Mugoša: Secret meetings in the Capital City premises have apparently become a favorite tactic of the city administration

Secret meetings in the premises of the Capital City have apparently become a favorite tactic of the city administration before making decisions of particular importance to citizens, announced today Budimir Mugoša, a councilor for the European Union in the Capital City Assembly.

"The guest appearance of the Secretary of the Secretariat for Local Self-Government, Slađana Anđušić, on TV Vijesti on Friday and her answers to questions regarding the implementation of the new Decision on Local Communities are the best confirmation of our positions on this issue that were expressed during the preparation of this decision, but also in the Capital City Assembly during the discussion on the Proposal for a Decision on Local Communities," Mugoša emphasized in a statement.

Mugoša added that "the talk of the current city government and Secretary Anđušić about direct democracy and the interests of citizens only served to mask their real intention, which is the division of political spoils according to party quotas, even at the level of local communities."

"Secret meetings in the premises of the Capital City have apparently become a favorite tactic of the city administration before making decisions of particular importance to citizens. When it comes to party interests, promises about transparency of work, citizens' interests, inclusion, communication and other principles used to collect votes are forgotten in an instant. This time, the organizer of such secret activities, we heard, was the President of the Assembly. It is obvious that the President of the Capital City Assembly and the council majority have deceived the citizens of the Capital City on this issue as well, and that instead of local 'direct democracy', the citizens will receive another deception from them and the political takeover of local communities by the current government according to quotas that are also used to fill many other jobs," said Mugoša.

He said that "the greatest responsibility in all of this lies with the President of the Capital City Assembly, who, openly violating the decision she herself voted for, and without the knowledge of the opposition councilors, as we heard in the morning program, held a meeting with candidates for acting presidents of local community councils."

"Before that, the secretary says, and also behind the backs of the councilors, apparently on party duty and within the circle of political like-minded people, she conducted 'broad consultations with citizens in all local communities'. Such actions do not contribute to building citizens' trust in the intentions of the councilor majority that we will get what they voted for by adopting the new Decision on Local Communities. Therefore, it would be good for the President of the Assembly to answer when those broad consultations with citizens were held, in which local communities, and how she informed citizens that those consultations would be held? How did she come up with the candidates she intends to propose to the Election and Appointments Committee, based on what criteria? Did and when did she intend to inform the opposition councilors in the Capital City Assembly, who are also representatives of the citizens, about all of this, and why did they accept and improve all the bad practices of the previous government? The President of the Assembly owes the citizens answers to these questions, in order to justify at least some of the trust in those who finance her salary and our councilor fees," Mugoša said.