INTER-ETHNIC RELATIONS IN MONTENEGRO TESTED AGAIN

Planned Construction Destroys Peace

AIM Podgorica, 12 June, 1997

Does the planned construction of two settlements for the workers from Podgorica in the heart of Malesija inhabited by the Albanians, represent a violation of the right of this national group or is it the "basic right of local authorities to dispose of the land which they own anyway they choose"? While the politicians squabble, the worried old-timers say: "There, you have a fight, just like always..."

Town planning is threatening the traditionally good neighbourly relations which the Albanians and Montenegrins from the greater Podgorica region have been fostering and promoting for decades. The areas of Rogamsko Polje and Njive, near Rujela, could be described as larger meadows by the road that leads from Podgorica to Tuzi, the political and economic centre of the Albanians from these parts of Montenegro. Still, these localities (the first one six and the second one nine kilometers from Podgorica, or more precisely on the very outskirts of the town of Tuzi) could soon emerge from their anonymity and become a center of interest of not only the local public.

The Podgorica branch of the Union of Independent Trade Unions of Montenegro decided to allocate a number of lots to workers of local enterprises who have still not resolved their housing problems free of charge. At the session of the Assembly of the Commune of Podgorica the municipal authorities have decided to give the trade union for these purposes a location several kilometers from the city, in the heart of the Malesija lowlands - territory inhabited by the Albanian population. In that way the Pandora's box of inter-ethnic disagreements has been (un)intentionally left ajar.

Citizens of Malesija, led by the Democratic Union of the Albanians (DUA) - a party which won the greatest number of votes at last elections here, do not hide their dissatisfaction with this move of the communal and republican authorities. They are disappointed with the fact that the state, to which they have proved their loyalty many times till now, without asking for their consent, brought a decision which so deeply touches upon their vital interests. "If only they were to give plots free of charge to all workers in Montenegro, but also build for them flats and houses. But the distribution of plots some ten kilometers from the capital, when there are free construction sites everywhere, speaks of something else", says the recent DUA release.

The Montenegrin Independent Trade Unions think that the problem is strictly of political nature and that politicians should therefore take part in their resolution. The priority task for the Union is to bring this action, which will enable some two hundred families to finally get a roof over their heads, to the soonest and best possible conclusion. Because of them, they say, they cannot look a gift horse in the mouth. The general design for two settlements is ready and at the moment they are in the process of obtaining building permits after which they could start building. In the meantime, the plots have been distributed to work organizations which will allocate them to their workers according to the adopted criteria. The trade unionists emphasize that the exceptional interest shown for this action has confirmed its justifiability. Fifty enterprises with over 11 thousand employees with housing problems, competed for the total number of 203 plots.

The Union believes that the majority of free plots will go to the workers from the area of Malesija, who according to their sources, have shown the greatest interest in this arrangement. This is confirmed by the fact that inhabitants of this region have already stated their readiness to buy these plots from future owners once they are distributed. The rumour has it that they are ready to give them 5 to 15 thousand DEM, depending on the area of the plot and the size of the house which can be built on it.

Ferhat Dinosa, one of the leaders of the Democratic Union of the Albanians, questions such promises: "My sources say that such an assumption is unfounded. If it were true, such care of the state for the Albanian workers under present economic circumstances could only seem strange. Especially when it is known that there is not a single building in Tuzi with communal flats for the people from these parts. If the unionists turn this assumption into a public decision, then we will be able to see the reactions. Not even a member of another tribe in Malesija would be welcome to the land which the other tribe considers its own according to customary law", continues Dinosa recalling the unwritten common law and the tribal divisions still existing in Montenegro. "Imagine then what kind of welcome would a member of another nationality would get, when his problems could be resolved somewhere else and in some other way?"

Speaking for the Trade Union, the President of the communal branch, Srdja Kekovic, does not rule out a possibility for the dispute between the authorities and the inhabitants of Malesija to be resolved by shifting the planned settlements to another location, despite the fact that preparatory works have been almost completed. In that case, the Union will insist on a larger number of plots and more attractive location which could compensate for the money and time lost in the operationalisation of the project of Rogamsko Polje and Njive settlements, near Rujela.

On the other hand, if the Union and the authorities remain steadfast in their original intention, DUA will be forced to apply all mechanisms of democratic struggle in the defence of the interests of citizens it represents, stated Ferhat Dinosa in unequivocal terms. "This would be followed by protest gatherings, on the locations and in front of the Assembly of Montenegro. We would organize the signing of a new petition. If the authorities turn a deaf ear to this too, we would address the international organizations and representatives of foreign countries in Belgrade who would not be indifferent to this problem. Still, we hope that the state will change this decision which is harmful in the long run.

Asked to explain the motives behind the decision to use these localities for securing homes for the workers from Podgorica, Marko Radunovic, Secretary of the Communal Secretariat for Town Planning, said that this problem was not under his jurisdiction. Such decisions are brought by the Communal Assembly, and the Secretariat is under the obligation to make preparations for the technical implementation of such projects, in accordance with the regulations. No one in the Communal Assembly of Podgorica was willing to discuss this subject as, according to them, that was the decision of the former convocation.

That is why the inhabitants of Malesija talk about the proportions of this problem and its possible undesired implications without hesitation. Until early 70's the the villagers of Donji and Gornji Miljes were the only legitimate owners of the land in Rogamsko Polje. At that time, in order to get children's allowances and tax reductions, some of them abandoned their deeds confirming their property rights. That is how the plots, which are the subject of present dispute, have become mostly communal property. One of the old timers who did not waive his land claim is Iso Djokovic. Stating that he would much rather have this discussion with the President of the Commune, Djokovic does not hide his disappointment and anger, also shared by his neighbours. "No one can give away my ancestral property and in our stead choose who will be our neighbours. Someone will do great harm...We are not cowards, and if we are under occupation then they better tell us so. The state that has made such a decision is not thinking far, and there you have a fight like so many times before...".

Does the construction of two settlements for the Podgorica workers represent a violation of the right of the Albanian minority or is it, as the authorities claim, the basic right of the Commune to dispose of the land which it owns anyway it wants? A true discussion on this subject has not started yet, although it seems necessary. Until that time it does not hurt to remind of the provisions from Leka Dukadjini's Code, who carries a great weight in these parts:

"Bones from graves and boundary stones are the same before the law. To move a stone is the same as to move the dead. If brothers or cousins, or tribes or villages fall out because of boundary marks, hundreds will lose their lives, but boundaries will not be touched. Pledges and elders will separate them".

Let us hope that the local "elders" in power will not be late. Zoran RADULOVIC AIM Podgorica