Sacked minister: I made no mistakes

Mladjan Dinkic told B92 that he still thought that he did not make a mistake by making public accusations against the government and its PM before he was sacked. He admitted, however, that his statements were "unusual". Sacked minister: I made no mistakes He claims he reisgned only to shorten the procedure. When asked whether he wanted to avoid a debate in the parliament by resigning, Dinkic said that it was not his intention since there would defintely be a debate when new ministers would be appointed. Dinkic: I repeat once again, it's all the same to me, let them decide the way they want. B92: But why did you resign if it is all the same? Dinkic: I had a good intention – to shorten the time of the debate in parliament. Just that. By the way, you know yourself that I'm not someone who avoids talking about responsibility and polemicizing with others. I really thought about saving the parliament's time, if someone thinks differently, I don't care. The G17 Plus leader said that his MPs would not attend the session at which MPs would vote on his dismissal, should there be a voting. “How can they attend the voting if they are voting on the leader of their party, that is exactly why we think that the resignation should be ascertained so we would not waste time on it, that I leave the government and continue doing my job somewhere else,“ he said. The G17 Plus leader explained that he did not believe that his public statements were a mistake, even though he said that they “were unusual“. He added that he had told President Boris Tadic and some other colleagues from the Democratic Party (DS) earlier that some things needed to change if they wanted to fix things in the country and if they wanted the government to do a better job. Dinkic : Therefore, I first talked to people months ago, but that did not have any effect. B92: Did you use those words? Did you tell Tadic – you are surrounded by poltroons, your advisers, who do not have any responsibility, are making decisions. Dinkic: Exactly those words. B92: The words we heard by a Nis television? Dinkic : I said much more, more direct and with many more details with an idea not to change anything. He refused to say who were the people from the DS he reffered to when he said that people who did not have any public responsibility could not make key decisions, because that was not his goal. “I had a good intention when I told Boris Tadic, just like I told him in 2002 when I was relieved from the the duty of the governor, what I thought who were the people he could count on in my opinion. I was relaxed then, because I was nobody, and he listened to me then and became the DS leader,“ Dinkic pointed out. “And I told him then that there were a couple of people whom he had given to much responsibility, who have an average intelligence, who are not the people who knew how to run the country and again, they do not have a public responsibility and are pretty much creating a public opinion, making plots, thinking in that particracy way,“ he said. Mladjan Dinkic (Beta, file) “I had no plan“ The G17 Plus leader said he did not plan on toppling the government. “I had no plan, I just wanted the government to do a better job. The government was sloppy. As if everything I said was gone with the wind. I was trying to improve the work. We have potential to do a better job,“ he told B92. Dinkic also added that the main problem were the people close to Tadic, pointing out that he did not mean the government members. “Tadic's colleagues tell him not the truth than what they think he would like to hear. Maybe I'm right and maybe not. Tadic will once think about what I said. The strongest people in the DS were not in the government. Those who would nod their heads got the chance, not those who knew,“ he stressed and added that he thought that the government reshuffle needed to be carried out faster. He said that relations between the rivals within the DS were burdening the work of the Serbian government. “The government sessions looked like Big Brother. Nobody was sure whether something that was discussed at the meeting would end up in some newspaper tomorrow. There were always unofficial information after every session. I know that people from the SPS (Socialist Party of Serbia) didn't do it and that our people didn't do it. People from the DS were doing that to each other. I thought that the prime minister needed to put an end to it,“ Dinkic underlined. He added, however, that the control of the media could not give many results. “Influence on the media cannot give the results. You can say all the time that something is white, but if people see that it is black than it's meaningless. I think there is still time to turn things and make a change. The change first needs to happen in the heads of those who make decisions,“ the G17 Plus leader stressed. He repeated that he had resigned because he believed that parliament should not waste its time and not because he was afraid of the criticism. “Those who know me know that I never run away from criticism. Lies make me very angry. I want the government to continue working and have a full mandate. There is a chance to get the (EU) candidacy by the end of the year. (EU Integration Office Head) Milica Delevic deserves the most credit for the process. I want the government to continue working in order to realize some agreed investments that I think my successor will continue,“ Dinkic concluded.

Sacked minister: I made no mistakes

He claims he reisgned only to shorten the procedure.

When asked whether he wanted to avoid a debate in the parliament by resigning, Dinkić said that it was not his intention since there would defintely be a debate when new ministers would be appointed.

Dinkić: I repeat once again, it's all the same to me, let them decide the way they want.

B92: But why did you resign if it is all the same?

Dinkić: I had a good intention – to shorten the time of the debate in parliament. Just that. By the way, you know yourself that I'm not someone who avoids talking about responsibility and polemicizing with others. I really thought about saving the parliament's time, if someone thinks differently, I don't care.

The G17 Plus leader said that his MPs would not attend the session at which MPs would vote on his dismissal, should there be a voting.

“How can they attend the voting if they are voting on the leader of their party, that is exactly why we think that the resignation should be ascertained so we would not waste time on it, that I leave the government and continue doing my job somewhere else,“ he said.

The G17 Plus leader explained that he did not believe that his public statements were a mistake, even though he said that they “were unusual“. He added that he had told President Boris Tadić and some other colleagues from the Democratic Party (DS) earlier that some things needed to change if they wanted to fix things in the country and if they wanted the government to do a better job.

Dinkić : Therefore, I first talked to people months ago, but that did not have any effect.

B92: Did you use those words? Did you tell Tadić – you are surrounded by poltroons, your advisers, who do not have any responsibility, are making decisions.

Dinkić: Exactly those words.

B92: The words we heard by a Niš television?

Dinkić : I said much more, more direct and with many more details with an idea not to change anything.

He refused to say who were the people from the DS he reffered to when he said that people who did not have any public responsibility could not make key decisions, because that was not his goal.

“I had a good intention when I told Boris Tadić, just like I told him in 2002 when I was relieved from the the duty of the governor, what I thought who were the people he could count on in my opinion. I was relaxed then, because I was nobody, and he listened to me then and became the DS leader,“ Dinkić pointed out.

“And I told him then that there were a couple of people whom he had given to much responsibility, who have an average intelligence, who are not the people who knew how to run the country and again, they do not have a public responsibility and are pretty much creating a public opinion, making plots, thinking in that particracy way,“ he said.

“I had no plan“

The G17 Plus leader said he did not plan on toppling the government.

“I had no plan, I just wanted the government to do a better job. The government was sloppy. As if everything I said was gone with the wind. I was trying to improve the work. We have potential to do a better job,“ he told B92.

Dinkić also added that the main problem were the people close to Tadić, pointing out that he did not mean the government members.

“Tadić's colleagues tell him not the truth than what they think he would like to hear. Maybe I'm right and maybe not. Tadić will once think about what I said. The strongest people in the DS were not in the government. Those who would nod their heads got the chance, not those who knew,“ he stressed and added that he thought that the government reshuffle needed to be carried out faster.

He said that relations between the rivals within the DS were burdening the work of the Serbian government.

“The government sessions looked like Big Brother. Nobody was sure whether something that was discussed at the meeting would end up in some newspaper tomorrow. There were always unofficial information after every session. I know that people from the SPS (Socialist Party of Serbia) didn't do it and that our people didn't do it. People from the DS were doing that to each other. I thought that the prime minister needed to put an end to it,“ Dinkić underlined.

He added, however, that the control of the media could not give many results.

“Influence on the media cannot give the results. You can say all the time that something is white, but if people see that it is black than it's meaningless. I think there is still time to turn things and make a change. The change first needs to happen in the heads of those who make decisions,“ the G17 Plus leader stressed.

He repeated that he had resigned because he believed that parliament should not waste its time and not because he was afraid of the criticism.

“Those who know me know that I never run away from criticism. Lies make me very angry. I want the government to continue working and have a full mandate. There is a chance to get the (EU) candidacy by the end of the year. (EU Integration Office Head) Milica Delević deserves the most credit for the process. I want the government to continue working in order to realize some agreed investments that I think my successor will continue,“ Dinkić concluded.