Kolašin opposition councilors have been trying in vain for months to secure the transmission of the sessions of the Municipal Assembly (SO).
As they say from the Movement Together we build Kolašin (Democratic Party of Socialists, Social Democratic Party, Social Democrats and non-party figures), consent was given at the collegium of the Assembly in August. However, the Assembly Service has not yet provided the conditions for this form of transparency in the work of the local parliament.
"In order for the citizens of Kolašin to know, the collegium unanimously decided that the sessions of the Council of Ministers should be broadcast. Despite this, the president of the SO, carrying out other people's orders, continues to hide the work of the local parliament from citizens a year after the new convocation. For a year now, citizens have not been able to see what their representatives are doing. I think that the ruling majority is doing it for a reason, because it is less of a shame for them not to see how they are doing", said Bojan Zeković, councilor of the Zajedno gradimo Kolašin movement.
Earlier, the opposition councilors tried to independently ensure the transmission of parliamentary sessions, which they were not allowed to do.
Kolašin has no electronic local media, and from time to time and depending on the agenda, only a few media's accredited journalists report on the sessions of the Council of Ministers. However, the opposition claims that this is not enough to gain a complete insight into the way councilors represent citizens, nor to provide the necessary transparency.
The practice of live broadcasting lasted for a short time, at the end of the mandate of the former government (DPS, Social Democrats and GB), after Marta Šćepanović assumed the position of President of the Municipality, and Milan Đukić was at the head of the Kolašinska SO.
Thus, in July of last year, equipment was provided so that, as announced, "in order to increase transparency and openness in the work of the local parliament", a live broadcast of all sessions could be provided via the YouTube channel. Šćepanovićeva and Đukić also agreed that before determining the proposed decisions, they would consult the councilors through a "public hearing" regarding certain documents that are on the SO agenda.
The current president of the SO, Vasilije Bulatović, told "Vijesti" that "the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly do not allow for recording and direct transmission of sessions, except for electronic media, which are allowed to do so." He also refers to the Law on Electronic Media.
"The Law on Electronic Media clearly defines who and how can produce and broadcast media programs. Also, care should be taken and the method of recording the sessions should be specified, in order to comply with European conventions and directives on the protection of personal data. Therefore, the transfer of sessions via digital platforms should be discussed within the board, at the session or determined by the Rules of Procedure", explains Bulatović.
The head of the Kolašin local parliament claims that "sessions will certainly be recorded and that it is a matter of time, organization, law and Rules of Procedure". Bulatović claims that the sessions of the SO are still transparent because "all accredited media representatives are enabled to monitor the work of the local parliament", In addition, he reminds, "all materials are publicly available, and there are audio recordings".
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