INTERVIEW Golović: Partners are those who do not sell out state resources

The leader of the Civic Movement (GP) list URA in the upcoming elections in Nikšić Dušan Golović, told "Vijesti" that they expect better results at the polls than in 2021, because, he says, they have been further strengthened in terms of personnel, but also more experienced for the four-year period of work in the city administration.

Golović, answering the question of which political actors they would possibly cooperate with after the elections, and which ones they would not, replied that GP URA did not enter the election campaign with ultimatums of any kind.

"We have already clearly stated that we will talk to everyone and that our partners can be all those who will not use city functions for personal enrichment, and will, on the contrary, be a true service for all the needs of citizens. What we will insist on is the full implementation of our program that we have offered."

He said that one of their priorities is to make Nikšić a city where people come and stay, adding that they put the citizen and his right to a dignified life at the center of their activities.

The elections in Nikšić are scheduled for April 13th, and 10 lists are participating.

Four years ago you had one council seat and were part of the government. What do you expect from these elections and what has been the contribution of GP URA in these four years?

We certainly expect a better result from these elections than four years ago. We are convinced that in the years following us, citizens have clearly seen what kind of policies GP URA inherited and what they can expect from us.

As for the contribution of GP URA at the local level, we are sure that it has greatly exceeded what was the scope of our political power and the percentage of participation in local self-government. Through our engagement in the Public Institution "Njegoš" National Library, we have returned to Nikšić the status of the cultural flagship of Montenegro, and made culture known and lived again in the city under Trebješ.

We were (and still are) at the head of the Secretariat for Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection, through which we contributed to solving one of the most acute problems of the city, the Mislov do environmental hotspot, with the selfless help of the 43rd Government of Montenegro, which allocated funds in the amount of 400.000 euros for this purpose.

The list is called “Different.” What does GP URA offer differently compared to other lists, but also to your performance from four years ago?

We believe that many things are different - from the policies we have inherited since the very foundation of GP URA, to a program that is completely authentic in relation to political competition, through to the people who will implement that program.

Our list brings together different people and brings new energy, honest, modest and hard-working individuals who are ready to work honestly, responsibly and transparently in order to make Nikšić a better place to live. What is also different is that this time we have been further strengthened in terms of personnel, but we are also more experienced in the four years of work in the city administration, where we saw first-hand what the needs of citizens are and what are the ways to realize those needs, which, after all, we legitimized in our election program.

It seems that we cannot or do not want to do without identity/national issues. How do we stop this narrative and turn to real life?

I am certain that Montenegrin society, including the city of Nikšić, not only can, but must move forward without the burden of identity and nationalist turmoil, and retrograde policies that are a relic of the past. On the contrary, the pledge for the future must be precisely the civic and democratic values, on whose foundations the GP URA was created.

It was the 43rd Government of Montenegro that best demonstrated that the divisions in Montenegro were artificially created in order to divert focus from those problems that are of an existential nature - living standards, the fight against organized crime and corruption, and economic growth.

Following such a legacy, it is clear that only GP URA is the guarantor of such a policy, devoid of populist and nationalist tendencies, which places the citizen and his right to a dignified life at the center of its efforts. In order to turn such a narrative around, we will need the support of our most sincere and best partners - the citizens of Nikšić - which we are confident that we will receive.

If you were able to make decisions at the local level, what problem would you tackle first?

One of the priorities of the URA Nikšić Border Crossing Point - and all of them are very clearly and transparently illustrated in the program - is to return to Nikšić the status of a city where people come and stay, instead of a transit zone and departure station, which Nikšić, unfortunately, represents today.

We based the program precisely on solutions that are realistic and achievable, with minimal burden on the city budget, and with maximum benefits that citizens will feel in a very short time. Therefore, I would not single out just one problem, but there are many more that are most often intertwined. Nikšić needs a responsible government that will be ready to tackle all problems honestly and fundamentally.

Nikšić used to be an industrial city. Is it possible to open new factories, and if so - which factories would they be?

Of course, it is possible to open new factories - at least we have the right to talk about it, because we did not stop there at the rhetorical level - we did not close a single factory, but we did bring the world-renowned company "Beluga" to Nikšić, thus enabling the creation of several hundred jobs.

No less important, the 43rd Government of Montenegro was the one that created the preconditions for the arrival of the company "Big Fashion" in Nikšić, which will be realized in the coming period.

Some of the measures to strengthen the economy that we will work on in the coming period are: the development of independent, especially female entrepreneurship, support for newly established (start-up) companies, development and encouragement of old crafts, technological development, innovation and the IT sector. We will support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in all economic sectors, and create a safe investment element in order to attract investments and create a large number of jobs.

The Mislov do landfill has been closed, but the waste is being transported to Podgorica, which costs a lot of money. How to solve the waste problem?

The most acute environmental and health problem in Nikšić has been remedied thanks to the Government's attitude Dritan Abazović towards the town under Trebjes. However, we must know that various types of waste, including that of animal origin, have been dumped at that location for years, which further complicates the entire issue.

We certainly believe that by building a waste processing plant, we would achieve that waste would no longer have to be transported to Podgorica, but would instead be used as a useful raw material. We will certainly work on this in the coming period, in cooperation with the competent authorities at the state level, with the option of using funds from European funds and the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, thus contributing to fulfilling the criteria within Chapter 27 of the negotiation process with the EU.

Will you address the problem of party employment in local administration and local businesses and how would you solve that problem?

Of course, we will deal with this topic in the coming period, bearing in mind that partitocracy has become a cancer that is eating away at Montenegro. We will begin a fundamental analysis of the needs of local self-government and, based on that, optimize the city's management and administrative structure.

Our partners can only be those for whom local and state resources are not for sale or rent, but only honest and hard-working individuals, which Nikšić has in abundance, and who are ready to work to leave Nikšić better than they found it, for the sake of the generations that are coming up, but also for those who are yet to come.

It seems that the problem of the Steelworks has not been solved by leasing the Steelworks and Forge to a company from Switzerland. Do you think that this contract should be terminated?

The issue of the Steel Plant creates a clear divide between those who return what is rightfully theirs to Nikšić and Montenegro and who behave responsibly towards state resources, and those who see this property as an opportunity for some personal benefits, and so the government at the state level - when the 43rd Government led by Dritan Abazović did the harder part of the job and returned the Steel Plant to state ownership - instead of further valorizing it, it announced, at the very least, dubious tenders that do not contribute to exploiting the potential of the Steel Plant, but rather irresistibly remind us of the practice of the thirty-year regime that squandered state assets at the expense of brothers, godfathers and friends, while the interests of citizens and Montenegro were trampled underfoot.

The contract we are talking about should in any case be reviewed and a decision made after a thorough analysis to ensure that we treat the assets of the city of Nikšić and the state of Montenegro in a hospitable manner.

We will talk to everyone.

Which parties/movements would you possibly cooperate with after the elections, and which ones would you not?

GP URA did not enter the election campaign with any kind of ultimatums, but we clearly emphasized that we will talk to everyone and that our partners can be all those who will not use city functions for personal enrichment, and will, on the contrary, be a true service for all the needs of citizens. What we will insist on is the full implementation of our program that we offered. The people of Nikšić deserve different treatment, to be able to see how what was promised to them in the campaign is being implemented from the positions of power, and not just to observe the inappropriate fight for seats and populist and nationalist outbursts of public officials.

Nikšić needs financial consolidation

The municipality of Nikšić has been using assistance from the Equalization Fund for years. Why is this so? In your opinion, how efficient is the local government in collecting local taxes?

For years, Nikšić has been one of the municipalities that receives the most funds from the Equalization Fund, which is a devastating fact and the best illustration of how fiscally irresponsible and inept the city administration is in generating revenue.

It is likely that these funds, instead of serving as assistance in achieving fiscal stability and creating a favorable business environment, were used for other things, because it is obvious that there was no increase in economic activity and the level of development.

It is clear that at the beginning of the new mandate, it is necessary to conduct a detailed financial analysis and implement financial consolidation, in order to direct the funds from the Equalization Fund - if we are forced to mobilize them - towards the development of the city and the creation of new jobs, as well as the creation of sustainable economic growth.