Nightly Expenses

jobless if the antiinflation plan works had to say about the economic measures of Professor Dragoslav Avramovic.

Host: What are your views on what Professor Avramovic is doing?

Prof. Georgijevski: Mr. Avramovic has got his plan. But, we are working on our own plan as well. And, we also hope that our plan will be a success.

The main point of your program is pegging the Dinar to the Deutschmark. I think that everything is caused by the difference between hard currency exchange rates...

Prof. Markovic: You see, today we are selling a Mark for four million Dinars and buying it for two and a half. We try to keep the difference for ourselves, and believe that the economic program of Professor Avramovic will last between three to five days maximum. But, in any case, we will continue to insist on our program and will peg the new Dinar to old Dinars, which will still be valid.

Why is the difference between selling and buying so big?

Prof. Zec: Because of nightly expenses. We work hard all day and like to have fun at night.

You spent several years abroad working just like Professor Avramovic. But, unlike him you are applying your knowledge in practice and that's how you check whether your program works. How do you establish a daily exchange rate?

Prof. Zec: We get together in a cafe at about 10 or 11 o'clock in the morning. And, then, over a cup of coffee we decide what the rate would be that day. It all depends on our expenses the night before.

There is a rumour that you have begun to accept checks?

Prof. Zec: That is true. We sell Marks for checks as well but charge a 1,000 per cent commission.

So, what do you do with checks afterwards?

Prof. Markovic: We tear them into pieces and throw them away. That's how we help people. We give them 10 DM which is how much they can buy for a check. So that they could buy some bread and survive.

Prof. Markovic, what do you think about the fact that the implementation of Professor Avramovic's program was postponed?

Prof. Markovic: It is in our interest that the program begins as late as possible. Every day of delay brings one or two hundred Marks to our pockets, or even more.

Prof. Zec what will happen if the program of Professor Avramovic works? He says that the dealers will vanish from the streets...

Prof. Zec: If it works, we shall leave. But I doubt it will. He would first have to cure the economy in order to achieve something and then by hard currency through banks.

Prof. Markovic: I think that the dealers will have to work underground.

Prof. Georgijevski: I don't believe that we will disappear. Unless Professor Avramovic has got a wand.

Everybody is talking these days about the amount of hard currency which the citizens still have. There are various assessments. What do you think?

Prof. Tomic: According to our assessments each family has about 200300 DM left. It will not be a problem to take that if Avramovic's program works.

Listener: Your experts have been very suspicious of Avramovic's program. They say that they will succeed if he fails. In other words, the Serbian economy has to collapse so they could succeed. I think that's very bad, even if it's only a wish. We would all have to die so that someone would succeed. That's awful... We have had a plenty of such experts. But, I am forced to think that you really represent one alternativeif Avramovic fails, you will take the money from the people.

It seems to me that the things are not as simple as you see them. Professor Markovic, would you like to answer to our listener?

Prof. Markovic: I think that your listener got us wrong. We support the economic recovery. We would like to have a healthy economy and earn 2,500 DM a month as we used to. We would like to do the jobs we used to do and were trained to do instead of standing on the street all day. As far as taking money is concerned, enough of it has already been taken. We truly wish that the program of Professor Avramovic works so that we can drive cars and not be forced to queue for bread and milk.