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COMMENT: UNION OR POLICY

TOMORROW OR NEVER




Belgrade, December 19, 2006
The election campaigns, launched and conducted presently throughout Serbia, tell us best about the importance attached to political leaders. Serbs like politics but go in for politics in a traditionally dilettante, amateur and optional way. Although elections are not “war”, one gets an impression that a majority of people serve as “cannon fodder” to political parties and leaders, by which they support their personal ambitions and easily made promises. A contribution to loser’s position of citizens – voters, is also made by the fact concerning very bad memory, almost “bird-brained”, of a majority of Serbian citizens.

This especially pertains to union representatives, because unions are often involved in the pre-election games and promises. The unions, traditionally oriented towards the left wing, are trying to find partners in the parties coming out for “the left” or social-democracy, or having the characteristic of social-democracy or left wing in their name, and similarly, who would in the future (tomorrow or never), when they come to power, respect and accept the unions which supported their political campaigns openly or secretly and then they would, as “power”, award valuable prizes to their like-minded colleagues from the union.

Naturally, the parties being presently in power, shall not accept all unions, though they often say that “union interests are identical to their own interests, but the ways are different”, and they will by the system – there can be “only one”, give blessing only to those who supported them. All the others have been excluded and deserted.

We already have such experience of Sloba’s Autonomous Union of Serbia, as well as Milovanovic’s “ASNS” (that is the one who acted the Minister of Labor). A question is put: What has the workers’ union movement gained from this? Some individuals of those unions have certainly gained something. They were becoming ministers, members of well-paid managing boards, and in that way former union leaders became very rich.

The workers and members are silent and watch what’s happening. Some “roll call”, shout and curse can sometimes be heard. The individuals who dare to perform public “roll call” of politicians – are declared to be eccentrics, factionalists and losers. In addition to open and concealed pleading for the interests and ideas of some political parties, among unionists, the active union members very often join political parties. There is “real power” in the parties, and one can soon feel the “pleasure of ruling, wealth means power and rolling in wealth”.

The union members watch their yesterday’s colleagues becoming rich, acting on the political scene, and hoping that they will perhaps remember them, namely, their former colleagues and fellows who opened the “doors” of political fame, welfare and prosperity to them. Do the former unionists ever remember “them”? Definitely – NO! Sometimes they drop in at their deserted and ruined factories, mostly in political campaigns, promising miracles, development, better standard of living, and many other “vague and nebulous things”. At the same time they receive recognition and acknowledgement that they are now, as politicians, far from poverty and ruin in which their yesterday’s fellows and colleagues live.

That poverty and despair is a product of false promises that were made in order to come to power, and after that – people anyway have “bad memory”, let’s start again. Unfortunately, the workers and unionists themselves have an uncritical view of this phenomenon and often say: “He got himself out of a tight spot, he found a way out, he was getting along fine, a capable man … and you would also do the same, but you do not have the guts”.

Is there anyone among us who can reach the ideal of a union and workers’ leader, who is engaged in politics, but does not forget his “roots” and “brothers”. Is there anyone resistant to magic and charm of authority, power and money? There probably is, but we are aware that among the present former unionists, and now politicians, there isn’t the one who “waited” and who we are expecting.

But, one must not give up the idea of searching for union’s Messiah (Savior). We must not allow that a “caste” of politicians decide on the future of our children, because they provided for their children a long time ago. We have to assume responsibility that we are the ones who, in the ultimate case, at a polling station, decide on political structures and their positions.

For this reason, one can answer the question: Union or Policy? It reads: Not union or policy but “union’s politics”, before everything and anyone, with proper people and ideas. (Dragan Matic, President of MWBU “Nezavisnost”).

 
     
 
 
 
 
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