“NIN” MAGAZINE “: FOR MORALITY AND TRUTH”

Article by Mr. Matija Beckovic Academician and Member of the Crown Council

How can we reestablish our institutions if we don’t reestablish the one that had established all the others

For more than a decade the state and the ideology that abolished monarchy and introduced republic have gone. The Day of the Republic has gone, too, but there is the inheritance , a “change” after we have paid the bill of communism – the republic without its birthday.

On the eve of the bicentennial of Karadjordje’s Uprising and the modern Serbian state, Serbia has no national anthem, no coat of arms, no flag, no government, no parliament, no president of the republic. Jajce reappears in Orasac, and Serbia is neither republic, nor monarchy, and it is hardly a state at all. If it is not a state, it is difficult to talk about the state system. In the general chaos, there is everything, left from the center, right from the center, only there is no center. At this moment Serbia has almost no institutions, except the one that is separated from the state and that has, as the carrier of continuity, said its word loud and clear. The word has been said for moral reasons and commitments to truth, and it could not have been different , for the Church had no choice. Someone has said there are no republics in heaven, and no one is elected for four years by the Grace of God.

One half of the decree that deprived the Karadjordjevics of their property and their citizenship was nullified, another half wasn’t. The decision of the communists’ assembly on abolishment of monarchy remained in power. Any democratic government would have to make such decision null and void, and until it has not been done, that issue can’t be taken as resolved. The Church has only asked for that decision to be nullified, and then what steps would be taken to reestablish monarchy would be the responsibility of the authorities in charge.

The Crown and the altar have had the same opponents during the last half of a century, even when they didn’t have the same supporters. And just the same as those who don’t believe in God think that it is the proof that there is no God, so do the supporters of republic believe that it is the proof that there is no Crown. Ever since Serbia exist, and ever since the Serbs know who they are, Serbia was a Kingdom. It is its Christian name. But during the fifty years of tyranny it seems if it has forgotten what a Kingdom is, and that it has ever been a Kingdom. Hail to the King was for the last time heard in front of the firing squads and in the courts, so it was forgotten, although many people vowed they wouldn’t.

Of course, this is not a debate about republic and monarchy. This only our case, the case of a republic established in blood and lawlessness, which were unprecedented in Serbian history, and this is about the constitutional parliamentary monarchy as a centuries long institution of Serbian people which is as old as the Serbian state itself. It is enough to be against lawlessness, there is no need to be a monarchy supporter. And the most important thing is that in Serbia there are more opponents of tyranny, then supporters of monarchy. This is a matter of principles, not of somebody being a monarchist or not. There is hardly any issue that reflects more clearly respect of human rights, freedom and democratic values. The worst approach to this issue is ideological and daily politics. Regrettably, precisely this approach is the loudest and speaks most of itself, and nothing of monarchy.

There are many reasons to reestablish monarchy and only one not do so. That one being the wish to preserve the continuity of communism and lawlessness. That is why there is no more obvious change nor more striking evidence that we have broken up with communism and its heritage than the reestablishment of monarchy. What it will look like, perhaps can be best seen by looking at today’s European Kingdoms, and by looking at any of the constitution of the twelve Kingdoms, the EU members. How can we reestablish our institutions if we don’t reestablish the one that had established all others. It is an insult to our national minorities and other confessions to say they are against the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Serbia.

The Church has spoken. It is up to us to decide whether we are going to listen to it or argue with it and lecture it how this is not the right moment for the morality and truth.