We have been shooting our own feet long enough

 I didn’t come back to my homeland to do a shock therapy. Our country had been through so much. Our country had been through decades of dictatorship, through a decade and more of a cunning type of dictatorship, isolation, sanctions, criminal bombing. Our poor people lost their lives, became poor, there were no angels in the former Yugoslavia, we all suffered, so I didn’t come back here to be a dictator

 

Journalist: Bogoljub Pejcic

 

Your Royal Highness, you and I met for the first time in London thirteen years ago. You are now at your home, in your homeland and I would like to know, considering the time that has passed, how do you feel in Serbia now? 

I am very happy for being here, in our country, in my grandfather’s and my father’s home, it has always been my dream to come back to my country. Since we came back to Serbia in July 2001, my wife and I have been actively working for our people and for a better future. My wife is engaged in humanitarian work, she organizes charities all over Serbia. I work in bringing people who can invest into our country, and who can be our partners. Our sons are at their universities and they come to Serbia on holidays. 

EVERYBODY IS EXPECTING BETTER DAYS 

What were your reasons, two years after your return to the country, to decide to present your project of reestablishment of monarchy in Serbia to the public? 

The time is every day for this solution for stability. When I came back to live in our country, close to our people, in July 2001, it was logical that one had to get to know the country. I have had the pleasure of traveling throughout our country, not only have I travel visiting hospitals, we have also visited factories. So the time is for stability, unity and continuity. The need for jobs, for without jobs, there is no future. The failure of three presidential elections was striking, and so I thought, I’ll come out now. 

You have had many formal and working meeting with many public figures and politicians in Serbia. Have you had any consultations with any of them, on the reestablishment of monarchy, and if you have, what were their reactions. 

It’s always a pleasure to meet with politicians, public figures, and particularly, people in general. The initiative was purely my own. After seeing the situation across the country, that people have lost hope for the future, I thought that I would introduce something for stability. The principle of constitutional parliamentary monarchy is that the Monarch reigns and the Government rules. So my view is that we should have this in position and allow the Government that was elected by the people with the job. Of course, the Government after the elections of 28 December will have a monumental task. People are waiting for a better future, for jobs. They are fed up of shooting ourselves in the feet. 

NO SOLUTION SHOULD BE DISMISSED OUTRIGHT 

It is well known that you have established connections with a great number of influential people from the world of politics, business and culture during your stay in the West. What makes you believe that Serbia as a Kingdom would represent our country’s interest better than as a Republic in the international community?  

We must think of what our people are going through. We had some very good plans for privatization, to get factories going, and partnerships. Owing to differences between personalities, we fell behind our reforms. People are in despair, wondering what about social services, what about health care? So if you read a newspaper like the Financial Times or The Economist, you will see some pretty critical articles about stability in our country. Now, like all countries, we depend on everyone, including our neighbors to get the economy going. We are in Europe and not on another planet. I have also listened to many foreign politicians and annalists about their views of the situation in our country. Everyone is looking for stability and unity and for the democratic process, to work and for human rights. 

It has often been stated that Your Royal Highness is a warrant of our territorial integrity and sovereignty, that you are the only one who can bring back peace to this country, and on the other hand, you can be a defense against Albanian terrorism and secession, for you can influence other royal families to do so much in the NATO and other international organization. What is your comment? 

Security for all citizens, and that includes Kosovo, comes from the strong and united Government, and also from an opposition which thinks for the good for the country and also to have a first class relationship with the international community. The objective in Kosovo is respect of all citizens. The attempt has be made, but the Government has to be strong and united with the opposition. This is a national situation. Being strong also means getting the country back to work, for without the country back to work, there are no funds to make the country work. We need to improve our image abroad, to be able to help our Serbian people in Kosovo, we must tell them that we are 100% democratic and respect all citizens. Our Serbs need to be defended in an intelligent way – through stability, unity, continuity, democracy and human rights. 

NO USE OF ENDLESS TALK 

How much alive are the memories of the ties between Karadjordjevic family and other European dynasties? 

I am very proud to be a Karadjordjevic. I have Serbian blood and Montenegrin blood in my veins. Owing to a few marriages we are related to foreign monarchies. My wife and I had the pleasure to be invited on numerous occasions to visit and stay with these foreign Monarchies. We also have good relations with republics. The European Union consists of constitutional parliamentary monarchies and republics and they work together for all citizens of the Union, so we might as well do the same here between Montenegro and Serbia. In addition, we have the pleasure to have a good friendship with other monarchies of the Middle East, and even further away. We live in a very small world, but as a people we can not make it smaller. 

Considering what you have just said, do you hope for the support of the most powerful country in the world, the United States, for the reestablishment of monarchy in Serbia, having in mind that this country has had a republican attitude ever since it was founded and, on the other hand, the fact that its global policy has always been pragmatic? 

Within the European Union, there are republics and monarchies, as I have just said and they work day by day hand in hand for the good of the citizens of the Union. The presidency of the European Union rotates every six months and it’s either a republic or a parliamentary monarchy which takes the presidency. We are a sovereign country, we are responsible for our future, to make the country work. What we have to do is make this country stable. So, if it’s either a good republican constitution or a good constitutional parliamentary monarchy constitution, both could provide the same thing – stability, but we got to make our minds up. The closest ally of the United States is a monarchy – the United Kingdom. The US are not telling them what to do, for the head of state and the system. What everybody is looking for, including our citizens, is stability and the functioning of democracy and the cut out of “prica, prica”. 

Is the voting of our citizens in a referendum the right way for the reestablishment of the Kingdom of Serbia? 

This is a very delicate question. We have to have a Parliament. We have elections of 28 December, which is very good and in a constitutional parliamentary monarchy there are parliamentary elections like in a republic. We have a parliamentary republic at the moment, fine, so what has to be decided is the mechanic. But there’s one thing I really must say, that a monarch is not competing for a political position. The Monarch is respecting all political and personalities, providing they abide by the democratic principles. So the system is in question, how we are going to operate – as a constitutional parliamentary monarchy or a parliamentary republic. I don’t think either one can be dismissed outright, either one must be studied. So let’s leave it to the next Parliament to discuss this very firmly and get people’s opinions in. 

The opponents of monarchy support their arguments by pointing out allegedly the huge expenses of the Court. However, if we take into account how much has the state administration cost us so far, starting from the Broz’s one, through Milosevic’s and until the DOS’s and their various privileges, this kind of argument rather fades away. What do you think? 

I don’t think the critics have taken much time to understand how a constitutional parliamentary monarchy works. This is not a fault of the critics, but maybe the fault of us for not explaining what it’s all about. First of all, constitutional parliamentary monarchy is the democratic process in many countries in the world, for example Japan, Spain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Holland, the United Kingdom etc. The Head of state does not need to go through elections, there is no political campaign. That is an incredible cost to run an election and a political campaign. The constitutional parliamentary monarchy also lives in a place which does not pay any rent and if you look at the other constitutional parliamentary monarchies, the cost involves only a close unit of the family, the King, his wife and the children. The rest have to work for themselves. Tough, but that’s the way life is. The concern about an office, that would be the same office as in a presidential system, but reduced, because the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, that is his Ministers, they actually have to run the country and make it function – not the Monarch. The Monarch is there to bring everybody together and respect the Government and also respect the opposition. Everybody counts.  

Do you believe that the first session of the newly elected Parliament of Serbia should have the proposal of the constitution of the Kingdom of Serbia by Professor Pavle Nikolic on its agenda? 

The question of Constitution for the next Parliament to deal with is very important for the future of our country. I am not interfering in the process. What I am recommending is that constitutional parliamentary monarchies that have constitutions, for example Spain, must be closely studied. It is for our Parliament to decide what type of committee to form to examine their wisdom. They must examine everything. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. So you take the Spanish Constitution, which is a modern one – not everything relates to us, but they did put a lot of sweat into it. They have an interesting situation because they have different entities like Catalonia, Andalusia etc., which brings the whole democratic process together. So I would suggest that a little bit of reading takes place, not only read republican constitutions, but to read some of the great ones of the European Union which are constitutional parliamentary monarchy constitutions. 

NO BERLIN WALLS 

How did you feel about the public appeal of the Serbian Patriarch Pavle who supported putting right of the historical injustice and the return of the Crown of Karadjordjevic? 

I have the deepest respect for our Patriarch, His Holiness Pavle, and of course, the Holy Synod, our Bishops and the whole Church. There is a tradition of Church and Monarchy respecting each other deeply. There is also a great tradition of respect of all other religions and ethnic groups. We are one nation and we have to live together and we have tremendous culture and tremendous heritage. It’s very important that we also understand that religion is for the good of the people and this is exactly what His Holiness Patriarch Pavle has always been saying. He is a great man, who has the most wonderful relations with all religions.  

What, in your opinion are the main national priorities beside joining European integrations, which has reached the general consensus (although about the aim, but not about the methods to achieve it)? 

When the next Parliament takes up session, of course first there is going to be a decision of what type of coalition they may have to have. After that we have a Government. All this must be done calmly, without anybody going into overdrive with “prica, prica”, because the people are waiting patiently for the future. But the future is today also. Jobs is the number one priority of our country, but also security. Relationship internally of all institutions, relations with the international community, the rule of law, are the objective which is the sensible one – member of the European Union. This century. In a few years. I am worried that we will fall behind. Yes, we have had a problematic past, with pain, but we cant lose any more time. We have to get the economy function, social services, we cannot be like a piece of meat in the middle of a sandwich, with all countries around us becoming members of the European Union. For example, this spring, that will be Hungary, or neighbor and even the former republic of the former Yugoslavia – Slovenia ... not to forget the strive of Romania and Bulgaria to move into the European Union. So, we have to work together with not only Serbia and Montenegro, but together with Macedonia, with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, Romania and with Bulgaria. This is an incredible market of 50 million plus people. We cannot have any Berlin walls between us. We depend upon each other to survive, to create jobs, we depend upon security and human rights of everybody in this territory and the rule of law.

TO BE FAIR AND RESPECT ALL 

Will you support the return of the property to the Serbian Orthodox Church and to wealthy Serbian Businessmen that was confiscated sixty years ago by the communists, to its rightful heirs? 

We must protect everyone. What happened in the past – confiscation and nationalization was a violation of rights. So you not only have the Church’s property, but you have the property of private individuals that must be restituted in a calm and intelligent manner. This is also a matter for the legislative body of the Parliament to deal with and to also learn from the experience of the former satellite countries of the Soviet Union, what did they do. So I would strongly recommend that the Church property be restituted, but what I would also recommend is that the private property of the individuals that was stolen be restituted according to the formulas that have to be decided by our Parliament, but also respecting individuals who may be living in these properties today. I would feel very hurt if an old couple were turfed out of their apartment or a building. So we must be sensible and fair and respect all. 

I DID NOT COME BACK TO BE A DICTATOR 

The Crown Council and the Privy Council consist of many Serbian intellectuals, headed by a few SANU academicians. Why haven’t they after the 5 October promoted more energetically the program that you have presented at the White Palace, as an alternative to the obviously inefficient and quite discredited republican parliamentary? 

I didn’t come back to my homeland to do a shock therapy. Our country had been through so much. Our country had been through decades of dictatorship, through a decade and more of a cunning type of dictatorship, isolation, sanctions, criminal bombing. Our poor people lost their lives, became poor, there were no angels in the former Yugoslavia, we all suffered, so I didn’t come back here to be a dictator. It’s obvious with the name I carry and the way the system works – primogeniture – that I am supposed to be what I am, so I think that the moment is right, after so many failures and the loss of direction of the country. But I will say something – that everybody must go and vote on 28 December, rain or shine.