28.02.2009.
Minister's interview to TANJUG news agency
SCANDALS CANNOT ENDANGER THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT
The Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac estimated that the Prime Minister Mirko Cvtekovic’s Government had the capacity to face the effects and to address the consequences of the world economic crisis as well as with “political scandals presented to the public” which distract the public’s attention off real everyday problems.
The issue of reconstructing the government is not a current issue, since there have been no more serious conflicts or factions, not disagreements on some very important issues”, states Sutanovac.The Minister of Defense and Vice President of the Democratic Party mentions that the public’s eye wonders all too frequently from the objective results of the government to the information which garner too much media spotlight.
“I am more interested in the results this government delivers and the individual ministries. Based on their results we can conclude whether there will be any reconstruction of the government, but from the point of personal animosities, wishes or newspaper writings.
According to his words, the government’s priority must be finding solutions to overcome the crisis and its detrimental effects and to avoid irrational public expenditures.
“I believe that this government has the capacity to address and overcome these troublesome tasks. The Government is ready to take the full brunt of the crisis, which will affect our citizens without any doubt. Therefore, it is my opinion that Serbia will fare this crisis better than much more developed and richer countries.
When there is a crisis a government should stand united, but even when the times are not that bad the Government has shown unity too”.
As he added, the results of Mirko Cvetkovic’s Government are impossible to compare with the results of previous governments since Serbia can no longer count on high revenues from sales, and is at the same time facing the challenges of the crisis.
Those scandals which are being presented to the public periodically in order to mar the reputation of some ministries and ministers cannot endanger the very existence of the government, such as was the case with the scandal involving the Republic’s Electorate Committee (RIK), where in the previous government the ministers and Supreme Court Judges were members of the committee. That was not a problem for anyone then.
