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We have three serious candidates abroad who could lead one of the ministries in the future government, of which two women and one man, for whom I am sure they can adequately perform the job for which they will be in charge – says Rasim in an interview for “Blic” Ljajic, Minister of Commerce, Tourism and Telecommunications and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia.
It confirms what he has been saying for two years: that he will not be a minister in the next government, but that there will be someone who will cancel him. He was unable to reveal the details to us.
– I still cannot speak of specific names, for the simple reason that we have not yet defined which department will belong to the SDPS.
Did you talk to the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić about other positions that could belong to the SDPS?
– We do not discuss other positions. I only told President Vučić that the most logical thing would be for the party’s candidate to take over the department that I headed. First of all, because we have the best solutions for this position, and it would not take several months for someone to get used to it and get into a job or a new department. As a party, we are certainly interested in maintaining the post of Vice President of the Assembly and we will discuss this with our SNS partners.
It is unusual for someone to leave the ministry, especially if he is at the head of the party and has a good electoral result. What broke you?
– To be honest, there are several reasons and two are key. The first is the fact that you mentioned, that I announced it two years ago and repeated it several times after that. What would my credibility be if I trampled on everything now and said, “Puy Pike, it’s not valid”? Who would believe me then? Many of the party assured me to continue being minister despite the promise, because my non-participation in the government is a risk for the party. Of course, I am aware of that risk, but it is better to take risks than to completely lose the credibility on which we have built our party position to a large extent. Another reason is the frequent accusations from my political opponents and the local opposition that I am in all governments and that I am an eternal minister. The pastors even counted the number of days I spent in government. And I am one of the few ministers who left the government without being expelled, who resigned from the ministerial position without any affair, and left office despite the never better results we obtained in the last elections, especially in Sandzak. All these critics consciously forget that I did the toughest jobs in this country that others avoided doing, like The Hague, Kosovo, southern Serbia, and I didn’t make any major mistakes anywhere. And since they know that this is the case, they are talking about the number of days in government, and not the results in those governments. It turns out that the main problem of the country is that I have been a member of almost every government since 2000.
What will you do in the next period?
– I have many plans, but surely I will pay special attention to strengthening the party and developing its infrastructure. Because by not participating in the new government, I am not leaving politics, but I am consciously taking a break to return to a future government. I am sure that Serbia needs a match with an SDPS profile. So truly civic, multi-ethnic, and social democratic. Of course, the party must refresh ranks, and from the first day I will start touring the municipal boards from Presevo to Subotica, because the entire year 2021 will be dedicated to elections at all levels of the party. For many, I noticed material fatigue, and for some of all the skills, I only noticed one they have, and that is lobbying for an armchair at any cost. And those people should be replaced by new, younger and fresh staff.
What kind of government do you expect? Do you think the SPS should stay in government, go with Shapic or the concentration government, which President Vucic mentioned?
– Certainly, I am not the one who makes the final decision in this regard, nor do I expect anyone to ask me, nor is it necessary. During the consultations we had with President Vučić, I answered the same question that, in my opinion, we should have both the government and the opposition in the current parliament. In doing so, I did not mention or emphasize any parties.
What do you think of President Vučić’s announcement that in 2022, in addition to the presidential elections, we will also have early parliamentary elections?
– Certainly, regular presidential elections await us in Belgrade and, as a party, we will prepare for those elections, as well as possible parliamentary elections. I don’t know if there will be any, but I would fully understand the political logic to keep them going. And that is why we are ready to enter the 2022 election year, and I think our influence in the coalition will be much greater then and our participation in government will be more significant.
Thinking about the presidential election? Do you think you should have a candidate or are you closer to the idea that everyone supports one, in this case most likely Vučić?
– If the coalition or the list has a candidate and if that candidate is Vučić, we will certainly join that support as a partner of the coalition and contribute to the electoral success of the joint candidate, as we have done so far. If, by chance, the coalition parties come out with more candidates, then the SDPS would certainly have its own candidate, because that would be good for the party’s political visibility.
Two weeks ago an economic agreement was signed in Washington. The reactions are different. How do you assess what was signed in the White House?
– The SDPS is the only party that three years ago, within the so-called internal dialogue, presented a concrete proposal to solve the Kosovo problem in three phases. I also wrote an author’s text on that for your article, and you can verify that in the first phase we envision solving the economic problems, which are now being discussed in Washington. That in the second phase we predicted that the ZSO, property and cultural heritage would be discussed. So the issues that are being discussed now in Brussels. At the time, there were no public reactions to our proposal, and that is why now I am glad that we anticipated things so much before the local public and the international community. It is true that we cannot solve the political problems and the difficult legacy of the past with the economy, but economic cooperation is paving the way to solve these problems in a more favorable environment. And that is why this economic normalization with Pristina is important, but the question is what will come of all that in practice. For me, the first test for such an agreement will be, for example, whether Pristina will abolish the tax of 40 euros per ton for the import of flour from central Serbia, or the tax of two euro cents per building block. This may be trivial for some, but this example will show a clear political will for economic normalization. To begin with, we do not need to go any further.
He headed the department of commerce, tourism and telecommunications. In what condition do you leave it to whoever succeeds you in that place?
– Without false modesty, we have achieved excellent results in all three areas, mainly thanks to the Government, the understanding and the support we had from both the Prime Minister and the President. Until five or six years ago, tourism here was considered entertainment, leisure and recreation, and today, thanks to government investments in this sector, it has become a serious economic branch. The number of tourists has increased 56% in five years. And if it weren’t for the corona virus, this would be by far the best tourist season. As of October 1, the e-tourism system will begin to function, a very important reform issue with which we will know at all times the number and structure of tourists visiting Serbia. In the telecommunications sector, we are preparing for the end of the year to announce an auction for the sale of part of the frequency spectrum (digital dividend 2), from which we expect to obtain more than 150 million euros. I would like to remind you that we generated revenues of 126 million euros selling spectrum within the digital dividend 1. We were among the first in the region to complete the digitization of the television signal. We have provided high speed internet in all elementary and secondary schools and thus the operation of 20,000 digital classrooms. The domestic trade sector showed its vitality during the recent crown crisis, when there was no shortage of products and goods at any time, so we can especially thank the wide base of raw materials and domestic production, especially in industry. food. We also signed a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Union in this mandate, as well as a new agreement of this type with Turkey, which expanded cooperation in the field of investments and opened the possibility of their investments in our economy.
Novi Pazar and the crown
During the previous months, Novi Pazar passed through Golgotha with the Crown epidemic. The situation has calmed down a bit. How do you look at it today? Could the local self-government, the Ministry of Health, the health center … have done something else to avoid the black scenario or is everything already done?
– I look the same as I did then. More can always be done, and no one can say that there were no errors or omissions. But those errors and omissions were not the causes of that scenario. In short, in Novi Pazar it happened, at the micro level, and fortunately with minor consequences, the same thing that happened in Bergamo, that in a short time, a large number of patients with a serious clinical picture asked for help. And a much more organized healthcare system couldn’t handle it.
VIDEO: Rasim declared victory at Novi Pazar
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