The head of the Europe Now (PES) parliamentary group, Vasilije Čarapić, called on the villagers of Botuni, who are protesting against the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in their village, to leave the plot where the construction is planned, while simultaneously continuing negotiations with the capital to find a solution that would suit everyone.
Čarapić said in the show "Reflektor" on TV Vijesti that no one in Montenegro has received the kind of guarantees that the residents of Botuni received - from the Government, the Capital City and the European Union, and accused all parties except PES and New Serbian Democracy (NSD) of hypocrisy, because in Podgorica they represent one position and in Zeta another when it comes to the construction of the plant.
He accused the leader of the Democratic People's Party (DNP), Milan Knežević, of manipulating the residents of Botuni by spreading falsehoods, while describing the referendum in Zeta in which citizens voted against the construction of the plant last week as undemocratic.
"For me, that referendum is not legally binding and by many measures it is undemocratic, but it is undeniable that it showed the real concern of the citizens of Zeta and the residents of Botun that pollution could occur," said Čarapić.
He added that he understands the fears of the locals on a human level, but also emphasized that Podgorica needs this facility and that this project must be implemented.
"The tent is not the problem, but what was said to those people in the tents and why they are there, why the residents of Botuni are being manipulated and lied to. Irresponsible politicians are doing this. First of all, I am thinking of Milan Knežević. Almost every party in Zeta participated in the campaign against the construction of the wastewater treatment plant. In Podgorica, we almost have a consensus that the plant should be built, but in Zeta, the same subjects are against the construction. That is hypocrisy. The only ones who have remained principled in this case are PES and New Serbian Democracy. We will not allow ourselves to retreat even a millimeter and say that the plant is harmful to the environment. Because it is not, that is a fact based on science," said Čarapić.
The head of the PES parliamentary group said that those who claim that there were corrupt actions during the conclusion of the contract for the construction of the collector should file a criminal complaint so that the prosecutor's office can be involved in this process.
"Formally and legally, the conditions for construction to begin have been met. I call on the residents of Botuni who are in those tents not to jeopardize their health by exposing themselves to the cold weather, but to vacate the plot and start the works, but to simultaneously negotiate with the capital and all other interested parties, so that we can find a way out of this situation. They have received what no one in Montenegro has received: guarantees from the Government, guarantees from the Capital, science and the European Union. No one in Montenegro is protected and has no guarantees like the residents of Botuni," he said.
When asked why he thinks the residents of Botuni will change their minds, Čarapić replied that everyone who goes to negotiations has the will to solve the problem. He also said that he does not expect police intervention.
"I don't see the situation escalating in terms of police intervention, which is something that is also being marketed as an option to the residents of Botun, which is why they are scared and are additionally kept in an atmosphere of fear and misinformation. I expect it to be reasonable for them to leave the plot... When you have an unshakable fact that opposes someone who doesn't believe in it, you can't change the fact, you can only change the beliefs of certain people... It's enough even to not believe, if you have received guarantees from the state and the Capital City," Čarapić assessed.
Mitar Šušić, a councilor from the coalition For the Future of Podgorica, said that in principle they support "something that is needed" for Podgorica, but that they will not support any repressive measures.
"A damaging contract was concluded, he believes that the prosecution should perhaps be involved. To me, it seems like the most painless solution is for the plant to be built where it was planned, but I am saying this based on what I know as a layman. But I am not ready to say that I am not interested in the 60 percent of Zeta citizens who voted in the referendum," Šušić pointed out.
He said that he does not believe that Podgorica Mayor Saša Mujović has any bad intentions, but neither does Milan Knežević.
"He truly believes that this is harming his environment and the residents of Zeta. I disagree with Čarapić on that point, I believe that everyone has good intentions, but I am dominantly shifting responsibility for everything to the previous government, which protected a contract that must turn out to be harmful, because it will lead either to social unrest or to the payment of damages," said Šušić.
Čarapić explained why he believes that the events in Botun in the last few months are the result of a political campaign.
"A few months ago, we received a letter from the residents of the village of Srpska, which is near Botun, in which they asked the government to solve the problem of red mud and emphasized that it was the key pollution problem in that area and gave support to the wastewater treatment plant. And just a few months after that, using, in my opinion, undemocratic methods, the residents and citizens of Zeta were pressured through an intensive political campaign to speak out negatively against the plant," he said.
If DPS had told voters not to go to the referendum, turnout would have been below 50 percent, Čarapić added.
When asked whether DPS is against the construction of a collector in Botun, Andrija Klikovac, a DPS councilor, said that the party believes that it is not a political issue and that is why they did not participate in the campaign.
He said that the parties that were in opposition when the DPS was in power convinced the residents of Botun that the collector should not be built, and when they took power, they changed the narrative.
Commenting on the fact that DPS councilor in the Zeta Municipal Assembly Miroslav Boljević congratulated the results of the referendum and said that a "message of support" had been sent to the people of Botunja, Klikovac explained that the support refers to the right to a referendum.
"Let those who have the most responsibility make the decisions. When the Inspection Directorate completes its activities, it is up to Spajić and Bečić and the ministers from the DNP and DF who are in the government to sit down and make a decision on the matter," Klikovac said.
Olivera Injac's administration did not lift a finger regarding the start of the collector construction and showed great irresponsibility., as well as the current administration, said European Union councilor Miloš Mašković.
He said that he has information that the DNP will not support the proposed budget of the Capital City in the upcoming vote in the Assembly, and that the government in Podgorica has practically fallen.
"The current government will not survive Botun and I think the best option for Mujović is to resign," added Mašković.
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