President of the Bosniak Democratic Movement (BDP) in Montenegro, Sead Shahman, said that he will make every effort to offer the citizens of Petnjica, where local elections will be held this year, a plan and program, as well as people who can respond to future challenges.
"I want to believe that there is a segment of citizens in Petnjica who want to give their city a new, more enthusiastic view of the future," said Šahman in an interview with "Vijesti".
He emphasized that the Bosniak people love freedom, principles and ideals that were trampled upon at the end of July last year with the entry of the Bosniak Party into the most cumbersome and heterogeneous reconstructed 44th Government of Montenegro.
"Bosniaks do not want to be servants of other people's interests, they want partnership and alliance on equal terms, with respect for all their specificities that they possess as a people."
He pointed out that the BDP is thinking in such a way that it is necessary to create conditions for changes to the legal framework so that the diaspora can have greater participation in political life, including changes to the law that will guarantee the election of deputies to the Parliament of Montenegro who will be directly elected by the votes of the diaspora.
Considering that BDP was founded in August last year, what are the most important goals you have achieved so far?
The BDP was created out of the need to fundamentally and more intensively represent the interests of the Bosniak people in Montenegro with clear intentions of preserving and strengthening the democratic progress of the state. Bosniaks are an indigenous people in this region and they do not care who will govern Montenegro and how.
I would like to remind the public that on July 31st of last year we said that we wanted to form a new political project. We seriously and systematically approached the organization of such a task, which, in addition to this important and essential dimension, also had this formal and legal dimension, which relates to fulfilling the requirements of the Law on Political Parties.
We received the decision on the registration of the BDP from the competent ministry in September last year. Since then, we have done a lot to promote our goals and affirm the programs and personnel solutions we offer. We have organized many meetings with students and young people, talked with representatives of the diaspora, we are daily throughout Montenegro, in all places where our compatriots live. We exchange opinions and ideas on how and in what way to improve the quality of life of citizens. At this moment, we are dedicated to strengthening our own capacities. We are making great efforts to establish our structure in all municipalities and cities where our compatriots live. The beginnings are promising, people are somehow encouraged by our public appearances and advocacy that things can change for the better. We point out all the shortcomings that occur in society, especially in the part of the Bosniak-Muslim population, but we also offer concrete activities to improve the situation. We want to organize young and talented people who received their education at prestigious faculties and universities, and who want to actively participate in political processes. The inclusion of women in our political project is also very important to us. Of course, we also need wise people with experience who want to contribute to making our idea come to life and sustainable in the long term.
We have clearly articulated the will of our people, we will focus on the needs of the people. GDP is the people's response to individual interests shaped through newly formed, fragmented and fictitiously created departments that want to present themselves as the interests of our community.
Are you planning to run in any of the local elections this year, for example, in Petnjica?
I am pleased with how the process of strengthening our structure is progressing. It is a process that will take some time, but we are ready for future challenges. The structure of people who daily access the BDP convinces us that our political platform can and should be superior to the political competition. People are the most important resource for us. Petnjica is certainly an important environment for the BDP and we will make every effort to offer the residents of that municipality a plan and program, as well as people who can respond to future challenges. I want to believe that there is a part of the citizens in Petnjica who want to give their city a new, more enthusiastic view of the future. This area deserves much more, it has an excellent geographical position, has given birth to many significant figures throughout history, has a strong resource that is reflected in the diaspora, and now it needs economic recovery in order to keep people in their homes.
You recently stated that BDP has cooperation with the diaspora high on its political agenda. What are BDP's specific plans for improving cooperation with the Bosniak diaspora and how do you plan to include the diaspora in political and economic processes in the homeland?
We are proud of the cooperation we have with many associations and successful individuals around the world, and during this 2025 we will further strengthen our contacts with the diaspora. The voice of the diaspora was very important for the formation of the BDP, because they often have more realistic views on the events in Montenegro. I am glad that they see in us a voice of reason and the epicenter of profiling common interests in terms of project activities that will be of common good. What is certain is that we will not disappoint their expectations, and that they have in us a true partner and interlocutor on all those topics that are of common interest. We recently organized a working session in Rožaje on the topic "Diaspora activism as a means of strengthening the position of Montenegro", which was attended by both representatives of the diaspora and representatives of the BDP. Those who were not in Montenegro at that moment sent letters of support, and they were numerous, from the United States of America, through Western European countries, countries of our region, and even the Republic of Turkey. Reading those letters encouraged us to do great things even though we were literally just starting out as a newly formed political organization.
There are many ways in which we want to strengthen relations with them, but I would particularly emphasize the economic and political dimensions.
For example, through investment incentives and the creation of tax breaks and subsidies for members of the diaspora who want to invest in Montenegro, especially in less developed municipalities, then through support for young entrepreneurs from the diaspora who want to start businesses here through special mentoring programs and access to capital. It is also important to include successful companies from the diaspora in infrastructure construction projects because their experience in construction and infrastructure projects is enormous.
The BDP thinks that it is necessary to create conditions for changes to the legal framework so that the diaspora can have greater participation in the political life of Montenegro, including changes to the law that will guarantee the election of deputies to the Parliament of Montenegro who will be directly elected by the votes of the diaspora. This is not an unknown practice, we even have the example of neighboring Croatia, which offers such an opportunity. How and in what way to arrange this remains for political actors to agree among themselves through the reform of electoral legislation.
How does the BDP see the position of the Bosniak community in the political and social context of the country?
The Bosniak Democratic Movement (BDP) was founded with the aim of being an emancipatory political organization of the Bosniak people in Montenegro, but also of all those who declare themselves differently and with whom we have the same/similar cultural and linguistic characteristics, with unambiguous views on social events in the country. We are sure that this idea has a foundation in the people, it is the fruit of conversations between a large number of people and a response to the situation that we want to change for the better.
The greatest Bosniak interests are fully complementary and in accordance with what is the survival of Montenegro as a civil state, multiethnic and multireligious, a member of the EU and NATO alliance in which Bosniaks are an equal and respected people, a partner and ally of the state, and never a servant or vassal for other people's interests.
What is worrying is the fact that Montenegro has great regional diversity and inequality, so the north of Montenegro is the most underdeveloped region. The number of inhabitants in the northern region has decreased by about 15 percent, which continues the trend of migration towards the central and southern parts of Montenegro, but much more towards the countries of Western Europe. We are talking about less developed municipalities that are mainly inhabited by the Bosniak population.
Diversification of the Montenegrin economy is a necessity. Tourism alone, mainly in the south of the country, cannot be the driver of economic activity. A strong investment cycle for sustainable and development projects in municipalities that are less developed and are predominantly inhabited by our compatriots must be a priority in economic development.
The IT sector in Montenegro has experienced significant growth over the past ten years. The sector now accounts for 11 percent of the country's GDP, with an average salary that is 62,5 percent higher than the national average. ICT also accounts for 25 percent of total exports, which is a major improvement compared to previous years. This industry stands out for its fast return on investment and efficiency, with minimal initial investment. Because of all this, the ICT sector is one of the most promising in the country, with great potential for further development and job creation.
To sustain this growth, as a movement we will propose many educational initiatives, such as robotics courses in schools and support for young people to start IT companies.
The long-term vision includes the construction of a regional IT and business center in the north of Montenegro, which will provide education and entrepreneurial opportunities for the local population. These steps are aimed at creating a sustainable and competitive ICT sector that can provide new employment opportunities and, most importantly, retain young and progressive individuals and families in their places.
What priorities do you set for improving the rights and position of Bosniaks in the country?
Bosniaks are a people in Montenegro. Their own in their own land and always in favor of equality in rights and freedoms. This is the country of our grandfathers and the country of our children who expect and deserve that we provide them with conditions modeled on European standards.
We appreciated that our role should not be just and exclusively an observer and consumer, but a driving and creative one. That is why we are trying to make BDP that way. As responsible and educated people, mostly of the younger generation, we did not agree to a more relaxed and opportunistic approach to politics.
The Bosniak people love freedom, principles and ideals that were trampled upon at the end of July last year by the entry of the Bosniak People's Party into the most cumbersome and heterogeneous reconstructed 44th Government of Montenegro. Bosniaks do not want to be servants of other people's interests, they want partnership and alliance on equal terms, with respect for all their specificities that they possess as a people.
The acronym of the Bosniak Democratic Movement is BDP, and as such it also has economic symbolism - gross domestic product. It may be symbolic, but for us it is almost equally important that in addition to a strong national identity, we have an equally strong and substantial economic identity, which will be the best mechanism for fighting the increasingly frequent "brain drain" phenomenon and the increasingly visible problem of depopulation.
Every idea is only as valuable as the people who carry it. Accomplished and established individuals today make up a team in the true sense of the word. We are ready to dedicate our energy, knowledge and skills, but also our time, to a project that is promising, for the common good, for the good of the people to whom we belong, in the effort to create new political ideas and turn them into realistic and tangible policies with the intention of being accepted by society as a whole. The composition and structure of the people who join the BDP every day promises this.
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