Vlajko Stojiljkovic

Born in 1937 in the village of Mala Krsna, known as one of the places all international trains going through Yugoslavia stop at. Perhaps that’s why he believes Serbia’s future is in traffic, just as he is believed to be an agriculture expert after being director of the PIK Pozarevac food production company. His father was a carpenter, wheel maker, metal worker and botanist: "I’m from the Pomoravlje region, a craftsman’s child, my father was a carpenter, wheel maker, he could make anything out of iron.

Other qualifications: When he proposed him for internal affairs minister, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Marjanovic revealed the little known fact that Vlajko has qualifications for that post as well because he spent the years 1966 to 1974 working in the Pozarevac police. Economists commented his appointment to head the Serbian Economic Chamber (PKS) in December 1991, saying he was "a policeman in the economy". Vlajko’s career rise began at the historic eighth plenary session of the Serbian communist party. The idea to bring Milan Panic in for Federal Prime Minister came from the PKS as did the recent promotion of a working version of the law on privatization. He is suspected of being involved in import export oil and wheat deals which ended with Marjanovic taking opposition leader Zoran Djindjic to court for slander. As the chief of Serbia’s police maybe he’ll shed light on that case.

Important statements: "We chased a fox and caught a wolf" (8th plenary session, 1987).

"Food exports are of strategic importance for the Serbian people" (Party central committee session, 1988).

"Strikes should be banned because they are equal to crime as a tool for persuasion in negotiations" (1993).

"The unprecedented inflation did not come from the economy but the foreign currency black market. The German mark should be banned. Factories are working at full capacity and the reason there are no goods in shops is dissatisfaction with the prices the federal government limited" (1993).

"Income from cash is greater if it is invested in the economy than in banks" (1995).

"As for agriculture, there should be no untilled land" (1995).

"Mad cows are our export opportunity" (1996).

What was it he noticed last year? "At the start of the first six months of last year, we recorded a production and export growth and established links with foreign companies and on the basis of positive trends we established economic policies for this year."

Who destroyed those trends? "However, late last year, especially in January and February 1997, there was a halt in the realization of plans, primarily because of the activities of part of the opposition which did everything to block the already started activities of enterprises and stopped last year’s positive trends." And: "The positive trend of production growth stopped in December (1996) thanks to the activities of certain political parties and a general failure to work".

What is the goal of privatization? "The goal of privatization is to improve production not to change the owner."

What have the Radicals criticized him for? He’s senile, old and obedient. Above all: "How can Vlajko Stojiljkovic start fighting crime when his economic chamber is full of crime".

What did the experienced Radmilo Bogdanovic say? "As for the accusations by the Radicals that he is incompetent, no has words on his forehead saying how long he kept up with some area."

What did Draskovic and Djindjic say? Vuk: "Who’s this Vlajko?" When he was told: "That’s great progress because they’ve started proposing unknown people. I’ll be happy when they propose a non-existent man for police minister". Zoran: "That’s a sign that the Pozarevac clan, which has been doing nothing right for 10 years, has no awareness despite the situation in the country. The election of this minister shows that the authorities are weaker than we think because this bad a personnel solution means they have no one better."