among other things, the most famous one is called "Europe Now", and it was proposed by the Government. With it, the minimum wage was significantly increased, it now amounts to 450 euros, and all wages in the country were also increased. From an average salary of 520 euros, this year we will reach 700 euros.
A new convocation of the Prosecutorial Council was adopted, so December last year was extremely good for Montenegro. It is precisely for this reason that the decision of the Deputy Prime Minister and his party to raise the issue of no confidence in the Government in mid-January came as quite a surprise.
I still think that this is a move that is against the electoral will of the citizens. Even Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić said in the campaign that the numbers 6,9, 11 and XNUMX - the numbers used in the elections by the coalitions "For the Future of Montenegro", "Black on White" and "Peace is our Nation" - are one thing. All these actions initiated by the Deputy Prime Minister are surprising and contrary to what the people voted for.
This resulted in a vote of no confidence in the Government, a new parliamentary majority was formed by the Citizens' Movement URA and the opposition led by the DPS, and a few days later that new majority also dismissed the Speaker of the Parliament, Aleksa Bečić. A little more than a year and a half after the victory, we have a betrayal of that same victory, by the people who contributed to it.
It is not a usual situation for the Deputy Prime Minister to initiate the voting process of the Government of which he is a part. Were there any indications in the previous period that Dritan Abazović was planning to propose the formation of a minority government?
From this perspective, the first indication was certainly the signing of the Memorandum between the URA movement, the SNP and the minority parties. The Deputy Prime Minister himself then emphasized that the Memorandum is a way to strengthen the relationship between the parties of the parliamentary majority and the parties of national minorities. That wasn't exactly the case, because that platform served as the backbone of the minority government that the deputy prime minister stands for.
However, it is unusual that the same man repeatedly blocked the reconstruction of the Government, which was supported by the majority in the parliament and the Prime Minister himself, and was the only long-term solution. How paradoxical it sounds, that you add political stability with a minority government, which is the current commitment of Abazović.
That's just one piece of what happened in the parliament, which is the return of DPS through the back door. That minority government will most likely have the support of the DPS in the parliament, and it is incredible that with that support you can make a reform breakthrough in the area of further economic recovery, and especially in the area of the fight against crime and corruption.
In this sense, there is still bitterness among citizens in Montenegro and the incredible behavior of the Deputy Prime Minister. It is also paradoxical that the man did not resign himself from the government he is overthrowing. If you think that the government that you have already overthrown in the parliament is not to your liking, it is ethical to resign yourself. Once again, he showed how important the chair is to him and how much he wants to have absolute power in Montenegro with a small number of deputies.
On the day when the vote of no confidence in the Government was passed, you and most of the ministers were not in the assembly hall. Is there a specific reason for this?
On those days, the parliament voted on four items on the agenda. The first was the dismissal of the Deputy Prime Minister, on the proposal of the Prime Minister. This is the result of the initiative to overthrow the Government, after which the Prime Minister initiated the procedure for the dismissal of the Vice President.
However, that initiative by the Government did not receive the necessary quorum in parliament due to the new parliamentary majority consisting of URA and DPS, so it never made it onto the agenda.
The second point was also the initiative of the Government, which, in accordance with the Constitution, made a decision to shorten the mandate of the Assembly, due to all political circumstances. This would resolve the situation in extraordinary parliamentary elections.
That Government initiative did not get a quorum either because it was blocked by the URA and DPS movements. For the other two points, one of which is a vote of no confidence in the Government, the same Government was not the proposer, so it was not obliged to be in the Assembly.
In accordance with all political circumstances, the Prime Minister decided not to participate in the show, which further destroys the electoral will of the citizens. Finally, the fourth point was the dismissal of the president of the assembly initiated by the deputies, which had no formal connection with the Government. In this sense, a new parliamentary majority was created, and the URA together with the DPS replaced the recent President of the Assembly, Aleksa Bečić. It is incredible that with the creation of a new parliamentary majority, the Deputy Prime Minister whose party initiated all this, did not resign in a story that destroys and deceives the electoral will of the citizens.
In the previous period, there was a lot of talk about the schism within the Government and the two currents that were formed. One sided with Prime Minister Krivokapić, while the other supported Deputy Prime Minister Abazović. Is there any truth in these statements, what is your relationship with your colleagues?
The relationship is absolutely professional, the Government is functioning in its full mandate. Because there is no Law on Government, Montenegro does not recognize terms such as technical Government.
Although the Parliament voted no confidence in the Government, it has a full mandate, it works the same as before that act. The only thing he cannot do according to the Constitution is to dissolve the Assembly. Everything works regularly, obligations are completed.
It is true that in the past month, a division within the Government has crystallized between the ministers who publicly defended the actions of the Deputy Prime Minister, I am primarily referring to the Ministers of Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs, as well as the Minister of Capital Investments.
The rest, with their vote, took the side of the historic victory on August 30, that is, the side of the Prime Minister and the citizens who won the victory. This is not so visible in the regular functioning of the Government, which is a collective body. It consists of 14 members - president, vice president and ministers. As you know, Montenegro does not have a Minister of Justice, so the majority required to make any decision is eight and all decisions are made in a regular manner.
When you talk about the way decisions are made, Vice President Abazović announced that the recently adopted decision on citizenship will be annulled when the minority government begins its mandate. How do you feel about that move?
I think it's a sad announcement. The decision on citizenship is only in some way a decision that is already in force adapted to the legal framework. In addition, it is possible for people already living in Montenegro to count their temporary stay as part of the time needed to obtain citizenship.
There are people who have lived in Montenegro for more than 20 years, have families and jobs, and feel like second-class citizens. It is a decision that absolutely contributes only to the protection of basic human rights, and that here is the right to citizenship and through it to achieve other rights such as employment in state bodies, health care and the like.
It doesn't take away anyone's right, but it enables a group of people to achieve something that the former government did not allow, but harassed and blackmailed them. The statement of the Deputy Prime Minister worries me, because it is a complete violation of basic human rights.
You and Minister Milojko Spajić recently announced the establishment of a movement. Considering that you are one of the returnees from abroad, how did you make the decision to get more serious about politics? Do you now have an idea of what that movement will look like?
Minister Spajić and I returned to Montenegro after historical changes. I worked for many years in London, at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, where I also got my master's degree at Oxford. Minister Spajić returned from Singapore, he completed his studies in Japan and China. At the invitation of the then Mandate Professor Krivokapić, we wanted to make a contribution to historical, democratic and economic change.
What we emphasized at the beginning of our work, as long as this Government lasts, we are dedicated to our work and absolutely do not think about political involvement. In the context of current events, when the Deputy Prime Minister brought down that Government to the regret of all citizens, the circumstances changed, so that Minister Spajić and I announced the establishment of a movement, so that due to the huge demand of the citizens, we would be able to channel their needs in the best possible way and keep the continuity that existed after the historic victory on August 30.
The creation of the movement is still in the process, it is quite certain that it will happen, but now I cannot give additional details. I think that in the coming weeks, when the political situation in Montenegro crystallizes further, we will know more about it. We would like not to have to deal with it, but to return to regular activities concerning the improvement of the economic standard in Montenegro, and I think that our results have shown how much can be done in a short time, if a person wants and knows how to contribute to the public interest.
Speaking of Professor Krivokapić, do you have any idea what his next step is? Will he perhaps be part of your political movement?
Professor Zdravko Krivokapić is one of the most virtuous people I have met. Knowing what kind of man he is, I accepted to be in his Government. I think he proved who he is by his actions. He will be remembered in Montenegrin history as the man who defeated the quasi-dictatorial regime of Milo Đukanović and who defended Crvka in Montenegro and the Montenegrin - Littoral Metropolitanate. Together with his ministers, he gave new optimism to this country through an increase in wages.
All salaries were increased by 20 percent, and the salaries of medical staff by 30 percent. Child benefits were introduced, the minimum pension was increased, the economy recovered, and the Chinese highway loan was hedged. In a way, matters concerning democratic development were additionally raised.
The recent "Economist" report on the democracy index shows that for the first time in many years, Montenegro is in the group of countries with incomplete democracies.
That jump is the biggest in the previous ten years, it is another indicator of how far the Government was on the path of economic and democratic development. Professor Krivokapić has a great winning role, he entered into all this so honestly, I think that the betrayals he experienced hit him hard, like any other person.
The last in a series by his first associate - the Deputy Prime Minister, is also difficult. He is currently in the phase of thinking about the decision on how to continue the fight for a more beautiful, fairer and better Montenegro. He is our mentor and I would like him to be a part of our story, and the decision is up to him.
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