INTERVIEW Baždar: We don't "smell" nationalists

The Boka Forum (BF) wants to be a supervisory factor in local government and advocates for greater decentralization of public finances for the benefit of the local community, as well as for the formation of a regional community of Boka municipalities.

This was stated in an interview with "Vijesti" by the leader of the BF list in the upcoming elections in Herceg Novi, Milovan Bazdar.

He said that if they are in power after the local elections, they will advocate for the transfer of the competencies of the Coastal Zone to the local community, the adoption of a spatial and urban plan (SUP), the introduction of e-government in the municipality...

Baždar stated that, when it comes to post-election cooperation, their condition is "agreement regarding the basic principles of civic ideology without any national connotation."

Elections in Herceg Novi are scheduled for April 13th, and nine lists will compete for seats in the local parliament there.

What percentage of citizen support do you expect in the elections?

In the last local elections in 2021, BF ran in a coalition with the Civic Movement URA, when the joint list won two councilor mandates. Now, by our own choice, we are running independently, with a realistic ambition to enter the new convocation of the local parliament.

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

We want to check the level of support of our respected fellow citizens for our authentic policy based on the desire to be a supervisory factor in the exercise of local government from the point of view of the profession and commitment to the culture and tradition of Boka. We especially advocate for greater decentralization of the entire public finance system for the benefit of the local community, and in connection with this, for the formation of a regional community of Boka municipalities. We promote this as a project of legitimate autonomy of Boka in economic, administrative and cultural terms.

In a possible post-election coalition, our condition is agreement on the basic principles of civic ideology, without any nationalistic charge. We do not accept any nationalistic demagoguery, starting from the fact that Herceg Novi and the entire Boka Bay are a multicultural and multiconfessional community.

What will be your first move if you are able to come to power?

If we become a factor in government, we will advocate for the fastest possible resolution of basic development barriers: the transfer of the competencies of the Coastal Zone to the local community; the adoption of the Regional Development Plan and numerous lower-level plans, the introduction of e-governance into the municipal administration system, the formation of a municipal team to support the resolution of pressing problems - the city hospital, the "Simo Milošević" Institute and the bypass.

One of the big problems of Herceg Novi is traffic jams, which intensify during the tourist season. A bypass has been proposed as a solution, as well as an underwater tunnel. How do you plan to solve this problem, if you are part of the government?

The construction of the bypass has long been a condition for tourism development and economic sustainability in Novi. Therefore, we will seek the formation of a local team (politicians plus professionals) that would prepare this issue, including resolving the city hospital function, until its implementation and supervise it.

Herceg Novi is supplied with water from Trebinje via Croatia, but during the regular annual cleaning of the hydrotunnel in the pipeline from Plat in Croatia, there are frequent restrictions, because the Regional Water Supply Company of the Montenegrin Coast cannot meet the needs of the Novi municipality. If you participate in the government, what will you do to solve this problem, but also within what time frame and with how much funding?

As for water supply, the best long-term solution is probably to build a pipeline directly from the Trebinje municipality to the Sutorina water station, and we are ready to support such a project. Of course, we are always in favor of the profession having its say.

The Meljine wastewater collector and treatment plant projects were supposed to be completed in 2014, and around 40 million euros were spent on them, but they have still not been implemented. Will this facility be finished in the next four years, and who do you hold responsible for its failure, given that you have been in government?

The project to build a wastewater plant with a sewage collector system was, unfortunately, incomplete and with numerous shortcomings. I am convinced that the greatest responsibility lies with the two supervisory bodies in this matter: the company “Dalem”, which was also supported by the creditor, the “KfW” bank, and the company “Vodacom”. The municipality also had to hire its own supervisory body. Now it is necessary to involve experts in this field and determine the final solution.

Will you reduce the practice of party-based employment in local government and businesses, and how?

A higher quality and more efficient municipal administration is one of the priorities of the BF. This can only be achieved by respecting the criteria of expertise, not obedience and party suitability. At the same time, the results of work must be measurable and decide whether someone will retain an executive function or not. E-government would significantly rationalize the system and even reduce the need for part of the workforce. We insist on making the administration cheaper, i.e. reducing all current expenses. A new Decision on the method and organization of work in local self-government should also be adopted, with the aim of reducing the number of organizational units, guided by the needs of public services, and not the needs of party cronies, which, unfortunately, we have more of in the current administration.

Do you agree with the idea of ​​building a new hospital near the tunnel in Meljine, or are you in favor of saving the existing facility?

Whether a new hospital near the tunnel or the reconstruction of the old military hospital - the profession should say what is more profitable, with the condition that the hospital function is raised to the maximum level that the city needs.

How many investments have been missed due to the lack of planning documentation and what will you do to ensure that planning documents are adopted?

The lack of planning documents is a huge barrier to development. That is why we have ad hoc building permits based on state documents or local decisions on the construction of facilities of local public interest. Thus, the state approved the construction of a mega hotel by the company "Carina", regardless of the incompatibility of such a mastodon with the urban architectural vision of Baošić and the devastation of the coastal waters. However, it seems that the insatiability of "Carina" is something that even the state cannot cope with. New hotels, of course, but ones that fit in size and vision with the authentic Novi and Boka Kotorska climate. The municipality, along with the Ministry, bears critical responsibility for the failure to adopt the PUP, and if we are part of the government - we will not tolerate this. Otherwise, we are against large-scale urbanization based on the Budva model, which, unfortunately, has gained momentum in our country as well.

The most trophy-winning sports team from Novi, the Water Polo Club "Jadran", played European matches in Trebinje last season because the Institute's swimming pool has been out of operation since 2021. When will European water polo return to Herceg Novi?

As for the pride of Herceg Novi, the sports club "Jadran", we support the construction of a new Olympic swimming pool at an appropriate location, which should have been done earlier instead of the pool at Škver.

The plan for the Institute is a pre-election carrot for the voters of the Nova Lista party.

Are you satisfied with the government's restructuring plan for the Simo Milošević Institute? In your opinion, which solutions are problematic and which are good?

The government's restructuring plan for the Institute is based on good intentions, but it was probably not carried out by enough qualified people. It is questionable to settle old debts with financial inputs and debt conversion without a detailed plan for economic rehabilitation and achieving a critical level of economic sustainability. Investments can only be made after prompt rehabilitation in the sense of the necessary reduction of unproductive costs.

So, if the principle of economic sustainability and necessary profitability is not respected from the start (without that, there is no continuity of investment in the necessary content), it is difficult to expect the Institute to return to its former glory. I am afraid that the whole story about the Institute, directed by the Prime Minister-in-training (Milojko) Spajić, is just a pre-election carrot for the voters of the New List, which this man supports. Especially since the state budget deficit is really large and the continuation of the already excessive borrowing of the Spajić Government on behalf of the state is imminent.