PARLIAMENT WITH NIGHTSTICKS

The Montenegrin Assembly Introduces Control Over Secret Police

The Secret Police - until now a nightstick of the Montenegrin totalitarian regime - won parliamentary control primarily because of the fierce conflict in the top ranks of the ruling party. But, despite this, in al likelihood nothing will change.

AIM Podgorica, 29 May, 1997

Attempts at slowing down the disintegration process within the ruling party of Montenegro and preserving the semblance of party monolithism by making small compromises and concluding agreements under coercion between two fiercely confronted party streams, did not bear fruit. The best proof of this is the ongoing session of the Montenegrin Parliament which, precisely on account of these divisions within the DPS, produced two laws which directly encroach the authority of until now untouchable State Security Service (SDB). The first, the so called Bulatovic's law on the State Security Council should restore President's powers and control over the secret police, while the other on the establishment of a parliamentary Board to control the work of the secret police should for the citizens of Montenegro represent a democratic mechanism for the control over and prevention of the abuse in the operations of this service.

"Despite the vote it cast in favour of the establishment of the Board for the Control of the State Security Service, there is a general impression that the ruling party is not really interested to have the problem of civil control of the police regulated in such a way which would guarantee the implementation of standards contained in the international human rights documents in our legal-political system", pointed out Miro Vickovic, delegate of the party of National Unity and concluded: "I am afraid that the attempts of the democratic opposition aimed at jointly making this important step towards securing the freedom, will this time too, will become entangled in the web of a conservative ideological and political reasoning incapable of grasping a simple truth that no man can be free until there is freedom for all".

Still, despite caution in assessing what will essentially the Law on the Introduction of Parliamentary Control over SDB mean, it is possible to observe now that by its very adoption the opposition has scored an important victory - its seven years old request was finally accepted by the ruling party. With only one vote against, delegates have decided to establish a Board for the control of the work of State Security Service of Montenegro. The adoption of this decision was preceded by the incorporation of the proposal of the National Unity on the formation of a parliamentary commission for the control of the state and public security with the DPS proposal on the establishment of a board for the SDB control.

On the basis of a proportionate system the newly established Parliamentary Board will be composed of ten members and the President. The Board will include representatives of all parliamentary opposition parties of Montenegro: LSCG, NS, SDA, SDU and DSCG. Representatives of the opposition parties will get five seats, while the Democratic Party of Socialists will have six members. Such a composition of the Board will also ensure the respect of the criterion of equal national representation. The Board's President will be from the ruling party. Rumours around the Parliament have it that this responsible function will be discharged by Zoran Zizic, vice-president of the Montenegrin Parliament and President Bulatovic's fellow-champion. The final composition of the Board will be determined at the end of this parliamentary session under the item: Elections and Appointments.

In other words, the State Security Service of Montenegro, which is practically at this moment controlled only by the Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic, will have triple control in the future: in addition to the Prime Minister, the work of the secret police will be controlled by the President of the state, Momir Bulatovic, through the para-state Security Council, and about all this the opposition will have some idea through the newly formed Board for the SDB Control.

The authorities and the opposition have reached another important agreement: in the future the work of the public security service, which is the one which most frequently abused police nightsticks, will also be under the control of Montenegrin Parliament. It was agreed to submit a new proposal for the amendment of the existing Rules of Procedure for the introduction of parliamentary control over Public Security Service with the existing Board for Human Rights and Freedoms.

This unexpected cooperativeness of the ruling party towards the democratic opposition has its background.

"Our motives are absolutely democratic", says Savo Djurdjevac, delegate of the National Unity to the Montenegrin Parliament, and adds: "While the DPS proposal is motivated by political conflicts in its ranks, our proposal is based on democratic reasons. We want to finally disperse the dark cloud called SDB looming over the heads of Montenegrin citizens in order to make the first necessary step in the democratization of Montenegro, i.e. in ensuring and recognizing the basic human rights and freedoms".

"In other words, the DPS proposal", continues Djurdjevac, "did not proceed from such democratic positions. Driven into a corner by mutual conflicts and arguments of the democratic opposition, i.e. the National Unity, delegates of the ruling party have accepted a compromise not for the sake of democracy in Montenegro, but in order to respect the informal division of the centers of power within their party."

Will the establishment of the Board for the Control of the State Security Service prevent the ruling part from abusing it for party purposes?"

"We are aware that we will not have full political and legal influence on the work of and control over the activities of the State Security Service. However, we shall take one step at a time. We know that we have come to the Chinese wall called the SDB, but also know that with democratic mechanisms we have to continue rolling the Sisyphean stone up a hill in order to reach the top and bring it in line with the international standards on the protection of human rights and freedoms", concluded Djurdjevac.

The Secret Police - until now a nightstick of the Montenegrin totalitarian regime - won parliamentary control primarily because of a fierce conflict in the top ranks of the ruling party. The arrests of "nightsticks" is in process. But, despite that it will probably be the same old story.

Seki Radoncic

(AIM Podgorica)