Happy New Year

In accordance with the Julian Calendar, by which the Serbian Orthodox Church marks time, the new year in the Serb Republic is to begin on January 14. Therefore on December 31 a slight yet general confusion erupted - the Serbian Television studio in Banjaluka broadcasted a stale two or three years old entertainment program of Radio Television Serbia, that is only the music part of it, devoid of the appropriate new year speeches, in order not to, God forbid, make people aware that a simple year has passed before the authorities want it to. Radio-Krajina, in spite of the state calendar, chose the personality of 1995 (mayor Radic), while bar owners organized New Year's Eve parties for 30 to 70 German Marks. In the conflict of habits which they share with the rest of the world and the imposed new calendar practice of the government apparatus, a number of compromises was made. Municipal personnel were allowed to go home before noon on Monday, January 1, TV-antennas were adjusted in order to be able to transmit Croatian TV (HRT). Making compromises with poverty, the Banjaluka citizens had modest yet festive buffets.

Therefore, the new year has arrived, despite the fact that the authorities refuse to accept it and have as yet not sent out their congratulations.

 

Arms

The world lies upon the younger generation: four masked assailants who broke into the apartment of Blagoje Veselica in New Belgrade and started beating him up were shot by his fifteen year old son.

Three of the robbers managed to get away, the fourth, wounded, dragged himself from the tenth to the fifth floor where the police patrol caught up with him and transferred him to the Bezanijska Kosa hospital, for urgent medical attention...

We are not disclosing his identity either: he is a minor, as well.

 

Congratulations

The head of the federal republic, Zoran Lilic, sent out a long enough message to his citizens to make the journalists feel free to cut it: from the parts which were, after all, published in the press, it could be noted that the entire message was in the first person plural ("we - i.e. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia"), and as the characteristic part the following stands out: "In this approaching year, we have before us the huge and responsible task of an economic restoration."

In the message of the head of one of the federal units, i.e. in the message of Slobodan Milosevic (which was, for example, published in its entirety in the Borba daily, above Lilic's message, occupying a three times larger space than the space allocated to the head of the federal republic) the first person singular pervades.

The President of Serbia starts two paragraphs with the words "I expect" and with a decisive tone counts off what he expects of the economy, what of the citizens, what of the refugees, on two occasions he repeats "I am certain", and generally sounds extremely self-confident, authoritative and even commanding.

The president of the Serbian Renewal Party (SPO), Vuk Draskovic, has demonstrated his certified piousness and devotion to tradition in his New Year's message as well. He didn't cry out "God help the worthy", but he did start off his New Year's epistle with "if God allows", and ended with "Christ is born! Happy New Year."

Therefore, in the three messages we came upon faith in the community (Lilic), faith in oneself (Milosevic) and faith in God (Draskovic).

 

 

ID Card

The new membership card of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), as Vecernje Novosti daily report, is "mostly colored in red", bearing a stylized party symbol and Slobodan Milosevic's facsimile. It is, as further stated, "made of quality materials, has a modern design, and by its appearance, resembles credit cards".

The prospective candidates for its ownership rights are already inquiring whether by simply showing the above mentioned, as with Visa and Diners cards, one can purchase things in Serbia, pay restaurant bills, travel... Suggestions exist that the SPS membership cards be made out as telephone cards, library cards and, generally, as such as to enable them to use it wherever it can be used. All this with minimal prices and special reductions - perfectly in keeping with the regime's idea of a contemporary left.

 

Drawing Closer

The lifting of the sanctions enables a wider and more expert insight into economic events of the last few years, and naturally offering more convincing explanations of what and why occurred as well.

One such retrospective was published by Dr Srdjan Bogosavljevic, professor of statistics at the Belgrade School of Organization, in the newest issue of the Economic Trend magazine: the difference in the economic development in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SRJ) has finally been reduced this decade - so that the most developed parts drew close to the least developed Kosovo. Namely, during the period of the strictest sanctions, towards the end of 1993, the gross domestic product of SRJ was below half of what was realized three years before, taking into account that the decline in Vojvodina, central Serbia and Montenegro was greater than in Kosovo and Metohija. All those regions then came up to the level of the gross domestic product which they had attained in the second half of the seventh decade. After 1993 the return to the past continued for all, that is for the entire SRJ, again noting the smallest decline in the least developed region.

By the way, the interesting thing is that the differences were being reduced until 1975 and from then on, that is since the constitutional independence of the provinces in Serbia, in the next 15 years the differences grew between, primarily, Vojvodina and central Serbia and, on the other hand, Kosovo.

 

Celebrations

On the magnificent Queen's beach in Milocer, in the company of Emir Kusturica, the New Year was greeted by Prime Minister Radoje Kontic, President Momir Bulatovic, the Montenegrin parliamentary speaker Svetozar Marovic and other Montenegrin officials. Reason for further celebrations was found in Emir Kusturica's statement, who, in this company, publicly announced that he was returning to film-making. "These wars have", said Kusturica, "changed national poetry, therefore my new film shall be in keeping with the one from Dayton 'In the midst of darkness shines a five-pointed star'." According to VREME's source, who was otherwise present at the above mentioned celebration, certain officials claimed that those present at the New Year's eve party would be even more joyful at the next New Year's eve celebrations, that is after the regular elections, but only if the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) adds communist to its name. Other sources claim that thought has been given to that idea by the ruling circles of DPS, especially after the election results in Russia. They say that it wouldn't be sinful since Bulatovic and his gang won the first elections under the flag of the Communist League bearing the name of DPS. The Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic was not present at the party, who has, while in America, stated at the top of his voice that he is a capitalist.