MPs did not heed urges to reject the Law on Referendum and the Expropriation Law. They did vote, but somehow they were not really convincing in the praise.
They are annoyed by people who are protesting and calling for roadblocks. They claim that the laws are not passed in the interest of the citizens, but by agreement of the ruling party with a foreign investor. We are not doing any favours to Rio Tinto, MPs shouted from inside the building, which has been guarded by strong police forces for days.
“How do state institutions react to this hate speech on the streets of Belgrade, on the streets of Serbia and to this call for the blockade of Serbia? A call for the blockade of Serbia at a time when Aleksandar Vučić and the Government of Serbia are fighting for Serbia.“
“[…] All this is being done in order to bring Rio Tinto to Serbia through the back door, and we will confirm to the citizens of Serbia – who brought Rio Tinto? Well, it was not brought by Aleksandar Vučić, it was brought by Boris Tadić in 2004; the former tycoon government in 2004 brought Rio Tinto to Serbia “.
“They scratch each other’s eyes out, they fight like cats and dogs. Why? Because their personal interest is well ahead of the state interest. Those who have legitimate interest in the state negotiate and cooperate easily. Here, for example, the coalition of SPS and JS, has been present for 13 years.“
“They tell us today that the issue of the threshold is the one that should prevent people from voting at referendum, that it is a condition, that people should take to the streets, as it happened in the previous 48 hours. They are protesting for some reason, only because the law came from the Government headed by Ana Brnabić and they used it only as a reason to once again spit on Aleksandar Vučić and the SNS.”
“When we talk about the fact that this referendum has something to do with Rio Tinto and Kosovo, I will repeat, this Bill on Referendum has nothing to do with Rio Tinto and Kosovo. This Bill on Referendum has nothing to do with either Rio Tinto or Kosovo. This should be repeated countless times.”
The Law on Referendum will be applied for the first time in January, when the Constitution will be amended. The current majority in the Assembly will probably not talk about who will have their house or field confiscated according to the Expropriation Law.
For the Open Parliament, Mirjana Nikolić.