Analyst, Opposition Criticize Military Parade as Display of Political Conformity

Aleksandar Radic(BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Military analyst Aleksandar Radic described a military parade in Belgrade as a demonstration of the prevailing “political conformity” on the part of the Serbian authorities, for whom it was “much more important to put on display the dominance of the government system over the idea that became the moto of the parade – the Power of Unity.”

“For them (the authorities) unity is neither important nor necessary. What matters to them is painting a picture of Serbia being big and strong,” Radic explained in a comment for BETA. He also said that journalists from certain media outlets were not allowed to enter the parade, that private security prevented some citizens from attending, alongside expert observers who wanted to attend with no intent of causing any harm.

Leader of the Freedom and Justice Party Dragan Djilas said that Serbia would become a powerful country once it decided to invest in education instead of weapons. “Weapons can be bought, but minds are cultivated. Investing in knowledge pays back a hundredfold; all the states whose development has been genuine and rapid over the past few decades invested in education and science first,” Djilas said ahead of the parade.

The leader of the Democratic Party, Srdjan Milivojevic, described the military parade as “yet another example of the humiliation of the state by the authorities,” who have “lost their reputation, dignity, and any credibility” abroad. He stated that “world leaders did not attend the parade, only a sheikh did,” which he said was “the most genuine reflection” of President Vucic’s international standing. Professor Biljana Stojkovic added that police in Belgrade had encircled students with the clear task of preventing President Vucic’s guests from seeing that “there are also people protesting against the mafia regime.”

The leader of the New Democratic Party of Serbia, Milos Jovanovic, stated that the military parade was not a problem in itself, but it became one because it was organized by “an anti-Serbian government that has lost all legitimacy.” He stressed that “the Army remains the most honorable institution in the state and, along with the Serbian Orthodox Church, is trusted the most.”