Mandić: Decisions about the future of Montenegro will be made here, as they have always been made

No one has the right to measure the Serbianness of local Serbs, to validate or invalidate it, to prescribe to us how much we must love our country and our people, who we are allowed to talk to, and what path we must choose.

This was said tonight at the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Fundina by the Speaker of Parliament Andrija Mandić (New Serbian Democracy).

"Standing here today, as the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, and a member of the proud Serbian people, I want to send a message that goes beyond daily politics and our fleeting misunderstandings: our cultural and historical identity cannot and must not be limited by narrow political borders, nor must it be subjected to anyone's attempt at privatization. No one has a monopoly on Serbian heritage and patrimony. Serbian national and cultural identity is not and cannot be the exclusive right of one state, one center or one political group. It belongs to all those who have preserved it for centuries - from the time of the Nemanjićs to the time of the Petrovićs, Obrenovićs and Karađorđevićs," Mandić stated.

He said that Serbianness in Montenegro was not imported, and that it did not originate in some cabinet, nor was it brought to the country by political order.

"It has grown here for centuries: in our monasteries and churches, in the Kosovo Vow, in folk poetry, in tribal traditions, in the language of our mothers, in the names of our ancestors, and on the pages written by Saint Peter of Cetinje, Njegoš, and Marko Miljanov," said the first man of the Assembly.

Mandić said that no one, no matter where they are and no matter how great they consider themselves, has the right to issue certificates of national correctness to Serbs in Montenegro.

"We are a free people and free citizens of Montenegro. Love for one's own people is measured by brotherly agreement, as our ancestors did. That is why we will speak to every brotherly address in a brotherly manner, with love and respect. But we will make decisions about the future of Montenegro here, as they have always been made," Mandić emphasized.

He stated that in the past century, Montenegro has undergone profound changes, including "forty-five years of a totalitarian communist order," followed by three decades of an authoritarian system that retained many negative old habits, changing the way people understand nation, religion, language, and history.

"We can think about it differently. We can regret the injustices, the silenced truths and the decisions that were made without sufficient consideration for the identity of a large number of citizens. But we must accept one fact: this is the Montenegro that exists today. It used to be Serbian, and it is Serbian today. So, it is also ours. Our brothers and relatives who define themselves as national Montenegrins live in it. Our neighbors, Albanians, Bosniaks, Muslims and Croats, live in it," said Mandić.

He said that any policy that is based on permanent strife is a policy of ruin for all these communities.

"We cannot build the future the way the former regime did – by convincing some that they must disappear so that others can exist. We cannot accept that the Serbian people are being denied what is naturally granted to every other people. But we will not win these rights by taking away theirs from others," he said.

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Mandić said that they want a society of equals, and that such a society cannot be achieved through isolation.

"It cannot be achieved by constantly raising tensions. It cannot be achieved by declaring anyone who talks weak and anyone who seeks compromise a traitor. It is true that many important decisions in the past were made without agreement and by simple majority, often against the feelings of a large part of the citizens. These wounds should not be denied. But we must not repeat the same mistake," he said.

"What we want to fix, we must fix thoroughly, patiently and with the broadest possible support. Not so that the change lasts until the next elections, until a new majority, but so that no one can challenge it anymore. Not so that one half of the country celebrates and the other waits for a chance for a rematch, but so that the agreement reached becomes the permanent foundation of our common home," added Mandić.

He pointed out that this is the new answer that Montenegro is seeking and expecting today.

"For me, politics is not the art of keeping people permanently in the trenches. Politics is the obligation to get out of the trenches when peace is possible, without abandoning principles," he said.

"One must be worthy of the heritage of one's ancestors"

The head of parliament said that "it is not enough to celebrate ancestors," but that one must be worthy of their legacy.

"Our ancestors knew who they were. In their consciousness, there was no need to separate what time and history had naturally united. Their Serbianness was not opposed to their Montenegrinness, nor did their love for Montenegro diminish their belonging to the wider Serbian people, the Serbian Church, language, tradition and Kosovo vow. They were their own people. And they did not ask anyone for permission to be who they were," he added.

Mnadić said that the Serbian Orthodox Church is owed great gratitude, saying that he wants to express "high respect" to Metropolitan Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral.

"In times of great trials, he bears the heavy and honorable responsibility of our archpastor, preserving the unity of the Serbian Church, defending the dignity of the people and calling for peace among the brothers. His calmness testifies to the strength of a man who knows that brothers can be reconciled through self-prayer, patience and truth. Today we also remember the blessedly departed Metropolitan Amfilohije. In difficult times, when it seemed that the threads that bind us to our spiritual roots could be severed, he sought paths that ultimately led to the defense of holy places and the truly epochal unity of the believing people. He tirelessly renovated temples, gathered the people and reminded us, admonished us, that we are all brothers in Christ God. Metropolitan Amfilohije and Metropolitan Joanikije preserved what is primordial in the Serbian people and the entire Orthodox being of Montenegro: a faith that strengthens the soul, an identity that neither seeks the humiliation of others nor allows its own - and the vow that we are first obliged to reconcile brothers," he said.

"The measure of our patriotism will be what we leave to our children"

Mandić said that the Battle of Fundina was fought twenty years after the "heavy and cruel" raid on Kuča by the central Montenegrin authorities.

"Many of those who killed and burned Kuče in 1856, who came from the Montenegrin and mountain army led by Grand Duke Mirko Petrović, found themselves in the trenches with the Kuče brothers in 1876 and died together defending this country and building brotherly harmony and unity. Twenty years were enough for the brotherly wounds to heal, for our great ancestors to repent, to forgive each other for all the bad things they did and together to create a future, freedom and a state. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the referendum in Montenegro that severely divided and divided Montenegro in 2006. Our generation, by God's providence, did not cross the line that was crossed in 1856 in Kuče and we did not hurt each other. A sea of ​​tears was shed, but not a single drop of blood was shed and may that serve as an honor for all of us," he added.

"Do we today, the descendants of those great people who knew how to repent, forgive and reconcile even after crimes, have their strength to lead this country into a happier future in a brotherly and united manner?" asked Mandić.

He said that this anniversary should not be a call to renew old battles, but rather to "show ourselves worthy of the winners from Fundina" in peace.

"Let no one teach us that love for our own is proven by hatred for others, because that is not true. The measure of our patriotism will be what we leave to our children: a peaceful country, just institutions, a preserved identity, better schools, safer jobs and a society in which no one feels like a second-class citizen. That is our Fundina today. It is a battle that we do not fight with weapons, but with reason, patience, work and agreement. And just as our ancestors believed a hundred and fifty years ago that unity can defeat superior force, so too must we believe that we can overcome the disagreements that have settled among us for decades. May eternal glory be to the heroes of Fundina and may God bless Montenegro!", the head of parliament underlined.

Mandić laid a wreath at the monument to Novak Milošev before the event began.

Joanikije: The Fundin victory does not belong to any one individual, but to all the heroes together

Metropolitan Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral congratulated everyone on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Fundin, stating that it all began on St. Vitus' Day in 1876, when the then Prince Nikola called on the people to "avenge Kosovo" together with brotherly Serbia.

"The Fundina operation of 1876 was not only a great victory for Montenegro in the Great War, but also one of the greatest Montenegrin victories... Enough has been said about how the southern Montenegrin army won brilliant victories from Vučji do to Fundina during July 1876...", stated Joanikije.

He stated that at Fundina, as well as at Vučji do, the battle was won with sharp scimitars, hand-to-hand fighting.

"The victory of Fundin does not belong to any one individual, but to all those heroes together, who sacrificed their lives for the honorable cross and golden freedom...", said the Metropolitan of Cetinje.

Joanikije said that the Battle of Fundina should teach us how to go on to new victories, even if it means defeating "internal divisions and the white plague."

The event is attended by numerous officials of the New Serbian Democracy (NSD), including the first man of Nikšić Marko Kovačević, Minister without Portfolio Jovan Vučurović, Deputy Prime Minister Budimir Aleksić, Minister of Transport Radoš Zečević, head of the parliamentary group Dejan Đurović, Milutin Đukanović (President of the Board of Directors of EPCG), Marko Milačić, Maksim Vučinić, Boban Radević, Bećir Vuković...

The event is also attended by NSD MPs Vaso Obradović and Jelena Božović.

Also present at the event were Deputy Prime Minister Momo Koprivica and former director of the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund Vuk Kadić.