Assembly of Serbia: Participation of the opposition in the semblance of normality

Some are of the opinion that it does not matter whether the opposition MPs participate in the work of the National Assembly, or boycott it.

Others believe that opposition MPs in the Parliament to expose harmful laws and that they will succeed in enlightening some viewers who strayed into the live broadcast of the parliamentary session on another program RTS.

Others, on the other hand, are convinced that in the situation in which Serbia finds itself, the participation of opposition deputies in the work of the Assembly only gives legitimacy to the government, which is less and less disdainful of open violations of the law and naked repression, and that it dulls the edge of street protests.

Especially since for the last 13 years, the opposition has achieved nothing by participating in insulting, berating and fighting with the members of the ruling majority in the parliamentary hall.

Jumping into your own mouth

In other words: if someone claims that the Serbian Progressive Party "hijacked" all the institutions, including the legislative body, then they are jumping into their own mouths if they participate in the work of those institutions, speak up, get their say, say what they want, after which the ruling majority will certainly adopt everything they have planned. Of course not before she insults her colleagues from the opposition and recites what has been prepared for her.

Seen from Brussels, those who claim that hybrid democracy, autocracy, dictatorship, party state or one-man rule are in force in Serbia, discuss with their colleagues from SNS and the Socialist Party of Serbia in the Parliament, express their opinion on live television broadcast, participate in the work of the legislative body. The Brussels bureaucracy is not interested in the subtleties of mindless parliamentary work under Ana Brnabić's button, they see what is being served to them: the image of a functional parliamentary democracy. For all those who put stabilocracy above democracy, it is an excellent alibi to ignore the rebellion of society in Serbia, which has not subsided for almost a year.

Seen from the street, the opposition parliamentary parties are participating in what the regime of Aleksandar Vučić cares about the most while raising the bar of arbitrariness: establishing a semblance of normality.

Serbia is burning, and the opposition is debating in the Parliament

While the police are beating and arresting citizens and students at protests without any consequences and dousing them with tear gas of questionable composition, while progressive thugs are smashing bars with all the owners they associate with the protests, and the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office persecutes those who demonstrate against the government with senseless accusations of attempted coup d'état and overthrowing the constitutional order, while political prisoners languish in prisons, while the regime slowly shines light on all those who dared to support the student protests, or participated in them, while the government simply ignores the court's verdict on councilor mandates in Zaječar, and the Batanica troops are carrying out Kosjerić's, amid the illegal rule of the acting director, the elevation of Alta Bank to the primary state bank, while restrictive laws are being prepared with the aim of limiting public gatherings, while the president of Serbia is going crazy on television, and the tents of Ćaciland are white in front of the entrance to the National Assembly..., all in all, in the midst of the undeclared state of emergency that has lasted since November 1 last part of the opposition participates in the parliamentary debate together with the ministers of Prime Minister Đur Macut.

Those who are in favor of the government find it convenient that the majority of opposition MPs participate in the parliamentary play of "solving problems within the institutions". For many of those who are against the government, the explanation of why they do it in this situation does not sound particularly convincing. It would probably be more effective, and certainly more consistent, if when they demand the calling of extraordinary parliamentary elections, the opposition MPs permanently leave the Assembly and thus increase the pressure of street protests to fulfill that demand.

Parallel reality

It is understandable that in the student rebellion, the marginalized opposition is trying to find its role in the current events, but the big question is whether by participating in the parliamentary charade, it is only further distancing itself from the electorate.

Green-Left Front MP Radomir Lazović called the Assembly's work in the Serbian reality a "parallel reality". It is contradictory, however, that he himself played his part in it.

While the majority of opposition MPs participate in the work of the Assembly, and a part of them boycott it, potential opposition voters are certainly painfully aware of another proof of the disunity of the opposition parliamentary parties. It gives hope to those pro-regime parties that nothing will ever change.

And finally: what is the difference between the opposition responding to Aleksandar Vučić's call for dialogue and participating in the autumn session of the Assembly?

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