Constitution written by Radicals
Hypocritical scam
"International community should assume a large chunk of responsibility for the content of the proposed Draft Constitution and its passage procedure. The Council of Europe did not utter a single word about the new Constitution, which only means that it supports a quiet coup d'etat and introduction of dictatorship", said Biljana Kovacevic Vuco, President of the Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights at the conference organized by GSS, entitled "Serbia before the referendum and elections". While criticising the OSCE, she said the world should not have allowed the passage of a Constitution which only fortifies Slobodan Milosevic's criminal politics.
Sonja Biserko, President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia suggested that "by introducing Kosovo into the constitutional Preamble, the authorities wish to use it for election campaign". For her, the Constitution is "marked by SRS and SPS politics, and it fortifies the concept of 'all-Serbs-in-one-state'".
Zoran Ostojic, GSS official, supports the referendum boycott, because the Constitution is embodiment of Milosevic's politics and a result unity between DSS, DS and the Radicals. In short, the referendum is "a lie, scam and hypocrisy", said Ostojic.
Andrej Nosov, Director of Youth Initiative for Human Rights, said the referendum boycott is the only possible solution: "This Constitution was written by Tomislav Nikolic from the Radical Party of Serbia, proofread by Ivica Dacic from the Socialist Party of Serbia, while President of Serbia Boris Tadic conceded to it all".
Worse than the worst
Authorities of the central Belgrade municipality Stari Grad did not allow the representatives of the "anti-referendum coalition" – LDP, LSV, GSS and SDU – to organize public debates in this municipality last week. On Saturday a debate on war crimes was prohibited in Dom omladine, while a gathering about the referendum was not allowed on Friday. Anti-referendum protest was nonetheless held outside, in front of Municipal Assembly, where the protesters said – "Even Milosevic didn't do this. This is worse than the worst".
Benefits to Serbs
National minorities need a constitution to guarantee their rights – precisely what this particular Constitution lacks, says Pal Sandor, President of Democratic Community of Vojvodina Hungarians (DZVM). He has stated that even in Milosevic's Constitution Serbia was a state of all it citizens, while this is obviously not the case in the new Constitution. "Only Serbs have been singled out; the rest are presented as unified collection", says President of DZVM.
Far from Europe
"We are a long way from a document which would lead Serbia into Europe. Even the outside chance for Serbia's democratization has been thrown away. The minorities expected more from the new Constitution. Those who claim the new Constitution to be the best possible solution are a minority. The Draft Constitution can be qualified as best only in terms of compromise", says Riza Halimi, President of the Party for Democratic Action in the South of Serbia, bordering Kosovo.
Constitutional contradictions
"The first article of the new Constitution negates the meaning of its Preamble and the part concerning Kosovo, which says that Serbia is the state of the Serbian nation and citizens of Serbia. If the Constitution is to be valid in Kosovo, this sentence is simply impossible", says economist Vladimir Gligorov. He adds that, in a unitarian sense, the Constitution defines Serbia as a unique legal territory. This is not in line with the Preamble, which stipulates essential autonomy for Kosovo, writes this economist from Vienna.
"International community should assume a large chunk of responsibility for the content of the proposed Draft Constitution and its passage procedure. The Council of Europe did not utter a single word about the new Constitution, which only means that it supports a quiet coup d'etat and introduction of dictatorship", said Biljana Kovacevic Vuco, President of the Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights at the conference organized by GSS, entitled "Serbia before the referendum and elections". While criticising the OSCE, she said the world should not have allowed the passage of a Constitution which only fortifies Slobodan Milosevic's criminal politics.
Sonja Biserko, President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia suggested that "by introducing Kosovo into the constitutional Preamble, the authorities wish to use it for election campaign". For her, the Constitution is "marked by SRS and SPS politics, and it fortifies the concept of 'all-Serbs-in-one-state'".
Zoran Ostojic, GSS official, supports the referendum boycott, because the Constitution is embodiment of Milosevic's politics and a result unity between DSS, DS and the Radicals. In short, the referendum is "a lie, scam and hypocrisy", said Ostojic.
Andrej Nosov, Director of Youth Initiative for Human Rights, said the referendum boycott is the only possible solution: "This Constitution was written by Tomislav Nikolic from the Radical Party of Serbia, proofread by Ivica Dacic from the Socialist Party of Serbia, while President of Serbia Boris Tadic conceded to it all".
Worse than the worst
Authorities of the central Belgrade municipality Stari Grad did not allow the representatives of the "anti-referendum coalition" – LDP, LSV, GSS and SDU – to organize public debates in this municipality last week. On Saturday a debate on war crimes was prohibited in Dom omladine, while a gathering about the referendum was not allowed on Friday. Anti-referendum protest was nonetheless held outside, in front of Municipal Assembly, where the protesters said – "Even Milosevic didn't do this. This is worse than the worst".
Benefits to Serbs
National minorities need a constitution to guarantee their rights – precisely what this particular Constitution lacks, says Pal Sandor, President of Democratic Community of Vojvodina Hungarians (DZVM). He has stated that even in Milosevic's Constitution Serbia was a state of all it citizens, while this is obviously not the case in the new Constitution. "Only Serbs have been singled out; the rest are presented as unified collection", says President of DZVM.
Far from Europe
"We are a long way from a document which would lead Serbia into Europe. Even the outside chance for Serbia's democratization has been thrown away. The minorities expected more from the new Constitution. Those who claim the new Constitution to be the best possible solution are a minority. The Draft Constitution can be qualified as best only in terms of compromise", says Riza Halimi, President of the Party for Democratic Action in the South of Serbia, bordering Kosovo.
Constitutional contradictions
"The first article of the new Constitution negates the meaning of its Preamble and the part concerning Kosovo, which says that Serbia is the state of the Serbian nation and citizens of Serbia. If the Constitution is to be valid in Kosovo, this sentence is simply impossible", says economist Vladimir Gligorov. He adds that, in a unitarian sense, the Constitution defines Serbia as a unique legal territory. This is not in line with the Preamble, which stipulates essential autonomy for Kosovo, writes this economist from Vienna.
posted by SERBIA IS WAKING UP at 9:45 AM
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