In a country where political seats take priority over citizen safety, real accountability is impossible to expect, said Jevto Eraković, Vice President of the Democratic Party of Socialists, in a statement to Antena M. He was addressing the security situation following two murders and a brutal attack on Budva’s Mayor Nikola Jovanović – all within a single week.
“That’s one side of it. On the other hand, it seems to me that not only in the security sector but across all areas of society, people hold positions due to political divides and reshuffles – people without professional or expert credentials, and without the authority to hold these posts. As a result, we’re witnessing the collapse of the state. What deeply worries all of us is the worsening security situation in Montenegro. Just in the past few days, there have been two murders – one of which was foreshadowed months ago. Although the police knew who had previously attempted murder, they did nothing to prevent the same person from succeeding. Last night, right in the center of Podgorica near police headquarters, people openly spoke about organized crime groups and their direct ties to the government. People like the Mayor of Budva are brutally beaten with a clear message: anyone who tries to expose the link between organized crime and political structures in Montenegro will suffer the same fate. I believe it is now clear to everyone here that crime and the authorities are connected”, Eraković said.
He added that the only defense offered for the current situation is to point to “what happened during the DPS era”.
“That’s the sole argument – and a weak one at that, because you can’t justify what’s happening now by comparing it to something that happened before, and on a much smaller scale. What Montenegro urgently needs are professionals in key positions, and for those lacking competence to be removed, not just from the security sector but from all important areas of the country, so we can begin to recover. Honestly, I think Montenegro has hit rock bottom, and things aren’t improving. Urgent action is needed”, said the DPS Vice President.
When asked about the muted response from the Europe Now movement regarding recent incidents involving their coalition partners who oversee the security sector, and the partners whose members attacked Jovanović, Eraković said:
“We’re used to the Prime Minister and his party’s politics being purely declarative – they issue statements condemning what is condemnable in Montenegro. They do this in the morning, but by afternoon, they’re alongside those directly responsible for these offenses. I believe the people of Montenegro see that the Europe Now movement’s politics have completely merged with the Democratic Front’s politics, and they’re locked in a deadly embrace from which I don’t think they can escape – the ‘good cop, bad cop’ game no longer fools citizens. If you want to do politics, which is a serious profession and a major responsibility toward the public, you must show decisiveness and know what you want. They don’t. With that kind of politics, we won’t get anywhere”.
Commenting on the acting Police Director’s statement at yesterday’s press conference, where he blamed the judiciary for the security situation, saying the police cannot bear full responsibility, citing poor sentencing policies and delayed verdicts, and expressing regret that other institutions are not as effective in crises as the police, Eraković said:
“Shifting responsibility to the judiciary or other branches of government in Montenegro is a classic case of misdirection. It’s clear what every normal democratic country holds responsible – in every country except Montenegro”.
Regarding the Democratic Party of Socialists’ stance, Eraković emphasized their full support for the fight against organized crime.
“Anyone involved in criminal activity deserves to be in only one place – prison. We don’t care which criminal group someone belongs to, but it’s obvious some criminals are worse than others. This needs to end quickly, and the fight against crime must be decisive and impartial. If things continue like this, I fear Montenegro will become more like a South American state than a European one”, Eraković concluded.
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