The story of conflict within the Democrats is being emphasized by those who have already divided, all in order to cover up the discord within their ranks and divert attention from another inevitable defeat that awaits them.
This was told to "Vijesti" by the leader of the Democrats and Plenum 083 list in the upcoming elections in Nikšić. Nemanja Vuković, alluding to the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS).
"Unlike them, we are a serious political organization in which single-mindedness and idolatry do not reign. This is the essential difference between democratic and authoritarian models of political action," he said.
Vuković, among other things, stated that the list he leads does not shy away from the fact that "the inherited practice of party recruitment was deeply rooted", but claims that this motivated them to start changing "things from within" in the past four years.
The elections in Nikšić are scheduled for April 13th, and 10 lists are participating.
The visual identity of the campaign list you are the leader of is completely opposite to the visual identity of the Democrats - instead of red, blue is visible, and there is no name of the party anywhere. Did you deviate from the Democrats in this way?
The campaign, like our work in the past four years, is dedicated to the people and Nikšić. The list “We are all Nikšić” brings together the best and most qualified people that a list can have - people who are ready to work in the interest of all citizens, regardless of political or any other affiliation. When it comes to the visual identity, we chose the color blue because it is the color of the city's symbol. It was not chosen to hide anything, but to emphasize the essence of this campaign - that the focus is on Nikšić and its residents.
Stories about a conflict within the Democrats have been circulated in public. Does a conflict exist, and if not, why is only Momo Koprivica included in the campaign and why was Marko Mitrović removed from the position of president of the Municipal Committee of the Democrats?
This story is being emphasized by those who have already divided and whose party leader from the last election, along with the deputy president and former prime minister, is now in another party, all in order to cover up the discord within their ranks and divert attention from another inevitable defeat that awaits them. Unlike them, we are a serious political organization in which single-mindedness and idolatry do not reign. This is the essential difference between democratic and authoritarian models of political action.
As you have had the opportunity to see, the president (Aleksa) Becic Other officials are also participating in the campaign, in accordance with their obligations and capabilities. The participation of Momo Koprivica, a native of Nikšić, the vice president of the party, and someone who has both authority and legitimacy among the people of Nikšić, in the campaign is natural and expected.
Changes within the Municipal Board are part of regular organizational processes. Parties have an inner life, dynamics and clear responsibility towards their members and voters. Everything else is speculation and spin by those who have to stand still and do what the honorary president tells them. Things work differently here.
You constantly emphasize that you have implemented 90 percent of the program. What have you failed to implement and what would be the first thing you would do if you regained power?
We are proud of the fact that we have kept our word to the citizens through the implementation of almost 90 percent of our 2021 program. However, what I am especially proud of is that we have also implemented numerous projects that we did not promise. Not a single promise made has been forgotten. Soon, public transport buses will be on the streets of Nikšić, which will also fulfill the promise that pensioners and people with disabilities will have free public transport. For more than two years, we have been working on removing administrative barriers in order to implement this activity. We reconstructed Voja Deretića Street, but because the previous government installed a high-voltage cable, the relocation of which is more expensive than the reconstruction of the road itself, it was not possible to build an underpass.
The census showed that Nikšić lost 12 thousand inhabitants in 5,7 years. Everyone is repeating that they will stop the departure of young people. How would you do that, how much money would it take, and when would the first results be visible?
The figure you mentioned was not just a statistic for us, it was a warning and we took it seriously. That is why we immediately increased the benefits for newborns from 100 to 300 to 2.000 euros, which, together with the state-level benefits that were also increased to 1.000 to 2.500 euros on our initiative, is a strong support for families in Nikšić. Also, in addition to free textbooks, we introduced free school supplies for all primary school students, in addition to child allowances, we introduced support for families with three, four and more children from 1.200 to 2.400 euros annually and increased student scholarships.
We are aware that there is no solution that will stop the departure of our fellow townsmen overnight, but we have a clear direction, to create conditions for families and young people to stay in this city. We based our program on this and proposed the project “Apartment at the price of construction”. We emphasize in every possible appearance and appearance that our goal is not to leave Nikšić, but to stay in it. We already have concrete results. As far as money is concerned, the question is not how much it costs for young people to stay, but how much it costs us for them to leave. And that cost is enormous, both economically, demographically and emotionally. That is why we are not dealing with this issue declaratively, but systematically.
Nikšić used to be an industrial city. Is it possible to open new factories? If so, which factories would they be?
My wish is for new jobs to be created in Nikšić, especially in the manufacturing sector. I fully understand the nostalgia of my fellow citizens for the times when Nikšić was the industrial heart of Montenegro, and I would like to remind you that during this mandate, the Steelworks was returned to state ownership. Nikšić is today a leader in the energy transition and I believe that there will be many employees in the energy sector and the field of modern technologies in the coming period.
However, for that we need time and political stability. When we took over the city management four years ago, we found Nikšić as a completely devastated city. And it was necessary to establish a system in four years, to lay the foundations. And we did that. We solved long-standing problems and opened up space for new investments. It is important to know that the economy is not renewed with promises, but new investments and jobs come where there is no corruption and crime, where there is order, law, reliable local government and people who want to work.
The Mislov do landfill has been closed, but the waste problem has not been solved. How can it be solved?
Closing the Mislov do landfill was the biggest challenge, and the fact that our predecessors did not even think of tackling this issue speaks for itself. I believe that we have proven ourselves here as capable people who are up to the task of managing the city. Today, Nikšić does not have a landfill and will not have one. As a temporary solution, waste is being transported to the Podgorica landfill “Livade”. Thanks to our hospitable attitude towards the money of our fellow citizens, we have the means to service these costs, because we have never had a dilemma between the health of citizens and the funds in the budget. The final and sustainable solution will be the construction of the Waste Management Center, which will be built in partnership with the World Bank and the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development.
It seems that the Steel Mill problem has not been resolved even by leasing the Steel Mill and Forge to a company from Switzerland. Do you think that this contract should be terminated?
I believe that every saved job is of great importance. In this context, I consider the decision of EPCG (Electric Power Company of Montenegro) to become the owner of the Steel Plant to be extremely important and useful. As for leasing the Forge and Steel Plant to the Swiss company “8B Capital”, I am convinced that serious and responsible people work in the Elektroprivreda system, who will find the best solutions for both the company itself and the employees of EPCG - Steel Plant Nikšić.
Party employment in local administration and local businesses has been present in all previous governments, as well as in the current one. Will experts finally take their places instead of party employees?
We do not shy away from the fact that the inherited practice of party employment was deeply rooted. But this is precisely what motivated us to start changing things from within in the past four years. It is not easy to dismantle a system that has been built for decades, but we have made concrete strides. It was during our mandate that, for the first time, people who were not party activists, but experts in their field, were elected to local businesses and institutions.
Of course, we do not claim that everything is ideal and there is certainly still room for improvement. But the difference between us and the previous government is that we did not come to employ “our own”, but to set up a system in which everyone has a chance. This is best confirmed by the data from the Employment Agency and Monstat, which states that there are five thousand more employees in our city than four years ago. So can anyone think that all these people are employed according to the party code? A party booklet must not be a recommendation for a job, but neither a recommendation for dismissal or discrimination.
No cooperation with DPS and their satellites
Speaking about potential post-election partners, Vuković said that they divide political entities "into those who serve the people and those who served the mafia."
"And this separation in our country is not declarative, but essential. There is no cooperation with DPS and their political satellites. For 30 years, they have been destroying this city, dividing people, instigating Nikšić into debt and making it a space for party commerce and private interests. Nikšić has finally had enough of such politics, and we will never open the door to it again. We will cooperate with those who sincerely want to work in the interests of citizens, without blackmail, without privileges, without personal combinations. Our only ally is Nikšić, and anyone who wants to work for the benefit of this city and its citizens is welcome," he said.
We laid the foundations, DPS left the ruins
What do you see as your contribution and that of the party you represent in the past four years?
The Democrats have been the backbone of the government in the past four years. The contribution of the people from our list, as well as my personal contribution as the President of the Municipal Assembly, is reflected primarily in the introduction of order, responsibility and a completely new relationship towards the public interest. We must not forget what kind of city we found when we took over responsibility. We had an empty coffers, debts, deep social and political divisions and unfulfilled promises from the previous government. We barely had money to pay two salaries. Imagine now how challenging it was to work in such circumstances. But we did not look for excuses and did not give up, on the contrary. We showed that the government can be responsible and that politics can serve the people, and not the other way around. We laid the foundations, unlike the DPS, which left ruins. And here the contribution of the political entity to which I belong was immeasurable.
The eradication of corruption and crime has led to an increase in budget revenues.
The municipality of Nikšić has been using assistance from the Equalization Fund for years. Why is this so and will the municipality stop being a beneficiary of the aforementioned fund?
Although a significant portion of budget revenues still comes from the Equalization Fund, I want to emphasize that in the past four years we have done a lot to stabilize local finances and improve the city's environmental image.
Today, Nikšić is recognized for the arrival of renowned investors. Recently, “BIG Fashion” officially arrived in Nikšić, and before them, “Lidl” and “Noblewood Group” came. Also, a large number of our businessmen have expanded their capacities and created new jobs. We have formed a Business Council that will only contribute to strengthening the local economy, and we have continuously created a favorable climate for the arrival of credible companies.
The elimination of corruption and crime, in addition to all of the above, has led to an increase in budget revenues, which has naturally led to an increase in the level of development of this local government compared to the average level of development in Montenegro. At this moment, we cannot say precisely whether the Municipality will continue to receive funds from the Equalization Fund next year, but these funds are not small and are extremely significant even for municipalities with larger revenues and budgets.
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