Darko Pejovic of the Podgorica weekly 'Monitor' analyzes the position of Montenegro in the federal parliament of Yugoslavia in the January 9, 1998, issue of this magazine. Since 1990, until today there always remains an open question what the Montenegrins can do at all in the federal parliament, where Milosevic is a supreme ruler. Djukanovics DPS still loudly hails the federation, while they say at the same time that Montenegro will fight out its sovereignty - or it will not exist at all.
What will be the fate of the federal parliament depends the least on Montenegrin delegates. The Socilists now have in the Lower House 40 delegates, JUL 20, Nova Demokratija four. This means the following: along with the Bulatovic faction, Milosevic has at his disposal 76 faithful votes. In the meantime, the arrival of new forces could be expected - when the Serbian delegation for the Upper house is formed. The biggest chunk of that delegation will be composed of Socialists and Radicals, which means assured votes if the big leader opts for the tightening of the unitary noose. Besides this, Milosevic can count on six Bultovic faithful out of 14 Montenegrin delegates in the Upper House. Simply, the FRY president has the majority to easily push through the legislation important to him, for example, the Federal law on the conduct of intelligence and security functions of FRY, whose approval is planned by the parliamentary agenda for March of this year.
What is the meaning then of the laments of the Montenegrin delegates that Montenegro will not be humiliated, even at the expense of its survival (Susic), that it feels lesser partner, more and more the prisoner of the Federation (Kalomperovic) ?
Why then not call the matters by their real name, or, perhaps, the Montenegrin reformist block thinks that by begging the Federal Parliament it will soften Slobodn Milosevic or the other member of the Federation ? How can an equal partner beg the other, and why, in the end, is a vote cast for the budget that has been passed, even at your own expense. Or is it a question of yet another trade, for which the DPS was renowned while it was at full force. It is interesting that good part of the media has remembered in its roundups of the past year the inflammatory rethorics of the Montenegrins, which lasted only for a day, so that they could, in an orderly manner, vote yes the next day.
How will the reformists act when the interests of Montenegro are in question will be seen in the Federal parliament when the constitutional changes come to the agenda.
Source: Podgorica weekly 'Monitor', January 9, 1998