PM Krivokapić: Letter to the people of Montenegro

Dear people,

In the previous period, together with all of you, I fought for the shrines of our ancestors, for the shrine of our souls, for the most sacred and archetypal in us that they tried to steal from us.

I fought, together with all of you, and proudly but not without hesitation stood at the front of what I defended, and what you defended on the streets and at the polls. Together with you, I drew the last line of defence and allowed your voice of resistance to echo through me.

Dear comrades, brothers and sisters,

Please understand that the struggle for a dignified life is not over, but that it has been taken to the dirty field of politics, which implies some compromises that do not always have to be clearly visible to the honorable and honest world, which engaged in this battle.

Njegoš left us immortal verses: "Who on the mountain height doth take his stand, sees more than he who stays upon the plain". God led me into temptation to stand on a hill and see a little further than most of the citizens of our proud and dignified Montenegro. Therefore, I sincerely ask you to believe that I am and will be your comrade until my last breath, but that today, as a man in a responsible and important government position, I must take several different factors into account before making any decision.

After 30 August, I carried the cross of my people, which was written off by various centres of power, both foreign and domestic. The nation that has woken up after a long sleep and has shown that it intends to bow down to no one and wonʹt allow to be carried away by the abyss of history. Dear brothers and sisters, I still carry that cross today.

In order to move forward, on behalf of the coalitions that won the August elections, we signed an Agreement, according to which - due to the diversity of coalitions - we will not change the country's strategic path. We agreed that we would not disagree about issues that the DPS used as levers to achieve political superiority, to divide us and ensure obedience. We signed the Agreement in order to free Montenegro from mutual misunderstanding, to reconcile father with son, brother with sister, neighbour with neighbour. We signed the Agreement to defeat and dismantle the regime that had held us hostage for 30 years. We signed an Agreement to win.

The signed Agreement is not and cannot be tailored to everyone, but it is the only way to start the aforementioned process. It will not be quick and easy, nor will it be done without resistance. It is a challenge that has had to be accepted by all the ministers in the cabinet, clearly aware that any personal views on sensitive issues and topics can harm our common path to the goal we all aspire to.

After I spoke publicly yesterday, said what is in my heart, because that is the only way I can talk to my people, after I publicly reprimanded Minister Vladimir Leposavić, some of you accused me of treason. Honest, great and honourable people of Montenegro, I have a thousand flaws, but I have never been and will never be a traitor. I will not betray the country I lead, nor all the people who saw in me the hope that Montenegro can be resurrected and returned to its centuries-old glory.

I did not propose Minister Leposavićʹs dismissal just because of the statement regarding Srebrenica. He, as well as all the ministers of this Government, must subjugate personal views to the survival of the Government. This difficult challenge implies that we do not have the luxury of expressing personal views if they are contrary to the Agreement that we accepted by joining the Government. Minister Leposavić, whom I consider a smart man, allowed himself that luxury.

I made yesterday’s decision with a heavy heart, but I made it to save you, not to betray you. You may not understand that today, but one day, I am sure, you will understand the position we were in at this historic moment. That position nullifies the importance of each individual before the strategic goal of disempowering the DPS, which inevitably implies if not consent, then at least understanding of a part of the international community. It is not servitude - I have never served anyone but God - but a reality that will not disappear if we close our eyes to it.

If we want to succeed in this difficult process, we must not play the game imposed on us by the DPS, and they are not forcing the issue of Srebrenica out of love for our Bosniak fellow citizens, but because of the crime they desperately want to keep by playing the devision card. We must not fall for that.

I am not a player of anyone's politics, but a man who sees entering politics as a difficult temptation and a cross that he had to carry for the survival of his country, people and church. I have never suffered more in my life, I have never been more silent in my life, but I have never been more sure that that suffering and silence have a deep meaning and reason.

Please be aware that the path that this Government is taking inevitably leads to making decisions that will not be easy. That's why I need your faith. Your faith in our victory is a pledge of victory against the DPS. If they manage to sow a seed of doubt, to turn us against each other, it will be a pledge of our defeat.

With a firm promise that I will not give up on the dream we dared to dream now that it is at our fingertips, in the end I ask you once again for understanding, patience and tolerance.

I am yours as I was the first day and I will be forever.

Yours, Zdravko Krivokapić