What are the aims of the "Where to Tomorrow?" group's protest: Can the demands be met?

Assistant editor-in-chief of the newspaper Vijesti Vukašin Obradović believes that it will be difficult to replace the Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović and Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić, as this could lead to the fall of the government.

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From last night's protest organized by the informal student group "Where to Tomorrow?", Photo: Boris Pejović
From last night's protest organized by the informal student group "Where to Tomorrow?", Photo: Boris Pejović
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

After a new protest in Podgorica, the informal student group "Where to Tomorrow?" is persistent in its stance that the highest state officials must resign and learn to bear responsibility if tragedies like the latest one in Cetinje occur during their mandate.

However, the assistant editor-in-chief of the newspaper Vijesti, Vukašin Obradović, believes that it will be difficult to replace the Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović and Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić, as this could lead to the fall of the government.

On the other hand, Obradović believes that other demands from the protest could be met, and the Ministry of Health also considers it justified that citizens are demanding a better response from institutions in preserving mental health.

From a new mass protest in Podgorica, the informal student group "Where Tomorrow?" once again asked the highest state officials to learn a lesson in responsibility.

"If such a catastrophe or crime occurs, as in this case, they must resign precisely so that those who come after them know that, if they want to remain in their position until the end of their term, they must do their job and implement the necessary reforms," ​​said Marko Vukčević from the informal student group "Where to Tomorrow?"

According to the students, in the case of the tragedy in Cetinje, these are the officials of Democratic Montenegro - Minister of Internal Affairs Danilo Šaranović and Deputy Prime Minister for Security Aleksa Bečić.

However, Obradović doubts that this can happen.

"I consider the demands for the resignation of Bečić and Šaranović legitimate. They are unlikely to be adopted. The adoption of these demands would actually mean a large degree of certain collapse of the Government and therefore seems to me to be quite unrealistic," Obradović pointed out.

However, Obradović believes that other demands related to a better response from institutions in preserving mental health, demilitarization, reform of police structures... could get the green light.

"I assume that the Government, in its desire to somehow cushion the effect of these protests, will do everything it can to fulfill a good portion of these demands. And to avoid at least that portion of possible future similar events," said Obradović.

The Ministry of Health also supports the students' request to improve the response of institutions in preserving mental health, but emphasizes that a comprehensive approach is needed.

"These are completely legitimate requests. In this sense, the Ministry of Health supports the initiative to strengthen the institutional response in terms of preserving mental health - to include all institutions, including the Ministry of Social Welfare, Education, and even the Ministry of Finance, so that we can all provide a joint response," stressed Milena Cojić, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health.

And preserving mental health is an important social issue, so, Obradović points out, it is difficult to isolate it from politics.

"We have a habit in society of declaring everything that is politicized negative. The Democrats, with their clumsy and rather unintelligent reaction at the very beginning, provoked and contributed the most to the outbreak of protests, and that's when the thesis about these politicized protests actually came to the forefront," Obradović said.

Despite everything, the students announced that they would decide very soon on the date of new protests if the Government does not meet their demands.

They do not want to negotiate about this with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, who is persistently calling them to a meeting, but instead tell him that he can inform them through the media if he finally decides to do what they are asking for.

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