Young, Aggressive and Immoral

Chronologically, the first in a series of events, which would later have a decisive role in the choice of a new President of Yugoslavia took place beginning this year. Namely, Zoran Lilic, the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament, called to embittered opposition MP's as they were leaving the Parliament, "Close the door!" According to the journalists who were there, Mrs. Lilic bleeped his husband on a pager, "Come home, don't make a fool of yourself."

Mrs. Lilic's message fell on deaf ears, and the second decisive event was soon to follow: Dobrica Cosic (former President of Yugoslavia) was replaced and the famous notes from a secret military meeting between Cosic and the army leadership appeared in Lilic's hands. Lilic generously handed out some of these notes to the MP's of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), who were in charge of ousting Cosic, so that everything went smoothly later on. A son of a potter from Brza Palanka (a town in Eastern Serbia) and a fashion model, the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament and a jolly man, Zoran Lilic was recommended as a new President of new Yugoslavia at the meeting of the Main Board of the Serbian Socialist Party (SPS).

From that point the whole story is no longer as interesting, so that even the information on Lilic's candidacy was received without many comments, if an unsubstantiated claim by the Socialist Party of Serbia that its candidate Lilic inspires profound respect among the people is neglected.

The Radicals of Vojislav Seselj (leader of the Serbian Radical Party) immediately accepted Lilic's candidacy, the Montenegrin Democratic Party of Socialist did not have anything against it either, while the entire opposition calmly remained on the sidelines, thus showing that it had fully realized how suitable the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament for an unimportant post of the Yugoslav President is.

"It doesn't really matter who the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament or the President of the federal state will be. The fact that he is "colorless" is what truly matters," said Vojislav Kostunica, leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), and, thus, concluded his contemplations about the young candidate with a mustache.

Lilic, as the Socialist usually like to put it, rose towards his star on August 27th, 1953. He was born in the family of a potter and a housewife in Eastern Serbia. He studied and graduated from the Faculty of Technology in Belgrade. On a side, he worked as a conductor at the City Transportation Company, fashion model, milkman and a handyman, installing curtain rods in Belgrade's skyscrapers...His last engagement among the odd jobs he did, which was described as going through an "American dream" by journalists who took liking to him, was a peach-picking job on a state farm. Much less is known about a political career of a fashion model who would later become the President. Nevertheless, the details which are known still provide enough ground for many people to dislike him. His name was first heard in 1990 when he became a Socialist MP in the then constituted multi-party Parliament of Serbia. He introduced himself, and was introduced by others, as a "moderate", which would later, along with his fast ascent on the political ladder, turn into a relevant question, asked by the journalist who follow the work of the parliament, "If Lilic is a moderate, what is a hard-liner like?"

He used to be a welcomed guest at opposition and journalistic tables in the Parliament's cafeteria. He did not hesitate to indulge in a petty gossip about some of his Socialist colleagues and claim that the opposition is in the right when it comes to some issues. The members of the Democratic Party's (DS) parliamentary group remember him persuading them that the disputable law on electing the members for the Chamber of Republics of the Federal Parliament would not be adopted, for several reasons, one of which was the fact that he did not like it, before the famous session which he brutally chaired and where the law was passed (this session will also be remembered by the above-mentioned "Close the door!"). Nowadays the opposition members detest a mere mention of his name, while the most frequently comment to be heard about him is, "Inconsistent and immoral."

"He doesn't refuse anything," said a source, who knows Lilic. He reiterated that the latter kept convincing his colleagues that he was perfectly suited for the head of the Socialist Party's parliamentary group, after hearing that his candidacy for the post had been put up.

Apart from not refusing anything, this presidential candidate also lacks what is according to Slobodan Milosevic (President of Serbia) a bad habit of making the offices offered to him conditional upon some unnecessary requests, such as independence at work and the like. He obeys everything he is told, gives no second thoughts to his orders, spends the time in-between doing ephemeral things, and readily passes the yesman's ideology on to the lower ranks in the hierarchy.

Milosevic most likely especially appreciates his communist manners at work. For example: for the sake of making the Parliament more serious a ban on consuming spirits in the cafeteria was imposed on parliament clerks, for the sake of discipling the MP's and forcing them to stay on the parliament benches the monitors were taken away from the above mentioned restaurant, for the sake of making the duties of the Parliament Speaker more serious Lilic himself never entered the cafeteria, which used to be so dear to him, and, meals were brought to him directly in his office.

The Socialists claim that Lilic was popular among his workers, quoting that a proletarian part of the "Rekord" Tire Factory, at one point, even issued an ultimatum: we shall not work unless Lilic continues to be our general manager along with carrying out the duties of the Parliament Speaker. Their wish was only partially fulfilled. Lilic ceased to be their general manager and became the President of the Managing Board of the "Rekord" share-holding company. The workers were most probably happy with this, but some evil tongues mentioned that huge amounts of money from the National Mint end up in Rakovica (Belgrade's workers' district) and in "Rekord", but these allegations remain to be the part of Lilic's biography, for which evidence is still missing.

"He is young, aggressive, keen on power and does not choose the means," is another assessment of Lilic's character. He is also said to be very careful, as nowhere in the papers can you find his statements on delicate issues, at least not while they are still delicate. By rule, Lilic speaks his mind about the Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Republic of Serb Krajina, various Vance-Owen and other plans only after Milosevic has done so and never deviates from this habit.

All in all, Lilic is obviously ideal for the post of the President of misfortunate Yugoslavia. He was a fashion model, conductor (that is when he may have learned the line with a door) and the Speaker of the Serbian Parliament. He has no problems with his wife, he simply doesn't listen to her, and, most importantly, he is a jolly chum, all in tune with our needs and his new office.