Vojvodina Statute comes in for heated debate

Opposition party officials stated at a debate that the new draft Vojvodina Statute encouraged separatism, something refuted by ruling party representatives.

Izvor: B92

Friday, 16.01.2009.

09:56

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Opposition party officials stated at a debate that the new draft Vojvodina Statute encouraged separatism, something refuted by ruling party representatives. The draft was submitted to the national parliament for debate and adoption in October of last year, but has yet to be voted on. Vojvodina Statute comes in for heated debate The debate was held at the Belgrade Political Science Faculty, and was attended by students, professors and politicians. As soon as it was presented after the May elections, it raised questions as to whether it promoted separatism or not. Democratic Party official Gordana Comic and Balint Pastor of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians claimed that there were no separatist overtures in the Statute, and that it promoted the development of both Vojvodina and Serbia as a whole. “What can you say to a person who says ‘you want to break away,’ and I say ‘I don’t.’ No one ever wanted to split Serbia by separating Vojvodina, nor did it ever cross anyone’s mind, though it is a very handy thing to say in public,” Comic said. The draft has come in for severe criticism from opposition parties, who say that the proposed autonomy is aimed at breaking Serbia apart. Historian Cedomir Antic said that the adoption of the Statute was a step towards creating a new state, while the Democratic Party of Serbia’s Zoran Loncar said that the Statute was unconstitutional. “If Serbia wants to be a democratic country, it must be a legal country, we cannot move towards European integration rhetorically. The Statute as a sub-legal act must be in accordance with the rest of the laws and the highest one—the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia,” Loncar stressed. Nor does the Liberal Democratic Party support the Statute, with Judita Popovic stating that it did not bring any change, nor enable substantial autonomy or decentralization.

Vojvodina Statute comes in for heated debate

The debate was held at the Belgrade Political Science Faculty, and was attended by students, professors and politicians.

As soon as it was presented after the May elections, it raised questions as to whether it promoted separatism or not.

Democratic Party official Gordana Čomić and Balint Pastor of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians claimed that there were no separatist overtures in the Statute, and that it promoted the development of both Vojvodina and Serbia as a whole.

“What can you say to a person who says ‘you want to break away,’ and I say ‘I don’t.’ No one ever wanted to split Serbia by separating Vojvodina, nor did it ever cross anyone’s mind, though it is a very handy thing to say in public,” Čomić said.

The draft has come in for severe criticism from opposition parties, who say that the proposed autonomy is aimed at breaking Serbia apart.

Historian Čedomir Antić said that the adoption of the Statute was a step towards creating a new state, while the Democratic Party of Serbia’s Zoran Lončar said that the Statute was unconstitutional.

“If Serbia wants to be a democratic country, it must be a legal country, we cannot move towards European integration rhetorically. The Statute as a sub-legal act must be in accordance with the rest of the laws and the highest one—the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia,” Lončar stressed.

Nor does the Liberal Democratic Party support the Statute, with Judita Popović stating that it did not bring any change, nor enable substantial autonomy or decentralization.

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