Vesna Pešić was the president of the Civic Association of Serbia.
Sociologist Vesna Pešić is a guest in the tenth show “PERSONAL with Peter Latinović”, which is broadcast every Wednesday on the MONDO portal from 8 p.m.
In an exclusive interview, Vesna Pešić spoke, among other things, about the successes and failures of the opposition during the nineties, but also about March 9, October 5, Carrington’s peace plan, Vojislav Kostunica, Slobodan Milošević, Milan Panić, Ante Marković.
“The events of the nineties were continuously stormy. Remember March 9, 1991. It was significant because it was a fight for the media. That rebellion was for the removal of the director of RTS. Some events take on a slightly larger dimension because you have a very harsh reaction from the regime. I remember from the son of one of my friends, who did not participate in the demonstrations, the police beat him so badly that they barely saved him. As soon as they saw the young man… The pressure was great. There was also a Yugoslav Presidency where Slobodan Milošević demanded that the tanks be brought out. Remember the water cannons, people were beaten. This is when the regime reacts too harshly and then an event takes on a bigger dimension, as I said,” said Vesna Pešić.
According to her, Slobodan Milošević played two cards – one card was turning towards Stalinist socialism and the other card was nationalism, which unfortunately always fails in Serbia.
“I remember when Zoran Đinđić once said – I have now deeply penetrated the citizens, they are both nationalists and socialists. Those were two very strong cards of Milosevic. And that nationalism was developing. Here I was growing up without knowing about any kind of Serbian nationalism My mother taught French at the Pedagogical Academy. I remember that I asked her the first time I saw a man in Pancevo with a shubara and a cockade – what is it with that Serbianness, everyone is talking about it now. And she told me – it’s a Paor thing. We didn’t grow up in that,” said Vesna Pešić.
Speaking about those who crossed the Milošević line, she also recalled Milan Panić, whom she says Serbia “went crazy for.”
“Milan Panić came in 1992. Serbia was crazy about Panić. Since Panić was so popular, none of the parties ran, not even Vuk Drašković. Panić made such a plan, it was so convincing that it gained a lot of support. He came out on the Milošević line and got one and a half million votes. I remember a conference in London where our delegation was present and where Milošević and Panić were also present. And then Milosevic wanted to take the floor and Panić told him – shut up, you are my governor. We all died laughing,” said Vesna Pešić.
She also touched on the economic reform implemented by Ante Marković.
“When Ante Marković appeared, he created an economic program and completely turned the situation around. I was then able to buy, for example, the PC 286 in Singapore, which was the most modern at the time, and have it delivered to my home address. The plan was good – the whole of Yugoslavia to join the EU. He started those economic reforms. Marković was extremely successful in Serbia. He was very popular in Serbia. However, I remember Dobrica Ćosić who said why Ante is now confusing the Serbian people when we have already made a plan. And the plan was to go to war“, said Vesna Pešić.
And when we talk about wars, she especially pointed out that the last chance to stop the war in the former Yugoslavia was the Carrington plan.
“Carrington’s plan proposed that all states be recognized, but that they then enter the confederation and that it remains a kind of Yugoslavia. All the republics were privatized except for Milošević. It was an anti-war plan. Momir Bulatović also signed. And then I heard stories that Milošević’s men took Bulatović to the toilet and told him – you have to withdraw your signature or your head will end up in the toilet. I don’t know if that story is true, but I know that they threatened him terribly. And he withdrew his signature,” said Vesna Pešić.
What she never forgave Vuk Drašković, how she now sees the events during 1996 when the election theft happened, how she remembers the fifth of October, about the conflict between Vojislav Koštunica and Zoran Đinđić… these are just some of the topics that Vesna Pešić talks about spoke during a guest appearance on the show “PERSONAL with Peter Latinović”.
(WORLD)