Propagandist War between Serbia and Montenegro

Milosevic's Games with TV

AIM Podgorica, 5 May, 1998

Exactly on the sixth anniversary of foundation of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, on 27 April, the first pictures from the new Yugoslav television were broadcast. A reception was organised on the occasion at the impressive studio in the Palace of the Federation. Apart from distinguished Serbian guests it was planned that the festivity occasioned by the opening of the federal television be attended by guests from Montenegro, and among them, Bozidar Jaredic, secretary of information in the government of Montenegro. To the duly sent invitation, Jaredic answered with an angry letter to his federal colleague. He clearly explained that broadcasting of the federal program was banned in Montenegro and that spectators in the southern republic will not be able to watch the program of the new tv station. Because, "it is inconceivable that a new federal media is started without participation of Montenegro in its preparations". Suspicion about the new television station, according to Jaredic, is even greater when one knows that the existing federal media are already used in propagandist war against Montenegro. "For quite some time, certain federal media, TANJUG primarily, but especially Borba which was founded by the Federal state, are haranguing the current authorities in Montenegro without either the federal government or the federal ministry of information doing anything about it, although we have warned them several times against disadvantages of such policy", says Jaredic to his federal colleague.

The media war between Serbia and Montenegro has been going on for more than a year, ever since the split in the Montenegrin ruling party. Media controlled by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic joined in the "decisive Montenegrin battle" between Milo Djukanovic and Momir Bulatovic, offering unconcealed support to the latter. In Milosevic's propagandist machinery, Bulatovic was presented as the guardian angel of Yugoslavia, and Djukanovic was proclaimed collaborationist of foreign powers, enemy of Serbia, criminal, separatist. Montenegrin President is lately identified with "Albanian terrorists". The first big battle between two rivals in Montenegro was the one over the republican television station. Bulatovic has lost this battle. He was left without support not only of TV Montenegro, but also without that of TV Serbia, since the new management of TV Montenegro, took the central daily news program of TV Serbia off its program where it had regularly been carried. Nowadays, before the parliamentary elections In Montenegro, state television is characterised by extreme anti-Milosevic policy. Momir Bulatovic, although president of one of the most powerful parties has almost disappeared from TV screens. His pre-election gatherings are skillfully edited and broadcast after news, in the hour devoted to political parties.

Being a connoisseur of technology of power, Milosevic is aware that whoever has "good" television rules undisturbed. That is the reason why he hurried to carry out the long prepared project of Yugoslav television before Montenegrin elections, in order to help his favourite candidate in Montenegro, Momir Bulatovic and his Socialist National Party (SNP). Like in all other "federal" affairs he did not care about the opinion of the Montenegrin government concerning this matter. The concept of the new tv giant was made in secret. In private Belgrade media, a few months ago, news leaked that the notorious public competition for allocation of channels which caused panic and fear that some independent radio and tv stations would be shut down, was in fact meant only to enable the hastily established Yugoslav Radio-Television (JRT) get a permit for work and assist Bulatovic in the campaign in Montenegro.

The concept of the program of the new media was written by trusting persons who head the Yugoslav United Left (JUL). Although division of labour in TV Yugoslavia has not been exactly made yet, it is known that the central figures in it are best friends of Mirjana Markovic - Ljubisa Ristic and Jovan Ristic. Apart from the two directors, another important official of JUL is there too - Spasoje Grdinic, former organizer of festivities devoted to the Day of the Youth (Tito's birthday) and former assistant director of Yutel television. The federal government is also skillfully included in the game. The founder of the new television station - JRT share-holding company, in the end of April, presented shares to the government of Radoje Kontic in order to put the whole affair under the federal umbrella. In return, it was given premises in the Palace of the Federation. And Brothers Karic's Television helped the new project with its equipment. The second channel of TV Serbia was given to the federal television station to broadcast its program from eight o'clock in the evening until midnight. They expected problems with broadcasting in Montenegro, so to be on the safe side, a satellite channel was also provided - that of YUTEL. In 1992, YUTEL was founded by DP YUTEL from Motovun in Croatia. Independent lawyers warn that the new JRT illegally inherited YUTEL's satellite channel, because the question of succession has not been resolved. But, ambitions of the new "unifiers" is to make their program visible not only in Serbia and Montenegro, but in other parts of the Balkans as well. That is why they were not too concerned about the story of legal inheritance when they seized the channel for broadcasting via satellite.

The embargo of Montenegrin authorities on new the television station was interpreted as yet another proof of "unconcealed separatism". The one who is damaged the most by the embargo, Momir Bulatovic, did not spare the "party-police" administration of Milo Djukanovic at his pre-election gatherings for stifling freedom and depriving Montenegrin citizens of the "fundamental right to be informed". But the other party paid back in the same coin explaining what exactly the former president meant by the right to be informed. Director of TV Montenegro, Goran Rakocevic accused Bulatovic of having turned TV Montenegro during his rule into a propagandist branch office of TV Serbia which served only for preservation of unlimited power of the couple Milosevic-Markovic. "Unfortunately we still feel the results of such disastrous policy, and that is the reason why cooperation between the two republican television stations concerning information and political programs was interrupted. Yugoslav media space was split because of the unreserved, often brutal for Montenegro, abuse of RTV Serbia for daily political purposes", says Rakocevic.

Vice prime minister in the federal cabinet of Radoje Kontic, Vojin Djukanovic, also commented on the new Yugoslav Radio-Television. He claims that it is a private television station and not a federal project, and that the federal government is not the founder of the "joint" tv station. Djukanovic's allegation was the immediate cause for Social Democratic Party of Zarko Rakcevic to issue a statement as well. If the federal government is not the founder of JRT, it is clear that Slobodan Milosevic is trying to destroy the Montenegrin information space by creating another TV Bastille before the parliamentary elections in Montenegro, the Social Democrats say.

Foundation of the "joint" tv program which was supposed to "reinforce the foundations of the federal state", was announced two years ago by Ljubisa Ristic. At the time, there was no reason to hurry with the project, at least when Montenegro was concerned. At the time, it still obediently followed in the footsteps of Belgrade, both in its republican institutions and state television which unquestioningly glorified Slobodan Milosevic. At the period of love between the Montenegrin and the Serbian authorities, it was done so skillfully that nowadays, just a month before parliamentary elections, it is greatly doubted whether Djukanovic's administration in TV Montenegro has managed to demystify the politics of the Serb leader, although it had diligently tried to do so in the past few months. It seems that the pictures which were presented for years still have great influence on the electorate. According to the latest public opinion polls, even without the support of television, Bulatovic's party fares well. It is dangerously close to Djukanovic's coalition "For Better Life". It is obviously not easy to eliminate effects of propaganda of the regime in Belgrade. Even the embargo on "federal" television does not seem to be of much help.

Milka Tadic

(AIM) Podgorica