July People

The law on ministries was urgently changed by the Serbian parliament on May 27 to set up a tourism ministry and directorate for Serbian state property. The next day the changes in the government were complete.

The day the urgent session of parliament began, a scientific gathering was held in the Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences (SANU) on establishing modern democracy and a state of law in Serbia. Aleksandar Fira, teacher of constitutional law and for constitutional court judge, cited an example of the state's attitude towards the grey economy: "while force is used liberally against benign, small time smuggling, the true sources of huge crime remain untouched". He said force was abolishing the law instead of the law limiting force in Serbia today.

SANU member Miodrag Jovicic told the gathering that constitutional articles on raising the issue of government confidence was not being implemented in practice; that state officials, primarily parliament speakers had shown they weren't up to the post; that Serbian parliament speaker Dragan Tomic manipulated votes and was not calling regular sessions.

The end of that day's parliament session ended with speculation. The list of ministers circulating among reporters was the same as the one the prime minister disclosed the next day.

That evening the opposition debated whether they should attend the session even though there was no TV coverage. The session was attended by the ruling SPS, New Democracy and Democratic Union of Vojvodina Hungarians as well as some opposition dissidents. It was not attended by MPs from the Serbian Renewal Movement, Serbian Radical Party, Democratic Party, Serbian Democratic Party and Serbian Civic Alliance who have been abstaining for almost a year over the abolishing of live TV coverage.

The opposition feels it was justified in not attending the session, but they should have been there. For six months, the opposition has been attacking the government over conflicting interests when ministers are also company directors. The opposition accuses the government of involvement in corruption, protectionism and crime. The DS leader is in court over claims that the prime minister earned money from wheat exports.

Regardless of the fact that it has all the arguments to claim that it was illegally obstructed from working in public, the opposition had to come to the session if only to demand a settling of accounts over the government changes since the government admitted its incompetence and was vulnerable to criticism. The agenda included budget affairs, cabinet portfolios and taxes - all topics no party should avoid especially if the regime shows signs of corruption and instability.

Before and after the session, the opposition just protested that men it claimed were members of a non-parliamentary party were being brought into the government. SPO spokesman Ivan Kovacevic said SPS ministers had been dropped and JUL ministers brought into the government.

Prime Minister Marjanovic made a short speech to inform MPs of the need for changes but didn't say too much. Then he named two old ministers and five directors as the new ministers.

Under a tradition established by his predecessors, the new non-partisan information minister went to war with the obvious right away. He claimed to be a small poor journalist who couldn't refuse the call at this difficult time and stood a head above all the reporters there who knew him as the BK TV director.

In the vote to relieve the former ministers, there was some confusion since not enough MPs voted to dismiss Jovan Radic (122 voted, 126 needed), and after the vote his resignation was announced.

God only knows why the government changes happened. Most opposition MPs believe Mira Markovic's influence on the government is stronger now and that she is in control of six ministries.

Outgoing

Slobodan Unkovic, deputy prime minister - ambassador to China

Jovan Radic, labor minister - resigned

Aleksa Jokic, traffic and communications minister

Ivko Djonovic, agriculture minister - going to a federal post

Ratomir Vico, information minister - promoted

Vekoslav Sosevic, minister without portfolio

Srdjan Nikolic, trade and tourism minister - remained trade minister

Incoming

Nedeljko Sipovac, Agrobanka director - deputy prime minister and agriculture minister

Milivoje Stamatovic, Serbian Clinical Center director - labor minister

Dusan Kanazir, Vinca Institute board chairman - science minister

Svetolik Konstadinovic, Yugoslav Railways general director - traffic minister

Aleksandar Tijanic, director and editor in chief BK TV - information minister

Ratomir Vico, information minister - deputy PM for social activities

Srdjan Nikolic, trade and tourism minister - trade minister

Mirjana Stankovic, Putnik Travel Agency director - tourism minister