|
Elections in Serbia: Orwel 2000
By Aleksandar Djaja The parliamentary elections in Serbia gave forth
the convincing victory of DOS, which won 176 out of 250 seats in the National
Assembly of the Republic of Serbia. However, after 'coming to the streets', one
realizes that the DOS victory is, actually, far from convincing - only 58% of
the voters cast their votes, which means that DOS will be ruling Serbia after
winning the mere 1/3 of the total number of eligible votes. As for the voting
process itself, it should be said that none of the political parties, nor any of
the many foreign observers, had any serious objections, and one might draw an
off-hand conclusion, that the elections were both regular and
peaceful.
The truth is quite different, though. The events in
the past three months, and during the "election silence" in particular, were
anything but regular! Namely, never in the past ten-odd years since the
renewal of the parliamentary life in Serbia, the media have played such a
perfidious and shameful role, favoring one side (this time, the DOS), and
satanizing their political opponents.
Never during the past ten years' (and, possibly,
during even a much longer) period, has appeared in this region a political
organization, based on the abuse of minors for political purposes, and wrapped
in a seemingly benign, teenage-intellectual wrapping foil, such as the one named
OTPOR. Accidentally or not, by their own will, and/or by the will of the experts
for the subversive- and propaganda war from the western centers of political
power, the OTPOR through its pre-election, Orwellian, media presentation, played
possibly the crucial role in the intimidation of the followers of SPS (the
Socialist Party of Serbia) and of the other political groups outside DOS,
preventing them to freely express their political notions in the 23rd October
voting.
The role of the so-called "independent media",
actually the strictly controlled printed and electronic propaganda machine of
DOS, in the election campaign was three-fold. Firstly, to defame the former
authorities, using all the moral and (predominantly) immoral means, and
half-truths (or, half-lies). Secondly, to obscure, or rather to push into
oblivion, the last year's NATO aggression, while the NATO leaders, the war
criminals and the chief political and financial sponsors of the DOS campaign,
should not be just absolved for their war crimes, but even, if possible,
projected as the "victims" of the former "non-democratic regime", while the
aggression should be represented as the "necessary evil" which, simply, was
inevitable under "such a regime". And thirdly, the victory of DOS at the
parliamentary elections in Serbia should be trumpeted daily as a
"self-explanatory" fact, since otherwise even the Sun would stop shining, while
all the Serbs would be turned by the "civilized and democratic West" into
grasshoppers, or some other pests, and pedantically sprayed by DDT every day,
from airplanes...
After all that has come to us from the West in the
past ten-odd years, indeed, our average informed- and educated, but
above-average tormented, fellow countrymen were not hard to convince that even
such a DDT option is realistic.
I wonder, how one might not believe our media, when
even the recent DOS co-minister (the term "co-minister" has not yet been
deciphered!) Ms. Biserka Matic, has coolly said that all the media in Serbia are
free, "except several of them, that have recently been launched by the
Socialists"(!??).
Such demagoguery surpasses even the old "Brozian"
one, which the actual holders of the federal and republic authority ostensibly
disdain, while it conspiciously sticks out from their, de-moth-balled "communist
overcoat"?
As for the technology of vote casting, this time it
was enriched by two novelties: the control lamps, and the invisible dye sprays.
O. K. We may disregard the fact that voting like
this one has not been seen anywhere, at least not in the Western Europe and in
the United States, only in the Republic of Srpska; we may disregard also the
fact that by such "marking", the voters actually were branded, if not like
cattle than for sure as "suspicious individuals" with a tendency towards thefts
and other kinds of criminal behaviors; finally, we may also disregard the fact
that nobody bothered to ask the citizens of Serbia whether they really wish to
be lighted by violet-colored lamps, like monkeys in the cage in a zoo, and
sprayed by the "invisible dye" like scabby dogs and cats? Yet, we must ask those
who, on our behalf, agreed to such a "circus", whether such mockery was really
introduced just to prevent any individuals to vote twice (which nobody in Serbia
has ever intended to, anyway)? Or, more likely, the well-known international
company that produces flashlights, torches etc., has been encountering financial
difficulties lately, and wanted to earn some extra cash in Yugoslavia. Likewise,
the sprays with "invisible dye" might have contained the hair spray instead,
whose time has expired, and as such was perfect for the development of democracy
in Serbia.
In such a way, we come also to the OTPOR.
"From birth to death, the member of the Party lives
under the surveillance of the Mind Police. Even if he is alone, he cannot know
for sure whether he indeed is alone. Wherever he is, in his dreams on in
reality, at work and at leisure, in the bathroom or in the bed, he can be
watched without knowing it, without any warning. Nothing that he does is
irrelevant. His friends, the way he takes his rest, his attitude towards his
spouse and children, the expression on his face when he is alone, the words he
murmurs in his sleep, even his characteristic body motions, are painstakingly
observed... He has no freedom of choice in any direction." ("1984", by George
Orwel)
Did the citizens of Serbia have a choice, after
October 5th, the setting on fire of the federal parliament building, seizing the
power by the revolutionary committees (the "crisis staffs"), the fascinating
single-mindedness of the media in the service of a single political group (the
"DOS-mindedness", as George Orwell might say) unprecedented in this area since
the communist-partisan takeover in 1945, and the enormous media, political,
economical and military pressure by the western power centers, as the supreme
transmission of the DOS election campaign? Here I mean, the essential choice
between different political options, which results from a conscientious
assessment of both the analytically reexamined past, and the anticipated future?
Or, possibly, like anywhere in the West, in the countries with the multi-decade
old model of parliamentary democracy (obviously, decrepit by now), the choice
was only formally offered as the "grand finale" of the pre-election multi-media
spectacle, which is related to the reality as closely as Disneyland is to the
hungry children in the less fortunate parts of the world.
The OTPOR, placarding during the election campaign
its symbol, the black-and-white clinched fist (!), using billboards located at
the busiest intersections in the city, posters and TV spots, newspaper
advertisements, even the floor of a basketball arena (!), not only annulled the
democratic election procedure, but also lead to a paroxysm the, otherwise
natural, aspirations of the young people for changes in the everyday life. By
its three main slogans, "We are just watching you", "Stamp it!", and "Use it
(your brain)", this organization which had trumpeted the decisive role of the
young generation in the decisions regarding both their, and other people's
lives - actually established the role of the Dogma, as the (dark) driving force,
which is above life and above the destiny of any individual.
Who was the OTPOR "just watching", and at whom was
the bulldozed (from the billboards) aimed at, all set to crush any passer-by
that has different political views?
What (and who) was to be "stamped" at the December
23rd republic elections in Serbia? Why was, for this purpose, used the notorious
gangsters' idiom, with a well-known connotation?
As for those 2/3 (two thirds!) Serbian citizens,
who either have not voted, or voted for the "others", the OTPOR's message is
that, since they do not know how to "use their brains", they will their brains
"reconditioned" at OTPOR's expense.
And at who's expense was organized and directed the
obvious "abuse of minors for political purposes", unprecedented in the modern
democratic world?
And how long is its lifetime? Or such question is
already outdated.
It is not sufficient to say that the parliamentary
elections for the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia of 23rd of
December have a shadow of doubt over them.
They are a shadow.
|
