AMNESTY FOR THE TURNKEY AND THE JAILER

Party of Democratic Action Doesn't Want with the Opposition Coalition

With the approaching of the elections it is becoming clearer that the decision of the Montenegrin authorities to divide Montenegro into fourteen electoral units and thereby keep for themselves forty thousand non-existent votes, is based on a very precise insight into the relations between the local opposition parties. Things have finally cleared up last week - the Montenegrin opposition coalition, which was to bring together the Liberals, the Populists, the Social-Democrats, the SDA and the Democratic Alliance of Albanians is out of the question. Harun Hadzic, leader of the Party of Democratic Action for Montenegro was the one to cut the story short by his message that the agreement on the coalition the "National Concord" was unacceptable for his party. "That Agreement stops short the resolution of all major issues for a period of two years. Our major problem and objective is the resolution of the status of Moslem-Bosniacs in Montenegro, Sanjak and the FRY. The overcoming of this problem has been initiated as it was recognized as such and it would be unreasonable to put off or freeze this process". Pointing out that his Party refused to be a "weight that will tip the scales to anybody's favour" Hadzic exemplified why his party opted for a non-aligned policy: "Why should we tie our hands and take our problem off the agenda of outstanding Yugoslav problems. Much can happen in two years".

When at the end of negotiations with the opposition the DPS declared that the abolition of the proportionate system was prompted by a desire to have all "national and ethnic groups" properly represented in the Montenegrin Parliament, it sounded rather funny. While Bosnia was on fire and the official Montenegro was diligently expanding the borders of Serbdom, the Party of Democratic Action was treated as a group of citizens inclined to terrorism. Accused of aspiring to destroy two states with some ten guns and make a new one for themselves, Harun Hadzic and his associates were sentenced to almost a hundred years of prison. After that they were granted pardon by the President. The whole area of Plevaljska Bukovica in Montenegro was thoroughly cleansed of the Moslems. Dayton doesn't apply to them - no one has returned home yet. During the entire 1993 and 1994 Moslem houses and shops were blown up while the authorities played the role of an impartial observer. Three years after twenty Moslem passengers were abducted from a train in Strpci, President Bulatovic harshly reprimanded the opposition for constantly upsetting him with stories about eight of them who were Montenegrin citizens and whose families were still waiting for them to return.

Everything pointed to the fact that Moslems and their national party were among the most interested for these authorities to lose their absolute power. Computer experts regularly came up with calculations that in the autumn the opposition would be able to annul the result of newly created electoral law if it manages to produce a "major coalition". If every opposition party decides to go alone - then everything would go down the drain. The calculations show that even in case of two coalitions - one of parliamentary parties (the Liberals, the Populists, the Social-Democrats) and the other with the SDA and the Democratic Alliance - five deputy seats would be lost on account of divided votes. Maybe that is what the DPS needs to remain the owner of enough keys in the Assembly for four more years.

The SDA was reminded of this detail by the Liberals and the Populists who have joined their activities and funds in the "National Concord": "It is a true miracle how the SDA top leadership is hurrying into the political arms of despotic regimes of Podgorica and Belgrade precisely now at the time of elections which should unlock or permanently close the doors of democracy and prosperity in these areas. By this decision the SDA top leadership is objectively helping the action of the DPS to lock the doors of democracy for ever for everybody in Montenegro irrespective of their religious and national affiliation".

There has been no reaction from the SDA yet, but all indications are that the debate between this and other opposition parties during the elections will be rather animated. The DPS is observing the discussion from afar, and interestingly enough, activists of some Serbian parties which pretend to be constructive opposition, wholeheartedly campaign for the Party of Democratic Action among the Moslem population. Even Seselj's Radicals when preparing lists of those that true patriots should not vote for, have omitted their until recently fierce enemies. At the elections held so far the Moslems did not behave as they did during the census. The first time their votes were almost equally shared by the SDA and Montenegrin civil parties (the Liberals and the Social-Democrats). Descriptive adjectives were also used in the Democratic Party of Socialists.

The SDA boycotted the last elections so that it would be quite unrewarding to assess its strength. In the meantime Hadzic and his people have revised their stand towards Montenegro and the FRY. "We cannot advocate the idea of independent Montenegro if that would mean another separation of our people in Sanjak and the FRY. Those in favour of that are in favour of the destruction of Moslem-Bosniacs in these areas. He is no friend of ours. Naturally, the FRY has to be democratized, but its preservation is in the interest of all those living here. Those advocating the secession of Montenegro seek only their salvation even if it is at the expense of others. That is neither democratic nor liberal", claims Harun Hadzic.

Not even the fiercest Serbian parties are no more so critical of the idea of sovereign Montenegro. Things have fundamentally changed and according to the SDA, the Montenegrin Liberals are becoming most harmful for the future of Moslem-Bosniacs in "these regions". It is known for a fact that a vast majority of Moslem-Bosniacs, even the SDA voters, will not adopt the new party line so easily. During the last four years when they were utterly helpless they had only parties advocating independent Montenegro by their side. Now, irrespective of the election results, a difficult debate awaits them.

It is usually believed that that the National Central Committee from Sarajevo stands behind all more important actions of the SDA for Montenegro and Sanjak. This theory is not easy to verify, but there is not proof that the principle of democratic centralism is at work. The local SDA claims that it was in favour of sovereign Montenegro even at times when there was still hope for the old SFRY, although last year Alija Izetbegovic sent a message from occupied Sarajevo where the former state demonstrated in practice why it had died, supporting the sovereignty of Montenegro as "the Montenegrin people was a victim of that same policy to which the people of Bosnia was to be sacrificed for". It is hard to believe that in the meantime the official stand of the SDA leadership in Bosnia, irrespective of mutual recognitions, has been so radically revised. Everyone who walked through the streets of Sarajevo these years can best testify what ordinary Bosniacs think of sovereign Montenegro.

It seems that the Party of Democratic Action for Montenegro has decided on its own to regulate the situation of Moslem-Bosniacs within Milosevic's project of small great Serbia so that the involvement in the change of power in Podgorica does not seem very inspirational. In all probability it reckons that under international scrutiny Milosevic and Bulatovic will be the most indulgent negotiators on the future status of Moslem-Bosniacs in Serbia and Montenegro.

Drawings are already being made of parts that should be granted "special status". Among Montenegrin communes these are: Rozaje, Plav, Pljevlja, Berane, Andrijevica, Bijelo Polje. In only two, which are not mutually connected (Rozaje and Plav) the Moslems were a majority at the last census. The recent visit of the SDA leadership to the omnipotent Lilic and his kind words addressed to Sulejman Ugljanin who is still on the wanted list, speak of the coordinated inclination of the former turnkeys and jailers to forget. In Montenegro which will be the end of Moslem-Bosniacs if it becomes independent, they accounted for almost 15 percent of the population in 1991. They number far less now; thousands of them, who did not observe the valid norms of patriotism, are floating around Europe. At the level of the FRY they are practically reduced to a statistical error.

Obviously the SDA has reckoned that it will be best paid for its present stirring up of the FRY patriotism if the SDA comes first this time too. But, if the relations between it and the authorities return to the previous state, Harun Hadzic will have nothing to regret. "Politics is the art of cheating", advertised recently in the "Sanjak Paper" the SDA leader for Montenegro his vision of conducting public affairs.

Esad Kocan AIM Podgorica