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Dear Friends at Montenet.
This is a very private try to see the situation from outside. I have all the respect for the handling of news, and hope that the future handling will be as good. So we will se a big majority of the montenegrin people choose the best way for the state of Montenegro, and a good cooperation with Serbia in the best choosed way, as a Yugoslav kind of brotherhood or other ways.
All the best, our greetings for the new year and future !
sincerely yours
Jan Blaha
Montenegro,...a sovereign state ?
( An Article for possible printing ! )
As a young student, I had a very interesting teacher, the principal
of the private school. He
was in a wheelchair, and had to be lifted and carried up the stairs
to our classroom, and he
was a big burly man, short of temper and extremely "evil" towards any
student who did not
deliver. Eighter the "service" of help, or mostly, did not show interest
in his studies. He was
mainly a history teacher,...and he could teach !
That became one of my heritages, the interest for history, and the insight
in how history is
shaped, thru human idealistic well doing........of foolishness ! Our
teacher could, even if we
had learned by the book word for word, give us low characters, if we
did not understood
how and why. But could we take an idea from history and make insightful
discussions and
philosophy engagements out of it, we was priced and given high score.
What has this to do with Montenegro s situation ?
Just this ; Montenegro is now well into a situation where the people
will have to do some
decisions about their future. Return to the statehood of former time,
before the making of
Yugoslavia, a result of the demand of the first world war winners,
when they wanted a buffer
zone against old enemies. And keeping the south slavs in one peg, not
to have more Balkan
wars. From my studies of the man from Bergen, the Montenegrin minister
to the talks in
Paris and London ( 1919-21 ), Mr. Hugo Mowinckel, I saw the missing
will from the
montenegrins to accept this making of a greater south slav state. And
as our Captain Henrik
Angell in the years ahead has used, when Norway decided their future
OUT from former
danish and last swedish unions, and became fully their own masters
in their own country.
They kept some relations with the Scandinavian and Nordic countries,
but they even now
shy away from unions, and two times said no to EU. To be under others
decisions, the right
for self deciding, is deep rooted in the people. And the 5 years under
occupation from the
germans also make deep scars. Even that the germans tried to hail us
as their brothers in
german blood, the old vikings, the old gods, there was only a low prosent
of the ones which
joined the arian belief. But some did, and the world learned to call
such quislings after our
collaborator with the powers, who did became the leader of the brother
party for the german
NS.
I do not see so much of relevance in that compared to the montenegrin
situation today, but
something is not too different, and then also difficult. The ones who
will stand alone and
free, and those who will be under the wings of a big brother, or together
in "the family". But
when one comes to the decisions, it will be the people, the majority
in open discussions and
elections to decide. This is democracy, at last the essence of what
democracy shall be in
the ideal way. As we have seen from the former east communist states,
that was more group
or personal dictatorships with enormous gains for the ones in power,
more than thru ideal
communism where all should share, both the decisions and the gains.
There will be a difficult and long way to the dreams, to the prosperity,
and seemingly
freedom of the capitalistic world. For many reasons. The mentality
takes a long time to gain,
the first to take the reins is often the ones who profited also in
old systems. The "free" world
is build on many bricks, a long "brainwash", to belive all in the name
of prosperity and
capitalism is good, the humanitarian and give before you receive introduction
to the masses,
before you release that when you pass a point of gaining, somebody
gains more than other.
The egoism and the cynism shows thru, and the bridge between the poor
and the rich
opens up once more. To know history, learning from it, and understand
it, can be of help to
try once more turn the key for human acceptance for a full society.
I learned to know, …..and love my friends in old Yugoslavia. I saw much
already in the late
70'ths and early 80'ths that we from the west could learn from. Then
came the beginning of
hate, of fright, and of powerplay into the hope for a future for the
country of many states and
people. To may remembered still, to many wanted to have the power,
and to many wanted
to keep theirs. The war was at hand, and we who have "gotten under
the skin" of our friends
saw the wounds open and the hate grew, with the good help of people
with education and
who you would belive wouldfightd for equality and safety for all. But
no,… and the people,
many generations, had to pay, and will pay for a long time yet.
With all the studies and interest, not only and pacifically for Yugoslavia,
but the world at
large and reaction psychology as a sector, one could see what that
future would and must
bring. If nobody turned and went to solve the problems with talks and
the pen, not weaponry
that killed so many, there would be disaster. And the disaster came
! The month of June 91 I
was in Igalo, and I could see, feel and observe the darkening of the
souls, the fright, the
eyes that went glassy with lost hope. And then it started ! After two
weeks, we was the 6'th
of July evacuated, let our friends behind in the hell that would consume
so much of them
and their life !
THEN begun the gatherings of facts, every book was read, compared with
own experience
and thoughts. Every news and special program was taped, studied and
put into contented
with other facts. Looking at the reactions from the world, saw old
thoughts and more or less
right insight re-emerge around every corner. Saw the younger President
of Montenegro who
had by the younger generation been hailed as something more right than
the old guard,
changing view and side, and loosing some of the hopes that the new
generation had for
him.
In December 1991 I did write the two leaders of the people I have had
most to do with,
Milosevic and Bulatovic ( also two times later, never rreceiving an
answer ), to beg for
changing the road they have taken, and what I thought would bring disaster
for the people. I wrote that i would hope never to see my friends in
Serbia and Montenegro
experience the fate of what we that year had seen in Baghdad, the forces
of US and their
co-operators bombing the town. There was a for me TOO big chance for
that to happen, out
of experience of history and insight to the psychology of warmongering.
They heed me not.
And years later, the bombs fell, and even our own Norway joined thru
NATO forces. I was
active to gain the build up of an international full war crime tribunal,
to take the place of the
tribunal for former Yugoslavia and that in Africa. It seems that that
will be formed in the last
week ( 120 underwriters ) of this year, but lacking the USA, Israel
( of all ) and some more
who is afraid to be put to trail for own wrongdoing to the human race.
Then the wars eased, in some way or another. But problems was not solved, nor is.
There are many mines ( in more then the direct word ) lying around,
that could detonate
every moment. And in the midst of the hell around, Montenegro managed
to do what they
thru hundreds of years had done, taking in the refugees, from every
place and of every
origin. There was no war ( except the bombings from NATO thru Kosovo
war ), and in the
midst of all, they took the way to democracy, saw the hope and did
the seeding that also
later brought the same to Serbia.
Foreigners, be it Norwegians or any others saw the hope thru Montenegro,
and placed their
talks, made their experiences there, and promised both some recognition
and help for then
and future. Sorry to say, when things changed also in Belgrade, to
many did forget, they
priced new "heroes", and was into realpolitics. Most to gain their
own interest, whatever
those my be.
Serbia came a long way from being a "outlaw" in international community,
to overnight
taking a place as a secure future friend of the west. But beware,….it
will take its time, there
are a thousand problems left undone, and in a few months the west can
be on other fields,
having other interest and priorities,…or in worst case loose all goodwill
with a Serbia that do
not deliver the package they do hope for. Already the good relationship
to the new hard
Russia that build on many old strains, can put splinters to co-operation
and aid. Riding two
horses, and the new US president and his men, both can bring conflicts.
The littlest of
quarrels inside Serbia can again bring them back as a "bad guy", and
international forces in
Kosovo not managing their job, the forces of Yugoslavia stepping inn,…and
we are back to
distrust, quarrels…….and warmongering ?
It is here Montenegro being the ant between two hard nails, what will
the people choose,
and what will that choosing bring of a future ? Will all parts accept
that what I think must be
accepted, the will of the people ? Should it be back to what most of
the nations history has
been, the standfast free country that hold their stance, or some form
of an alliance with
Serbia, at last then on completely equal terms. Or will someone, either
from inside or from
outside Montenegro choose the way of an "Ansluss", as we saw when Germany
toghether
with to many Austrians found out they where germans, and one "Reich".
What some in their
outermost belive also thought of when they named norwegian of the german
race to soften
their occupation in 194o.
It IS different to be taken by force or to just surrender to propaganda,
but both mingling of
stands will be wrong if the majority of people of the annexed or occupied
country vote for or
have a will for sovereignty. So I hope really all parts in this hopefully
gentleman's deal of
parliamentic discussions, and democratic solutions, well heed the people,
and do their
bidding. Any other action will seed new seeds of frustration, anger,
hate……and at last
fights and war. I pray we will not ever se that in Montenegro,…nor
in Serbia again !
This is my strongly personal, and all to short a writing of an enormous
complicated situation,
but still a word to friends, whatever or whoever they are. And hopefully
can influence this
case a little bit to the solution that also we, awaiting friends of
you, so long for, ….to be back
amongst you to see smiles, love and hope. Never again fright, nor lost
hopes for you,
children and new generations.
Jan Blaha
NORWAY
