15. 02. 2008

CITIZENS' FUNDS USED TO FINANCE PARTIZAN MEDIA

Protests after the promotion of Sandzacke Novine and exemption of TV stations Regionalna and Tutin from privatization

NOVI PAZAR, February 15, 2008 (Danas) – The National Council of Bosniaks expressed its gratitude to the Government of Serbia and the minister of culture Vojislav Brajovic for their latest steps regarding the media in Sandzak.

The first issue of the renewed publication of Sandzacke Novine, a Bosnian language weekly, was presented two days ago in the Media Center Belgrade. A few days earlier, the Privatization Agency of Serbia has exempted from privatization, together with the minority media in Vojvodina, media outlets in Sandzak – Regionalna Televizija Novi Pazar and TV Tutin – which broadcast fully or partially in Bosnian language.
The National Council of Bosniaks points out that this move by the Government of Serbia „will contribute to further improvement and advancement of Sandzak Bosniaks in the Republic of Serbia".

This development has caused protests of opposition parties and non-governmental organizations in Novi Pazar. Sandzak Democratic Party (SDP) of Rasim Ljajic has strongly condemned the support given by the government to a "partizan newspaper".

"We are especially surprised by assistant minister of culture Dragan Janjic's     words that, as a minority media outlet, this newspaper will be financed by the Ministry of Culture. This is not a minority media newspaper, but a political party publication. During the nineties, it was published by the Party of Democratic Action, recognizable by its hate speech and political, national and religious intolerance", says the SDP's statement.

Vice president of the Party for Sandzak, Azem Hajdarevic, believes that a media outlet for promotion of the Bosniak national community should be provided, but that it would be too much for "each municipality to have such media outlet".

Hajdarevic says that in this way "instability is only prolonged, as if someone in Belgrade has an interest to make Sandzak a politically unstable region".

The program coordinator of the non-governmental organization Urban-In, Sead Biberovic, says that his organization has not been satisfied with Regionalna Televizija, since "it is supposed to be a public service broadcaster because it is paid from our pockets". 

Janjic: the Ministry acted in accordance with the law

Dragan Janjic, the assistant minister of culture for the media, rejects the criticism because of the budgetary funding of Sandzacke Novine, pointing out that the Ministry "has acted in strict accordance with the law".

"The decision was made on the basis of the law, which defines that each national minority council in Serbia has the right to specify one newspaper which will receive additional funding from the Government of Serbia."

"The Ministry has no legal right to determine which media outlets will receive additional funds from the state budget", says Janjic.