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Our protest regarding hate speech and threats to LGBT persons

IA strongly condemns the actions of individuals and groups that use hate speech, threatening and call for lynching the organizers of the forthcoming LGBT gathering in Budva. IA calls upon the police and authorities to immediately deal with the perpetrators and prosecute the offense of stirring up hatred and intolerance toward LGBT people.

Publishing of a mock obituary with a photo and full name of Zdravko Cimbaljević is a direct threat to his physical integrity, as well as all LGBT persons in Montenegro and undoubtedly incites hatred and spreads hostility toward LGBT people in our country.

The state of Montenegro is obliged to sanction any individual or group to commit criminal acts against LGBT people. In this sense, we demand the relevant institutions to respond adequately and protect the participants of the LGBT gathering scheduled for tomorrow. The right to public assembly and expression are fundamental human rights and the state has an obligation to enable everyone to freely use these rights, regardless of any personal characteristic.

Stevo Muk
President of the Managing Board

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Training on employment and selection in state administration

Our project associate, Milena Janketić, attended the training on “Recruitment and Selection”, held at RESPA (Regional School of Public Administration) on Wednesday, 10th July.

The training was organized by the Hungarian consulting company AAM Consulting, in order to build the institutional capacities of HRMA (Human Resources Management Authority) for the new Law on Civil Servants and State Employees implementation.

Institute Alternative monitors the implementation of the new Law on Civil Servants and State Employees since the start of 2013, as part of the project “Recruitment and Promotion in State Administration.” We believe that the training on recruitment and selection of HRMA, is of importance for the effective implementation of the new law, which should lead to employment and promotion based on merits in the public administration.

Anne Randvali, graduate psychologist with a master in the field of organizational behavior, led the educational training. Employees from different sectors of HRMA, were able to learn through practical exercises (interviewing, definition of recruitment), how to efficiently execute selection of candidates who applied for work in the civil service.

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Press release: Podgorica’s Plan Far From Reality

Institute Alternative (IA) submitted to the authorities of Montenegro’s capital Podgorica comments to the draft Action plan for fight against corruption, finding that the document is not aligned with the national priorities and that it does not provide convincing justification of the proposed strategic aims, measures and activities.

The draft action plan of capital Podgorica does not offer a detailed analysis of current situation. By failing to recognize main problems and limitations faced during the fight against corruption at local level, this document doesn’t clearly identify the corruption risks. The legitimacy of chosen strategic aims, measures and activities is thus questionable.

The draft is based neither on the analysis of corruption risks carried out by the Ministry of Finance in 2011, nor on the Public Administration Reform Strategy and other relevant documents, including the most recent European Commission’s progress reports on Montenegro.

In addition, it should clearly state which of the measures from the previous action plan were not realized or were just partially implemented, and which the reasons for these failings are.

Justification of costs in the draft action plan is not satisfactory. The special part, which would clearly determine amount of money needed for realization of each activity, should thus be added.

It is senseless for the action plan to urge implementation of the valid legal acts, as it is outlined firstly in the introduction of the document, and then listed more specifically within the several measures. If the intention of the authorities was to highlight significance of implementation of certain acts and norms, it is possible to envisage specific models for following the implementation, which would include regular reporting and indications of challenges during the enforcement of specific rules.

We are concerned over the practical absence of the Podgorica’s local assembly from the draft action plan, apart from the one envisaged activity. Specific measures for enhancing the oversight role of the assembly should be also envisaged. In that respect, earlier recommendations of the IA could be useful.

Although highly susceptible to corruption, public-private partnerships and concessions are not included into the plan.

Numerous measures from the plan lack direct connection to the fight against corruption, while many activities and their stakeholders are not properly defined.The deadline for completion of many activities is imprecise, being simply defined as “continuously”. If not amended, all this can hamper the plan’s realization.

Here you can download the Comments of the Institute Alternative to the draft Action plan for the fight against corruption in the local self-government of the Capital Podgorica 2013-2014 (in Montenegrin only!)

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Meeting with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s rapporteurs

IA’s Research Coordinator, Jovana Marovic, participated in a meeting with the new rapporteurs (Nursuna Memecan from Turkey and Kimmo Sasi from Finland) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for Montenegro, 8 July 2013. The focus of the meeting was at the following topics: judiciary, electoral law, fight against corruption and public administration reform. Beside the representative of the Institute Alternative, the meeting was attended by representatives of the Centre for Civic Education, MANS, the Civic Alliance and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights.

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Corruption at the local level – consultative trainings in 14 municipalities

Within the project “Corruption at the local level – zero tolerance”, in the period from 3 until 25 July, consultative trainings will be organized in 14 municipalities. They are aimed at representatives of local NGOs, local administration and local MPs from committees dealing with budget and finance and the topics covered fall into in the sphere of the best EU anti-corruption programs and strategies.

Project covers 14 municipalities: Podgorica, Cetinje, Niksic, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi, Kotor, Tivat, Budva, Bar, Rozaje, Pljevlja, Mojkovac, Kolasin and Pluzine.

During meetings in the municipalities, special attention is given to the following topics:

  • Public-private partnerships – accountability, transparency and efficiency; Corruption and public procurement in Montenegro; Combating corruption in employment at the local level – Jovana Marović, IA
  • Operation and capabilities of the local parliaments – Damir Nikočević, CGO
  • Control of local budgets – Marko Sošić, IA
  • Political corruption: definition and causes, political corruption and the rule of law – Boris Maric, CGO

“Corruption at the local level – zero tolerance!” is a project funded by the European Union through the EU Delegation to Montenegro in the framework of IPA 2011, and implemented by the Center for Civic Education (CCE), in cooperation with IA, as well as NGO Bonum from Pljevlja and NGO Nada from Herceg Novi.

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Protest over rejection of our initiative

We express strong protest regarding the decision of the Committee on Health, Labor and Social Welfare to reject our initiative for organizing a consultative hearing on public procurement in the health sector. Its incomprehensible that Committee which has health care in its jurisdiction was not interested to learn more about the problems in the public procurement sector, because its functionality is a precondition for the functioning of the health system as well.We ask DPS’ MP’s, who voted against the motion (Zoran Jelić, Halil Duković, Zorica Kovačević and Zoran Srzentić) to explain the reasons for voting against the initiative to the public, citizens and especially to patients.

There was nothing more natural than for the Committee to initiate a debate on this important issue in existing situation.

We thank the MP Janko Vučinić from DF who formally proposed the initiative, as well as to MPs: Neven Gošović and Andrija Popovic, who voted for the initiative.

We regret because of the absence of the opposition members (Novica Stanić, Radovan Asanović) and an MP from SDP (Izet Bralić).

We expect from the Committee on Economics, Finance and Budget, to put this issue on the next session’s agenda and return public trust in the Parliament.

We would like to remind the public that we sought conducting of a joint consultation hearing of responsible actors in the field of public procurement of medicines, medical devices and equipment, by the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget along with Committee on Health, Labor and Social Welfare, in order to find the best legal solutions and practices to prevent the continuation and repetition of the current public procurement crisis in this sector.

Public procurement in the health sector over the last and current year were marked with numerous problems.

The case of insulin supply as well as the procurement of medicines and other medical supplies in the past year, which are accompanied by non-compliance with statutory deadlines for appeal, canceling the tender, and several months long procedure that caused the shortage of drugs, cutting a decision of the State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement, pointed the need for more precise legal regulation and better functioning of institutions in the public procurement system.

The importance of this issue is emphasized by the fact that in for public procurement in the health sector is being spent about fifty million and that the ultimate beneficiaries of these goods (drugs) are patients. We are bound, as a society and the state to provide them with the minimum requirements for treatment during the year. We owe it to prevent people in need to be victims of the law, incompetence, corruption and bureaucracy. It is necessary to prevent repeating of the shortage of medicines in 2014.

The Parliament of Montenegro must contribute to the solution of the current public procurement crisis in the health sector (purchase of medicines, medical supplies and equipment). Joint work and activities of the Committee on Economy, Finance and Budget, Committee on Health, Labor and Social Welfare (as committees in charge for procurement and health care) should be able to find a proper solution for overcoming the problems in this area.

Stevo Muk
President of the Managing Board