The Centre for Civic Education (CCE) is not surprised that the situation in Vesna Bratić’s portfolio is disturbing, since she and her cabinet, instead of entrusted job to them by a strange set of circumstances, are writing pasquinades whose allegations they will have an opportunity to prove in front of competent judicial authorities.
In the meantime, it is worth recalling a few things.
CCE and I loudly and argumentatively criticized the previous government and because of that we were targets of smear attacks of that government and their media, and Vesna Bratić, on the recommendation of the then Minister of Science, high DPS official and controversial academic Sanja Vlahović, received in questionable legal procedure the so-called honorary citizenship. While many people unsuitable for the previous government could not work at the University of Montenegro (UoM), Bratić built her academic career in that UoM.
And divine powers would be powerless to find any statement of Bratić, until the summer of the year of Lord 2020, which would be unpleasant for, as she calls it today “totalitarian”, government. In this, her “comrade” is the Prime Minister and most of the members of this Government who are insulting our common sense in an attempt to enthrone themselves as apostles of the struggle for change.
The expectations of the CCE are illustrated by the fact that, with colleagues from women’s NGOs, we pointed out the inadequacy of Bratic’s nomination even before she was designed. We reminded the Minister on that during the meeting we had, at her invitation, in December 2020, underlining that we do not care about her nationality, which she manipulatively pulled out even then, but her standpoints. At that time, I felt uncomfortable with her praise of me personally and the CCE. Now she pulls out the work of the notorious spin doctor of the previous government, evading answering a legitimate question – according to which methodology is she in the Government of Montenegro today?
It is in the interest of the CCE and me personally to contribute to Montenegro to be a democratic society of responsible citizens. In that, education is crucial and logically has our attention for decades, and we cannot squint at Bratić’s blows on that long-fragile pillar.
It is hypocritical for Bratić to talk about protecting taxpayers’ money. She induced hundreds of lawsuits before Montenegrin courts over illegal changes in education and culture, the outcomes of which will be paid by the citizens.
Although she was briefly in NGO, Bratić has learned nothing about civil society, nor does she know the difference between public officials and NGO leaders. However, she is fluent in the language of some officials from the “totalitarian regime”, threatening that the projects of those NGOs whose criticism she does not like will not be supported from public funds, and with the promise to create new, perhaps more appropriate, NGOs or when vindictively called, due to the findings of empirical research that they did not like, to inspect our work the authorities in Montenegro and donors.
Public officials come and go, and the credibility of CCE is constant and recognized among relevant actors in country and abroad. In fact, Bratić also recognizes it, and in accordance with her capacities, expresses it through a fierce ad hominem attack.
In the end, Bratić must be admitted: it is a feat when someone does so little and produces such great damage at all levels.
Daliborka Uljarević, Executive Director