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As a society that sings “God of justice”, it is up to us to decide if we will build a society of justice that is achieved by changing everyone’s behavior: those who hold public office must respect what is written in the laws, and all of us as citizens we don’t like it, says Gordana Comic, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue. He points out that his ministry is a tool that will allow everything negative in the field of human and minority rights to change for the better, and the most important thing is dialogue in society, adding: “I have no reason not to believe What is posible”. in a very short time. That’s why I took this job. “
You are a big surprise in the government, how was that?
The need to establish the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue is a consequence of the big problems that Serbia has in the reports of the European Commission, the conscience and the consent of the ruling party, mainly the Prime Minister and the President of Serbia, that it will be a tool for change. My wish and goal is to fulfill the plan that I presented to the Assembly Committee, which was accepted, in one year …
Who invited you?
The joint decision is …
Someone had to call you, who?
There was a political agreement between the Prime Minister and the President of Serbia, and it is the responsibility of the Prime Minister to propose such a ministry in her government.
Your wish is for human rights to become an everyday issue, but the problem here is that there is no awareness of obligations and that the right of an individual is limited by the rights of others, how do you intend to change that?
The social dialogue organizational unit of the Ministry will deal with the ongoing dialogue on human rights violations. The conversation on human rights will be at the same time a conversation about the elimination of a phrase: we have good regulations, but there is no political will to enforce them. When the law is passed, it must apply to all and it must apply, and there will be those who will prohibit behavior based on prejudice. It is a list of obligations that we have to learn together that having a right means having an obligation at the same time.
As an experienced politician, you know that here the same rules do not apply to politicians and ordinary citizens, an ordinary citizen will be punished for breaking the law, but, for example, no government will apply punishment to an opponent so as not to be accused of political persecution …
The law can and should apply to everyone. As measured by the inequality index before the law, we have had negative evaluations in the reports of the European Commission for the fifth consecutive year. People in public affairs must understand that they cannot comment in the media, or in court proceedings, to use trashy speech and verbal violence, we must not divide people before the law. Everything exists in our regulations and the ministry will work to first demonstrate that its representatives adhere to the rule of law. Only then can citizens feel the reduction of total injustice. We all have a choice in public affairs: either we will change our behavior and discard negative evaluations in the EC reports, or everything will remain the same, and then Serbia will hear in English or German that it has not done anything again and that it is a society of injustice.
You were both the government and the opposition, do you sincerely think that we can move from the point where a politician, mainly an opponent, is allowed to break the law, so that he does not have an argument to complain about?
We have to move, because that point is a trap in which the whole of society is trapped. Leaving is only possible if we all change our behavior in public office. It is not that difficult, if we all understand how much good we can bring to all the people in Serbia, if we make the minimum effort.
How were you received in the session of the competent committee, since you were sitting in the opposition parliamentary bench until yesterday?
I listened very carefully to all the deputies, which probably encouraged them to address the issue, that is, the plan proposed by the ministry. People feel your goodwill when you make room for what I call the well-being of doubt. I completely believe that they cannot stand me and do not think anything good about me, but they feel when you leave room for the conversation between the ministry, as someone who is subject to the control of the board and the assembly and those who have the right to control, then they will speak about the topic. We will not waste time telling myself why I am not tolerated, or gossiping about the problem, but, as it started, we will notice that some problems Roma have, that national councils of national minorities have a funding problem, that a dialogue is needed on the anti-discrimination laws …
You have always been a member of the Assembly, especially you remember your punishment of the deputies, but you could interrupt the ministers if they fight with the deputies and criticize them very harshly if they avoid coming to the Assembly, because they have a problem. Can you have any obstacles to attend the assembly?
I can not. Only death can stop me, and that’s my personal. The ministers must obey the assembly, as an institution superior to them according to the constitution and the law. This function of control of the set is missing. It is built together. I look forward to the processing of the first laws that the ministry will propose, the gender equality law, to demonstrate that there can be political culture and dialogue. I know for myself that I will never get out of the obligation that the regulation imposes on me in the assembly, and I know it by heart.
When can you expect the gender equality law?
Well, we want you to go through the entire procedure, from the draft through social dialogue and public debate, to the proposal that will be adopted by the government and sending the proposal to the assembly. Before the start of the parliamentary debate, there would be another round of dialogue, because the law must crown the injustices suffered by women in society. It is important to show that all provisions will be applied and explained.
You also announced the law on same-sex couples, do you think it can be passed in our environment at this time?
There is a minority, which according to the constitution and the laws has guaranteed the right to life in the community, but cannot exercise them, regardless of the fact that according to the Law of Prohibition of Discrimination they have several rights. And there must be a dialogue about that. Laws against discrimination are difficult in all societies, for me the Gender Equality Law has been removed from the Assembly’s agenda three times. It’s difficult, you ask people to change their behavior. You don’t have to love someone because he’s gay, but you can’t harass him for that, just as you can’t harass someone because he’s a gypsy, a woman, a journalist, another political party, because the anti-discrimination regulations prohibit it. In such a society, everyone is more comfortable, there are human rights in it.
Do you have support for that law?
I have for the whole plan of the ministry, there is the consent of both the prime minister and the party in power. If you don’t have in your plan what the ministry proposed to the board and the board agreed to, then you don’t have the tools to remove negative evaluations of the EC from the report. It’s that easy.
You said that the ministry has nothing to do with inter-party dialogue, and your job description mentions dialogue with the civil sector, but here the problem is inter-party dialogue. Can the ministry do something about it?
I can not. Political dialogue is the responsibility of the National Assembly and the European Parliament. The Ministry should not interfere here, even if I wanted to, and I don’t have to, because political and trade union associations are outside of our powers. It should not go beyond its powers, because that is the rule of law. The Ministry can participate in the dialogue between European and Serbian MPs only on request. If they want us to do something, to save some data, anything, we are obliged to do it, but we should not participate in that dialogue. I deeply believe that there will be a political dialogue between Europe and Serbia at the level of parliaments.
Your position has been harshly criticized, among others, and Professor Vesna Rakić Vodinelić said that you and the Speaker of Parliament, Ivica Dačić, are looking for an excuse not to have it in the handover of responsibility for inter-party dialogue.
I have no excuses I leave the benefit of the suspicion that there is a misunderstanding in the statements of those who should legally understand each other, or those who are directly responsible for the political dialogue. I do what I am responsible for.
On insults and “fly over”
As a politician, you have never insulted anyone, how did you experience terrible insults for entering the government?
As a thank you, because all the people who use verbal violence and personal discredit inadvertently participate in the construction of the rule of law, together with me, which I do deliberately. The Information Law establishes that an elected, appointed and appointed person is obliged to present silent criticism of their work, however offensive it may be …
They did not criticize your work, it is about personal insults, how did you experience being classified as a flyover, compared to Marinik Tepic, although you were in a party all your political life, while she changed four parties in a legislature, where “did you fly? “?
I didn’t fly anywhere. I was removed from DS membership on May 13 of this year and I will never be a member of any party again. That is the part of my political life for which I use Shakespeare’s sentence: it remains silent. I am grateful for the comments that people use, because by keeping silent, and having the right to say what they want, the rule of law is built. That is important for Serbia.
Did at least one of your comrades in arms, a friend from yesterday, invite you to support yourself?
Support is important and pleasant, but more important is the belief that what you are doing is correct and that you expect nothing more than to growl at the enemy and keep your friends quiet. My beliefs are always the same: I am fighting for the EU, for the rule of law, the development of democracy … The place from which I fought for that has changed: it has been a street for a long time, an assembly for a long time time, now is the executive branch. I don’t change, I know what I believe in.
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