SPS: Ministry cuts never proposed

Senior SPS official Branko Ruzic denies claims that his party opposes reducing the number of ministries, stating that the option has not even been offered. Speaking to Belgrade daily Politika published on Thursday, he said that this was more a topic in the media than something that was actually being discussed, adding that the Socialist Party of Serbia was ready to discuss the idea. SPS: Ministry cuts never proposed “I think that those who conceived that idea don’t know how to let it rest and are transferring responsibility on to the SPS. There have been no such conversations. There was one conversation where the idea cropped up, but it wasn’t expanded on and no proposal was made,“ Ruzic explained. The Socialists had their own idea for “rationalizing“ the government, involving a reduction in the number of ministries, he said. “But the number is neither here nor there. What matters is that the government is functional and effective. If anyone thinks that cutting the number of ministries will reduce public administration, they’re welcome to persuade me. I’m not sure it’s possible,“ said the SPS official. Ruzic dismissed claims that SPS leader Ivica Dacic did not dare give up any ministries for fear of coming into conflict with the party’s “hard liners“—led by Ministers Milutin Mrkonjic, Petar Skundric and Zarko Obradovic—as “ordinary nonsense.“

SPS: Ministry cuts never proposed

“I think that those who conceived that idea don’t know how to let it rest and are transferring responsibility on to the SPS. There have been no such conversations. There was one conversation where the idea cropped up, but it wasn’t expanded on and no proposal was made,“ Ružić explained.

The Socialists had their own idea for “rationalizing“ the government, involving a reduction in the number of ministries, he said.

“But the number is neither here nor there. What matters is that the government is functional and effective. If anyone thinks that cutting the number of ministries will reduce public administration, they’re welcome to persuade me. I’m not sure it’s possible,“ said the SPS official.

Ružić dismissed claims that SPS leader Ivica Dačić did not dare give up any ministries for fear of coming into conflict with the party’s “hard liners“—led by Ministers Milutin Mrkonjić, Petar Škundrić and Žarko Obradović—as “ordinary nonsense.“