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Srbija 2020

The Silence….

Pity the poor media consumer in Serbia!  For the next 48 hours, we have lost our daily bread of electioneering, promises, baby-kissing, lovely hand-knit sweaters (providing the coveted Man-of-the-People causal look), dramatic camera angles, flag-waving, and – of course – rampant speculation about who plans to get in bed with whom after the electoral chips have all fallen.

The news programs will have to contain (egad!) NEWS, reminding us that while we have all been wondering about what Serbia will become, the cold shower of what Serbia actually IS is still out there on our doorsteps.

Hopes and dreams, step aside please!

But little did we realize that the famous election silence is actually part of a hugely CUNNING PLAN. As the hours of silence tick away until we go out to tick our ballots, the memory of the electioneering and campaigns rapidly begins to fade. By the time Sunday rolls around, we will all have forgotten which of the 20 candidates said what to whom. The candidates, as usual and as part of their job descriptions, have all made promises and made bold statements which would all benefit from a little mnemonic fuzziness. This is so that when the winners and the losers are all sorted out, there will be ample room for maneuvering and explaining why everything will pretty much be the same.

After the elections (and after the various shenanigans of political horse-trading in creating the next government), the same questions will remain unanswered. We will still wonder about getting into the EU. We will still wait to see our salaries match the cost of living. We will still be asked about cooperation with The Hague. And, let’s not forget the upcoming ex-cathedra proclamations of Pope Marti Ahtisaari. The incoming government, in short, will have the same To Do List as the outgoing one – even if the names and faces are changed.

During the election period, however, we have been able to sleep through these issues, hypnotized as we were by the flags and the sweaters. Now it is time for The Silence to reign, the fog of forgetfulness to roll in over the slogans.

Ironically, although we are generously given 48 hours to forget, I think 20 minutes might have done the trick.


Yes, 20 minutes would've

Yes, 20 minutes would've been enough. :) OK, I don't have anything against the Silence, but it should be limited to the media and the parties - not me/us. For example, we can't post any comments on this website's (politics) news section.

Why?

How am I going to affect anyone's choice by my views and why should a media outlet like this one be liable for my comments if there's a disclaimer that my views do not necessarily represent the views of B92? They're just a conduit. 95% of the electorate have already made up their minds.

The (unladen) swallows' flight-patterns have indicated the following:

1. Radicals - ca. 28%
2. DS - ca. 25%
3. DSS - ca. 20%
4. G17 - ca. 8%

----------------- (the 5% threshold)

5. SPO
6. SPS
7. LDP
8. PSS
9. SDP
10. Who cares


More interesting still...

In this question, I find it to be more interesting still to ask ourselves if we are quite happy to lead our lives under a system which regulates what can be discussed and when.

Moreover, how many steps away from regulating discussion is regulating actual thought?

This is not only about Politics, but in this case, does not it seem to be a good thing that the electorate should discuss the issues right up to the last moment?

If not, then I fear tht my playful musings about The Silence and Forgetfulness may be truer than I originally realized...

Dear B92 Guys: does not the election silence apply only to the parties and the candidates? Is it really true that you do not allow us (Regular Guys) to talk about the elections during this time when we finally have the campaign-free peace to do so?

CBF


Mr. Farmer,

I would have appreciated if we, Serbs who were unable to vote in our country, could have been permitted to vote electronically either from our respected embassies, or directly from our computers. As a citizen of Serbia, I am disappointed and discouraged with this constant barrier that the Serbian officials are creating when we, the “citizens squandered” ( u rasejanju) are concerned.
And if you don’t mind Sir, please tell me who you are since I haven’t came across your name before. I am new on this Blog 92.
As of the silence, you probably know how rambunctious we are and it's kinda difficult to keep quiet. In all instances.


Voting abroad

It seems to me that you are able to vote from abroad... I could be mistaken.

As to who I am: see http://blog.b92.net/node/1915 or www.farmer-spaic.co.yu.

That is, unless you had more abstruse ontological intentions.

CBF


Thank you Mr. Farmer. As I

Thank you Mr. Farmer. As I said, this is my beginning with Blog 92.As far as the possibility to vote from Georgia, it seems impossible. We are too far from Washington, or other places with Serbian consulates. When this type of thing is concerned, I’d have to bee at the spot, either in the embassy, or consulate, or in Belgrade, to be able to trust that my vote is going to be counted.