Media freedom is the first and most visible confirmation of whether or not democracy is functioning. Money is, of course, behind that, and it is clear that therein lies an explanation for the silence, concealing of truths and lies of the state media. And I actually see no room for dialogue in that
Does the concentrating of economic levers in the hands of SNS represent a greater obstacle to the participation of opposition parties in the elections than the lack of dialogue and media freedom? Instead of answering your question, I will offer the BBC newsroom’s response to Margaret Thatcher’s angry statement made during the Falklands War that the BBC was threatening the reputation of her government.
The answer that arrived from the BBC was as follows – Respected Madam, the BBC’s reputation is greater than the reputation of any British government, ever! And here is the answer to your question: media freedom is the first and most visible confirmation of whether or not democracy is functioning. The money is, of course, behind that, and it is clear that therein lies an explanation for the silence, concealing of truths and lies of the state media. And I actually see no room for dialogue in that.
If you care about anything in social life, that will only be solved for you by Vučić’s party and his partners – Dačić, Palma, and whoever else is with them… Let’s look at the latest news from yesterday about how and where the children or close relatives of members of the Crisis Staff are employed, and it will soon become clear to us where the benefits are and how Serbia functions. And it will then be clear to us that no one will ever depart from the Crisis Staff because, for God’s sake, it doesn’t pay to do so! And so on and so forth…
The key source of money for the opposition should come from the EU, but this channel is drying up because the sns leader is doing everything to serve every wish of the EU: he’s just confirmed to Angela Merkel that he will make Serbia into a new Rio Tinto
When it comes to Belgrade’s voters and the promises given to them, it should be stated here that we’re talking about cosmetic repairs – wherever the fight is seen the most, that’s where the ointment is placed, in the form of money, privileges and positions in the media, university colleges or wherever else needed. Wouldn’t you do the same if you were in their place?
When it comes to the control of resources, the opposition is not without money, but much more is always required for a serious campaign. Unfortunately, the key source of money should come from the EU, but this channel is drying up because the SNS leader is doing everything to serve every wish of the EU: he’s just confirmed to Angela Merkel that he will make Serbia into a new Rio Tinto, deliver Kosovo when the time comes etc. So, let’s think about it: who, then, would want the government in Serbia to change? Those who would like that have long since been pacified, so the situation in Serbia is almost ideal for the EU and SNS.
If we wonder about the parties in power using money for pre-election purposes, we must not get carried away with the idea that we are in any unique in that sense. Even in functional democracies, the authorities attempt to bribe citizens prior to elections. They also often succeed, and then the citizens pay for that. And we will pay for that, of course.
Photo: Zoran Loncarevic
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