Vice President of the Socialist People's Party (SNP) and Minister of Sports and Youth Dragoslav Šcekić, announced that he would not participate in the upcoming race for the head of that party.
He told "Vijesti" that, if the SNP Congress, at which the party leadership will be elected, was "pre-staged and privatized," the question of the legitimacy and legality of that party body is rightly raised.
"... SNP has, unfortunately, become a private party and a hostage to the personal interests of a few individuals. I have defended the original principles of SNP at every turn, and therefore I will not give legitimacy to the farce and humiliation of what generations of members have built. For this reason, I will not attend the 10th Congress," said Šćekić in an interview conducted via email.
The SNP congress is scheduled for August 30. Apart from Šćekić, the candidate for party leader is the current SNP president. Vladimir Jokovic.
In the interview, Šćekić also hinted at the possibility of forming a new party, assessing that this is not a decision that can be made by one person, but by thousands of members with whom, he claims, he is in constant contact.
"Since it has already been shown that the Congress has neither legitimacy nor legality, then we will all decide together which way to go. If a new political organization is formed, I can only say one thing: it will not be anyone's private property, nor a party of followers. It will be a movement in which only honesty, work, responsibility, results, freedom and the fight for the national and civic interests of Montenegro will be valued," he stated.
There are rumors that, although you have accepted the candidacy for the leadership of the SNP, you will still leave the party before the Congress and form your own party. Is that true or are you planning to challenge Joković at the Congress?
I have been in the SNP since its founding and I have dedicated my life to fighting for the principles and ideals on which this party was founded. These are honesty, consistency, caring for the people and defending national interests. My political and personal identity has been inextricably linked to the SNP and I have never been a man who runs away from the battlefield.
However, I must say that this is one of the worst moments in the history of the SNP. The only time it was worse was when the SNP and the vertical of the same profiles expelled people Momir Bulatović, the first president of Montenegro, president and founder of the SNP with 148.000 votes at the time.
Our members and supporters expected the Congress to be held in a fair and democratic atmosphere, but what we see today are numerous irregularities accompanying the preparations for the 10th Congress - from the way municipal committees were formed, through the nomination process, to the election of delegates, including those who were not in the SNP, as well as the trampling of the original values of the SNP for which we have fought relentlessly since the day of its founding. The irregularities are also reflected in promises, vote buying, threats, blackmail, employment, etc., all of which the DPS has been doing for more than two decades. It is clear that this is a deep compromise and a violation of the meaning of the Congress.
If the Congress is pre-planned and privatized, then the question of its legitimacy and legality is rightly raised. The SNP has, unfortunately, become a private party and a hostage to the personal interests of a few individuals. I have defended the original principles of the SNP at every point, and therefore I will not give legitimacy to the farce and humiliation of what generations of members have built.
For this reason, I will not attend the 10th Congress.
All my decisions and political moves in the coming period will be guided solely by a sense of responsibility towards all those who have provided and continue to provide me with support.
If you decide to form a party, and everything points to that, whether before or after the Congress, what will it be called and what will its activities and political orientation be?
As I said before, I have never made decisions alone, nor have I built my political struggle on personal ambitions. Everything I do in politics, I do together with people who have been by my side for decades and with whom I have defended the principles and ideals of the original SNP side by side.
As for the issue of forming a new party, that is not a decision that can be made by one man, but by thousands of members with whom I am in constant contact. Since it has already been shown that the Congress has neither legitimacy nor legality, then we will all decide together which way to go.
If a new political organization is formed, I can only say one thing: it will not be anyone's private property, nor a party of followers. It will be a movement in which only honesty, work, responsibility, results, freedom and the fight for the national and civic interests of Montenegro will be valued.
Which people from the SNP are you counting on to join your party and do you expect to pull a significant portion of the SNP membership with you, given that Mr. Joković claims that a small portion of people will follow you?
Joković's claims are similar to those that I had all the privileges from the SNP. I would not call it a privilege, but rather my merit and undeniable results, both political and professional. Let the citizens assess whether it is a privilege when during the DPS government after the referendum (on the independence of Montenegro) you remain unemployed like I did, or is it a privilege to chair the Karate Association during the DPS government, create a million-dollar business during the aforementioned government, but also to cover the highest positions in the state without reference, etc.
So the claim that few would follow me is also a matter of misperception.
I emphasize that I am not alone in this. There are a large number of people with whom I am in constant communication, who, just like me, are deeply dissatisfied with the state the party is in. Among them is a significant number of those who have already left the SNP because of the previous president and a few people, or, disappointed, have completely passively reduced their work and engagement.
I am aware of the fact that a certain number of members, especially those who are professionally engaged at the state or municipal level, are directly or indirectly bound by their status to obligations towards the current leadership, but I am sure that the majority are with me. However, that is not the essence. What is really important is that the essence of the members stood with me, people who remained consistent with the original principles and ideas of the SNP. It is precisely this strength and authenticity that gives me the certainty that everything we do, as we have done so far, will be done honestly, honorably and in the interest of the people and the state.
Do you plan to have former prominent members of the SNP - Danijela Đurović, Aleksandar Damjanović, Marko Kovač...?
I think I have already told you to some extent what the essence is in my previous answers. My position is clear: all those who have sincere intentions and hold traditional values and for whom the general interest comes first are welcome.
This applies to both people who are still in the SNP and those who, for various reasons, had to leave. If they show a willingness to fight for these values, I do not make a difference. So, it is not about names, but about principles. Those who want us to work honestly, consistently and in the interest of the people will always be welcome in some new political entity, if it comes into being.
Which parties do you see as possible allies?
I see as my allies all those who work for the progress of Montenegro, above all those who work on the accelerated path of Montenegro's accession to the EU (European Union), those who work on economic recovery, who have contributed to the increase in salaries, pensions, social benefits after several decades. In a word, all those for whom Montenegro and the standard of living of every citizen in Montenegro are number one.
Those who fight crime and corruption, those who strongly support vetting, i.e. those whose results are visible and felt by the citizens of Montenegro. As well as all those who respect the SPC (Serbian Orthodox Church) and do not dispute the rights of Serbs in Montenegro.
Mr. Joković claims that you never directly told him why you disagreed with him and what the reasons for your “anger” were. Is that true and how do you view Joković's accusations that certain people around you influenced you to change your attitude towards “many members of the SNP”?
My relationship with everyone in the party has remained the same since I joined the SNP - based on respect, cooperation and shared ideals. If anyone has changed that relationship, it is not me, but those who have been beaten to the head by the government and who have built a wall around themselves. I have no intention of entering that courtyard, nor of jumping over such walls.
As for the accusations that someone from the outside influenced me, that is absolutely false and I would not engage in that primitive approach. My views are the result of my personal conviction, my consistency and my human view of what the traditional values of Montenegro are and what modern professional behavior entails. And it is not a matter of any anger, but of a fundamental disagreement with the policies and methods of leadership that have brought the party to this state.
Everyone who has remained true to the original values of the SNP knows that my attitude towards them has not changed and never will.
What do you most resent about Mr. Joković?
First of all, breaking his word and manipulating both his closest associates and the membership, abusing well-intentioned people. In organizational terms, he irresponsibly brought the party to disarray in eight years, especially in his second term, trampling on the original principles of the SNP and the values we once stood for.
What a huge number of members and sympathizers now feel strongly about are his unempathetic messages - "the great Byzantium has disappeared, so can the small SNP", all allegedly in the interests of some larger interests, as well as his irresponsibility towards both officials and ordinary members with the words - "some go, others come", which shows that people, members of the SNP, are only disposable, which was not the spirit of our gathering at the time in a popular movement against those who led Montenegro into a state of crime and corruption, a destroyed economy and social irresponsibility.
If you leave the SNP, will you remain a minister in the Government or are you perhaps planning to resign? Mr. Joković said in an interview with "Vijesti", alluding to you, that anyone who is not part of the SNP cannot perform any function on behalf of that party.
First of all, all the functions I have held so far are the fruit of the support of the citizens of Montenegro, thanks to my political and professional results.
Considering that I am no stranger to losing my job thanks to DPS and that I have been the subject of revanchism, and that my fight for the common good existed even before my office, this cannot be a moment for me to worry and stop my fight for the common good, but it is all a matter of principle.
The Prime Minister is the one who decides which party or individuals will participate in forming the government. Of course, if the Prime Minister accepts Joković's blackmailing request, I will respect that kind of decision as well.
All of us who hold ministerial positions have some political background and support on the ground. I am proud of my political background, from 1998 to the present day. In 2014, the list I led in Berane defeated DPS at the peak of its power. We confirmed the same victory in 2018, as well as in 2020 in the parliamentary elections. As well as in 2024 in a coalition with PES (Europe Now Movement), when we won the largest number of mandates and showed a good synergistic effect. To build a strong political path, we must consider all the moments, and all in the interest of the citizens.
I abstained “for the sake of peace at home”
SNP was once one of the strongest parties in Montenegro, and today it is struggling for survival (two members of parliament, poor election results in several municipalities where you used to have a strong presence). What is the main reason for this decline and do you see your responsibility for it, considering that you are a high-ranking SNP official?
In general, the main reason for the decline of the SNP lies in a combination of internal and external factors. On the one hand, the political scene in Montenegro has changed - new parties and movements have emerged that have taken over a part of the electorate that was previously loyal to the SNP. On the other hand, within the party itself there were mistakes in strategy, communication with the membership and citizens, as well as in adapting to modern political challenges.
A part of the leadership, led by the party president, has somehow carried out a silent coup and turned the party into a private structure that serves exclusively him and his employees. All this is evidenced by media statements from members of municipal boards across Montenegro in the last month, as well as from Montenegrin citizens, associations that have been affected by the behavior of individuals holding high positions on behalf of the SNP.
For myself, I can say that at certain moments I should have been more decisive and reacted publicly, but, as a soldier of the party, I refrained "for the sake of peace at home", always retreating for the sake of party interests and party unity, hoping that others, not just me, would show the initiative to return the party to the right path and strengthen its authority among citizens. I pointed out all this to the party organs.
Many members feel they have no voice and that decisions are made without them.
How do you view the months-long "shootouts" within the SNP? What are the extent of the crisis?
As I said, I have not argued with anyone, nor do I intend to. On the other hand, I have always stated what I think and what is in the interest of both the party and the state. Just because someone doesn't like the truth, doesn't mean it's a fight.
The crisis in the SNP is not a product of my views, but a consequence of many years of wrong policies and poor leadership that has distanced the party from its foundations and membership. The scale of the crisis is great - I do not hide it. Today we have a situation in which many of our members feel that they have no voice, that decisions are made without them, that processes have been reduced to manipulation, not democratic procedure.
Instead of being a force that unites and gives hope, we have been reduced to the narrow interests of individuals and their minions. That is the essence of the crisis - the loss of trust of the membership and the distancing of the SNP from what it once was.
My fight, regardless of all the accusations and pressures, was aimed at restoring these values and giving members back their voice.
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