Jelka Jovanović on REM: Withdraw the competition and announce a new one – which would comply with the law.

In a letter addressed to the Assembly of Serbia, nine authorized proposers and 16 candidates announced their decision to withdraw from the process of electing members of the REM Council.

Jovanović states that the Assembly did not want to acknowledge the objections regarding the violation of fundamental legal provisions.

“They didn't even want to read them… There were objections against the candidates and proposers, all of which were valid according to the law. It's terrible that professional candidates cannot express themselves and sit on the REM in such a poorly managed, non-transparent, and twisted process,” said the journalist, one of those who withdrew their candidacy for the REM Council.

What will happen next with the competition – she does not know.

“I don’t know what will happen next with the competition. I’m not naive and I don’t believe that the previous one was withdrawn because students were camping in front of RTS. I think that was just a convenient excuse. It was withdrawn due to a series of irregularities… I have no idea what will happen with this competition, as the authorities must, due to Cluster 3 and EU assistance, implement a proper procedure and choose a credible REM. As far as I know, among the candidates, there are not enough who can fill the positions to make it a credible process,” she added for N1.

“Until the general atmosphere changes – no REM will help us”

Jovanović believes that this competition should be withdrawn and a new one announced.

“Realistically, if there is any sense, the competition should be withdrawn and a new one announced that adheres to the law… There were many illegal proposers and candidates, and now there are many more. But this is all thanks to the interpretation of the law to ensure certain people are elected,” she added.

She also outlined the prerequisites needed for REM, as an institution, to “come to life.”

“I hope that in the foreseeable future this institution will come to life and operate in accordance with the law, as there is so much work for a regulatory body in our media landscape. However, two prerequisites are necessary – those who currently do not decide should not decide, and decisions should not be made this way. This virus of hate speech from the Assembly does not only apply to the authorities, but is transmitted to other representatives and then to the public,” our interlocutor notes.

Until the general atmosphere changes, she points out, and the media culture improves, no REM will help us.

After the Journalists' Association of Serbia, one of the first professional organizations in the world founded 144 years ago, and the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia, which was established more than 30 years ago, Serbia could get – the Association of Journalists of Serbia – which will be led by journalists from tabloids and pro-government media.

“Now they might succeed. This is not the first time. Tabloids have previously tried to advocate for the creation of some sort of association that would serve as a counterpart to the Press Council and the Code of Journalists of Serbia. Their mission and vision are to relativize. These are the ones who don’t have a shred of professionalism. It is truly complete nonsense for these people to quote the Code of Journalistic Profession,” concluded the journalist.

Source: N1