(Podgorica, 1 February 2012) – The latest statements by Prime Minister Igor Lukšić unfortunately confirm our suspicions that he is not ready to turn his back on tycoons and by doing so secure a government that has clean accounts and honest ministers.
Instead of real solutions to citizen’s problems, we have received a series of manipulations and threats from the Prime Minister that are aimed at neutralizing the energy and discontent of the citizens with the current situation. Instead of responding to the concrete demands being made, he has attempted to dismiss them as unfounded and politicized.
According to the Prime Minister, it seems that citizens’ don’t have the right to express dissatisfaction with the disastrous situation in the country if they are not organized as a political party. It is clear that by politicizing these issues the Prime Minister is attempting to divide us on various grounds, placing us under various flags to reduce the pressure on the government and to silence demands for concrete results in fighting corruption and organized crime.
Fortunately, the people finally have only one flag, i.e. their electricity bills alongside a set of concrete demands: a clean bill and honest government. The fight against corruption and organized crime are also key demands of the European Union, which raises the question as to whether the European Commission should also register as a political party if it wants Lukšić to listen to its demands?
Another superb manipulation is the claim that the new protests will mean the slowing down of Montenegro’s EU integration process, aiming to cover up the truth that the Prime Minister is already aware of – that it is only the government can bring this process to a halt through its unwillingness to break ties with organized crime and decisively deal with high-level corruption.
Although Lukšić repeats that he’s not interested in tycoons, his actions indicate that he is afraid of standing on the side of the citizens, though this is a decision that him and his government will have to bear responsibility for. This is because Montenegro’s citizens can no longer subsidize kickbacks and corruption through their bills.
