Socialists accused of failing to "defend" PM
"Only members of the government of Serbia are not entitled to an opinion, or to publicly state it," Nebojsa Stefanovic has said.
Monday, 12.01.2015.
13:08
Socialists accused of failing to "defend" PM
Members of the Serbian cabinet have no right to speak up "even when they wish to, by doing so, protect the interests of Serbia and its citizens, " said the interior minister, who is also a high-ranking official of the ruling SNS party.Revealing the background of the controversy - when Vucic accused the BIRN publication of being "paid by the EU to publish lies," and the EU saying his accusations were "baseless" - Stefanovic said:
"We did not allow a company whose offer was three times more expensive to win a tender to pump water out of the Tamnava pit, but instead gave the job to a domestic company - we did not want to throw away EUR 23 million of Serbian citizens' money."
Stefanovic then said he "knew that situations like this would surely happen."
"I've already warned Prime Minister Vucic that, when it happens, he will be left alone and without the support of the coalition partners in such battles. It turned out I was right. It is evident that nobody from the SPS (party) wants to defend the position of the government of Serbia, as if the tender was managed by the prime minister's cabinet and not by the Ministry of Mining and Energy, that is headed by an SPS official," Stefanovic said.
He further accused the Socialists (SPS), led by Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, of failing to "publicly defend the government's positions" also during the recent budget debate in parliament.
"I have repeatedly expressed my position on this issue publicly. I pointed out to this during a recent meeting of the presidency of the SNS, and will repeat it at the forthcoming session of the main board. I hope that Prime Minister Vucic will understand me," said Stefanovic.
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