(Podgorica, 23 July 2012) – Today the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Matters and the Judiciary failed to consider the request of the Constitutional Court to address the initiative concerning the constitutionality of the Law on Taxes that the Citizens’ Front has submitted and that has been supported by 30,000 citizens.
Even though last week the President of the Committee, Dzavid Sabovic, had proclaimed that this would occur, he failed to place the item on the agenda of today’s session. This raises questions as to the reasons for which Sabovic may have changed his position in only a few days on this matter. Sabovic has stated that his Committee isn’t responsible for giving opinions on the constitutionality of the law. However, he refused to send to the Constitutional Court a formal answer, which leads to the conclusion that what we’re dealing with is a deliberate delay coordinated with the Constitutional Court in order to further delay the ruling.
This latest episode is yet further proof that the Assembly of Montenegro and its related bodies are no longer the places in which the public interest can be represented or protected. This illustrates that the Assembly has become totally captured by individual interests, who through various laws and regulations, are articulated by the Government. Instead of being a check on the executive branches actions, the Assembly acts in a subservient way. The latest example of the Assembly’s servility is provided by Committee President Sabovic’s actions.
Of course, we didn’t have the illusion that the Assembly would be able to do anything to change the Government’s intention of imposing new burdens on Montenegro’s citizens, since from the very beginning it was clear that we are dealing with a well planned and organized action aimed at further robbing citizens.
The Assembly’s attitude towards the request of the Constitutional Court also isn’t a surprise for the judges of that institution. It’s clear that everything was planned in order to delay any rulings until everyone’s yearly vacation in August, when the Assembly is released of duties.
It is perhaps worth recalling that the Constitutional Court belongs to all citizens of Montenegro and not just for the benefit of the “First Family.” If the former was actually the case, we wouldn’t have to wait on the Government and the Assembly for a ruling. Instead, the Constitutional Court would have already made a ruling on the basis of Montenegro’s Constitution.
The Constitutional Court has been hiding behind its own illegal procedures even though they knew very well that the Assembly and the Government would not provide them with any answers. These institutions, if they had actually wanted to, could have sold the problem with taxes a lot earlier. Therefore, everything has essentially been a well directed play carried out by the Constitutional Court, the Assembly and the Government of Montenegro, at the expense of the citizens (though to the great pleasure of the First Family and tycoons tied to it).
During this time, thanks to the Constitutional Court, since the beginning of August they will once again be taxed in a way that is unmarked around the world. They will be paying taxes for using the phone, electricity or watching TV. With this money the government plans on filling the budgetary gap that was created by the activation of guarantees that we gave to the owner of one private company, which the Government has allowed not to return its debts, by displacing this burden on its citizens.
