(Podgorica, 21 April 2012) – The substantial support of citizens, workers, students and NGOs for the planned protests and citizen actions, demonstrates that it is time for the government to be held accountable for the current economic and social state in the country. Recent examples have demonstrated that in spite of all the pressure, false promises and offers, together we can fight to secure our rights.
MANS supports the protests that have been called tomorrow in Ulcinj and Bijelo Polje and we expect them to be peaceful, citizen protests, without the presence of national and political symbols and cleavages. At these protests citizens will proclaim that it is time for clean bills and a responsible government, that it is time for this Government to resign.
We believe that these protests will be supported by the youth and intellectuals who know that Montenegro can and knows how to create a better economy, a more just judiciary and a more responsible political elite that works in the public and not for personal interests.
The protests will also include workers who know they have rights to the salaries and severance packages that they earned as well as shares in enterprises that tycoons, corrupt judges and managers led into false bankruptcies. We call on them to come and explain that we all have the right to work and the right to be able to support our families form this work, instead of depending on the charity of those who robbed us and who are now trying to to act as philanthropists by ‘helping’ us with €50 or €100 in order to save the positions and wealth they’ve accumulated.
We believe that the protests will be supported by the many pensioners who will tell this government that they’ve had enough, not only because of their own miserable pensions (which have been reduced to the level of the tabs that some government ministers and mayors pick up at the bar), but also because of the generations that are coming and the desire that they have a better future.
We know that certain ministers, local governments, as well as the police and secret services, not to mention ruling party activists and so-called “fighters for human rights” are seeking to provoke divisions, are carrying out pressure on citizens, are threatening some with dismissals or the loss of social benefits, or alternatively issuing more empty promises. Concrete examples show that ministers, mayors, and police officials have been offering various types of ‘assistance’ even to some of the workers who are members of the organizing committees for local protests. Some have taken a step back as a result of such maneuvers, but the majority hasn’t and wont.
We are calling on citizens to no longer be afraid, since there is more of us and they cannot fire us all, take away all of our miserable social benefits or scare us. This is shown by the last two protests in Podgorica, which were even attended by many government functionaries (and who weren’t dismissed from their jobs as a result), since such a large number of their members are also unhappy with the current standard of living and believes that they must also resist.
Believing that the majority of Montenegro’s citizens know that they’ve also attempted to make us fight each other and divide us, in order to make it easier for them to rob us, we think it’s time to offer concerted resistance against corruption and organized crime.
The recent victory of Ulcinj’s citizens around Valdanos demonstrates that together we can secure our rights and the fact that we’ve ensured that the property of the Saltworks in that municipality is no longer zoned for development that would enable Veselin Barovic to earn millions, further underscores the fact that when the citizens are united “untouchable” individuals lose the power to taylor our futures.
For this reason, the residents of Ulcinj and Bijelo Polje will unite tomorrow to loudly and clearly tell this Government that they will no longer remain silent and bear the consequences of corrupt privatizations and the enrichment of individuals. That their living standards and the future of their children are real concerns. That they will not allow national, political or any other divisions prevent them from demanding a better Montenegro.
We call on citizens to join the protests in Ulcinj and Bijelo Polje, as well as the protests that will be organized next week in other cities. We call on citizens to participate in tomorrow’s public actions that are planned in another ten cities that are being organized by NGO activists, workers and students and to state clearly: WE ARE NOT AFRAID! ENOUGH! IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO LEAVE!
