Quote:
Originally Posted by Faísca
So, you support the independence of Montenegro just for you to say officially you live in Serbia? 
From an outsider's point of view, it is like tearing a people apart. And, as far as I'm concerned, I'm not only sad for Serbia, but also for Montenegro. Still it is not really my business, just stating my opinion.
I would like to hear our resident Montenigger's (  ) -- Awar -- opinion on this. |
It only shows the opportunism of the political eliter around Milo Djukanovic. 17 years ago they were some turbo-serbs and now they're seperatists (e.g. 17 years ago Djukanovic claimed he was so offended by the Croat flag that he would never play chess again, a statement so idiotic not even Seselj said something like that). It only shows his opportunism, I believe his support for independence is more to deal with him staying in power because since 1997 (when he became anti-Serb because of a dispute regarding cigarette smuggling with Milosevic's son) he has used the independence issue to keep himself in power and make promise like "Ones we are independant all our problems will be solved." Well, things have not improved only gotten worst.
The pro-independence result is nothing of a shock. The shock is that it only passed by 0.4% above the 55% criteria. I say this because the following irregularities occured:
1. Over 300,000 Montenegrin citizens in Serbia and some 120,000 in the EU could not vote. But a select few (around 15,000 -- mostly Albanians and Bosniaks) in America could vote. This is despite the fact that the Montenegrin constituion forbids anyone not resident in Montenegro for more then 6 months to vote. Those from America who voted likely did not meet this criteria. Most notably a former Muslim minister in Bosnia who hadn't lived in Montenegro since the 1980s was allowed to vote.
2. Prisoners were promised reduced sentences of at least 20% if they voted pro-independence. Again, this is clear sign of corruption since 3,500 prisoners voted.
3. More then 20,000 refugees could not vote despite meeting the residency requirement to vote.
4. Students abroad should have under the law been allowed to vote. However this was not the case. Around 10,000 travelled to vote and were not allowed to vote.
5. Government employees were threatened with firings if they did not vote for independence or risk losing their jobs.
6. Their were cases of bribery to get people to vote for independence, several cases were caught on film.
7. There were cases of people from Bosnia and Kosovo who lived in Montenegro for less then 6 months being able to vote.
Facts #2, #5 and #6 indicate that the vote was not held to democratic norms and thus under Montenegrin law the vote should be repreated or those votes invalidated. Facts #1, #3, #4 and #7 indicated that the referendum was not held in compliance with the Montenegrin law and constitution the same should be done as stated above.
furthermore one can also add shock due to the media campaign. The pro-union side received more indirect media campaigning even after the official campaigning dead line stopped due to the opening of several large projects (e.g. new airport terminal in Podgorica) in the days before the election and creating an image of "This will become daily once we are independent."
The simple fact is that Montenegro as an independent state is nothing like what was promised to the people. I personally would have boycotted the vote, I am pro-union and pro-Serb but my personal view as to how the union should be structured is not supported by the majority of Montenegrins and I am against the idiotic structure that existed in Serbia & Montenegro union and Milosevic's Yugoslavia (I find it pointless to have a federal state with only 2 members and when one state is at least 12 times bigger then the other). I am against Montenegro being in any union with Serbia so long as the incompetent Kostunica is in power and the anti-Montenegrin G-17+ is in power (even though they are closest to my view as too how Montenegro in Serbia should be structured).