photo: mojnovisad.com
"What is happening to us in Šordos is a classic example of the commodification of public goods in the service of the private interests of the political and construction mafia. The situation is quite reminiscent of South American scenarios, where you have corrupt local rulers in love with big capital and the police protecting someone's economic positions for ridiculous money. Perhaps one of the saddest impressions for me is precisely the degradation of the police."
Our interlocutor, professor at the Faculty of Legal and Business Studies "Dr. Lazar Vrkatić" Radivoje Jovović, received his doctorate at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade on the topic "Ideological transformations of the Italian left after the Cold War". The topic was not chosen by chance, because it is a passionate leftist who left the zone of conformity and complicated his academic career with activism - earlier in the civil sector, and now in the party. Namely, he was recently elected as the chairman of the board of the Zajedno party in Novi Sad.
Jovović and his party colleagues, along with other Novi Sad opposition and non-party activists, are particularly active in the fight against the "Novi Sad on the Water" project (code: Šodroš), as well as against the so-called "Monument to the innocent victims of 1944/45", under whose auspices the Novi Sad the government wants to honor some "infamous collaborators".
Due to urban guerilla activism, he was detained three times, has two criminal charges and several misdemeanor charges. These are mostly reports based on the Law on Public Order and Peace for, for example, a conflict with private security engaged in front of the Assembly of AP Vojvodina during the adoption of the General Urban Plan or for performative graffiti in the city center as part of the "Dignified Guard, Defend the City - Say No" campaign. monument to the fascists!", but also for the protests in Šodros, when, as he says, "he stood on the public square in defense of Novi Sad against the illegal actions of local authorities, dirty capital and misused police forces".
In front of the Assembly of Vojvodina, he suffered a rib contusion and a series of minor injuries from unidentified batterers: scratches, bruises, general stiffness of the body... He did not file any reports because of this because, as he says, he is aware that "it would most likely not be fairly conducted processes", and he also doesn't want to "spend time fighting against some of the government's thugs".
Why did you decide to turn your knowledge and experience into full-time politics?-activist work filled with criminal and misdemeanor charges, even with beatings? What was the final straw?
For years I have been a participant in numerous conferences, forums, round tables, polemical TV shows, and in the classroom I enjoy creating a dialogic and emancipatory discourse within which, I hope, the young people I teach become free-thinking citizens. But I became aware that all that is not enough. The darkness around us is getting thicker and it's not enough to just do your job honestly - you have to go out into the streets and fight the dictatorship firmly and fearlessly. As a professor who talks about rights and freedoms, who explains that in the absence of democracy and the rule of law, a person acquires a legitimate right - or even a moral obligation - to civil disobedience, it would be a shame if my actions did not follow my words. It would be a shame to expect students to fight on the barricades, while I sit bonvivantly reclining, with a falsely calm conscience because I "did my best". I consider myself a social democrat, and I cannot lie to myself that I am a social democrat if I do not fight for democracy and for the socially threatened, disenfranchised and humiliated. For me, the last straw was long overdue, for the full intensification of my political-activist engagement I needed to connect with some brave people whose sensibility for action I share, and then I found an organization whose values and goals I consider mostly my own - the Zajedno party and the Moramo coalition.
In Novi Sad, there is an incomparably more intellectual elite who complain on the Internet and in their rooms about the disastrous authorities that are undisguisedly destroying the city and the country., and at the same time she is not ready for any specific engagement. How do you explain it?, what can you tell them?
This mode is not foolproof. He created urban social bubbles in which a certain number of people live comfortably and do not have too much contact with the state - private kindergartens, private schools, private healthcare, well-paid jobs in private companies. Also, he corrupted many and intimidated many. All this fits nicely with the general trends of alienation, and with the culture of appeasing the conscience by clicking "like" and "share", which allows us to feel like more conscientious neighbors. Effect - successfully achieved pacification of the educated. However, what I can tell those people, without a trace of "bad blood" but with the sole intention of encouraging them to fight for the good of all of us, including themselves, is the following: sooner or later, something humiliating enough, terrible enough will happen. , which will make you feel guilty for not getting started earlier. "Turn to politics or politics will turn to you", said Ralph Nader. Politics will turn on you, your family, neighbors or friends, and then you will need the solidarity that you failed to give to others.
The fight for Šodros has become synonymous with activism not only in Serbia but also in the region. Can the citizens fight against the fabulous profits that will be realized by the construction "Novi Sad on the water"? Why are you actually protesting??
The whole project is controversial. We are protesting against the construction of a bridge in this place because there are other, absolutely acceptable and desirable locations. We stand up for the health of an already very polluted city, we protest against the fact that a much-needed oasis of nature, with all its protected and endangered, and beautiful plant and animal life, is trampled over and turned into high-rise buildings whose only purpose is to make money for a few powerful people and wash dirty money. We are unequivocally against moving the embankment into the Danube river bed, which would enormously increase the risk of flooding in Novi Sad. There are still a handful of problems - for example, the planned way of building the bridge is with a viaduct through which trucks and other vehicles will rumble a few meters from people's apartments - and we encounter conflicts of interest and other violations of laws and procedures at every step.
Some say that all that is happening around Sodros reminds of some South American countries, in which the police are undisguisedly placed at the service of the latifundistas?
What is happening to us is a classic example of the commodification of a public good in the service of the private interests of the political and construction mafia. Yes, the situation is quite reminiscent of South American scenarios, where you have corrupt local rulers in love with big capital, and the police protecting someone's economic positions for ridiculous money. Perhaps one of the saddest impressions for me is precisely the degradation of the police. I can't help but recall the image of the terrible scandal in front of the Assembly of Vojvodina, where we could see how a private beater orders a police officer to handcuff him, in order to tie up one of our fellow citizens, on whom he is using sadistic violence at that moment. Everything is contained in that surreal depiction - the humiliation of the state by the mafia and thugs, the dehumanization of a once dignified society, now exposed on the regional and global crime market. However, the unprecedented use of force backfires on them. The protests are not abating but strengthening, and a large part of Serbia is providing important help and solidarity, people are fed up with violence.
The Zajedno party is also recognized in Novi Sad for its fight against "Monument to the innocent victims of 1944/45". What is actually disputed in that monument, which is planned to sprout soon?
It is bizarre that the list of names of the victims also includes the names of fascists and murderers who organized and carried out the Novi Sad raid and other crimes in the area of Novi Sad and South Bačka with their own hands. There are: Mikloš Nađ, the occupation mayor of Novi Sad, Zombori Đula, the manager of the occupation police headquarters in Novi Sad, Batori Geza, the commander of the gendarmerie detachments that participated in the Raid, Popović L. Milan, a notorious collaborator in these events, Heđi Jožef, who personally abused the victims during the Raid, Tot Janoš, the killer of the five Jovandic brothers, and many others. By erecting a monument to these criminals, the ideologies of hatred are affirmed, a contribution is made here to the ubiquitous revision of history by which different fascisms - Serbian, Hungarian or any other - become perceived as legitimate ideological and political matrices. And no matter who he is, no matter what his national or other origins, fascism has no place in a free society. Just as there is no place for killers of Novi Sad women and men in our city. The Zajedno party and the Moramo coalition will not allow mockery of the victims of fascism, their families and friends. Whatever their plans are, that monument will not exist.
It is important to mention that the actions of the authorities in Serbia and Hungary in the field of rehabilitation of fascism have their own specific motives. First of all, the communication pattern of fascism diverts attention from real social and economic problems and their causes and deepens social divisions, and instead of all fighting together for better working and living conditions, we see the problems in other nations, religions, gender and sexual identities ... In this context, political leaders, by placing themselves in the role of great national protectors, profit. While at the same time satanizing the left, the flourishing of economic and social inequality would not be called into question.
How do you assess the Novi Sad government?, which is very "strange", composed of progressives, right-wing and formally anti-nationalist and leftist League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina? What is it that unites them??
Lust for money, privileges and power. Any principle and ideal will be trampled for that. If anyone ever had them.
Recently, they are activists "Together" protested because the LSV tried to focus politically on the fight against "Monument to the innocent victims of 1944/45". Why?
I would say that we didn't even protest, we expressed more disbelief that such a thing even occurred to them. Leaguers supported the erection of this monument, and now, when they see that they are destined for political marginalization, they are trying to appeal to their former anti-fascist positions. The League, I remind you, has been a faithful member of the ruling coalition in Novi Sad for years. She participated in the work of the Commission that considered the SVM's initiative to erect a monument to criminals and accepted it, as well as voting for the decision enabling the financing of the construction of this monument. It is ridiculous that they give themselves the right to call themselves the left.
The activist and opposition scene in Novi Sad is quite fragmented, quarreled with each other, although this city, at least it seems so, has the greatest potential to change the progressive government at the local level. What are the patterns of divisions and are they being overcome?? What will the next local elections look like?, will the opposition be divided into many columns or will it consolidate? How the Zajedno party will perform, what is your political logic?
The party Zajedno acts in accordance with its name - we initiate cooperation and the gathering of all democratic and humane political forces on every issue where we have a common view of the social interest. We are especially open to cooperation on issues of social justice, labor and social rights, anti-fascism, urban planning and economic development with environmental protection. At the center of our politics is a citizen and a person with dignity.
I would not speculate at this time about the columns. I claim, however, that we will lead a policy devoid of vanity and private interest. We develop cooperation and trust within the local community, with individual citizens, associations and other parties. If we intend to overthrow autocracy, we must not succumb to conflict. In this regard, we are determined to provide an example of how an honest and fair approach can create an atmosphere that will lead to change. Because we have a common goal - that change begins in Novi Sad.
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