OPINION: Nebojša Vujović
Veton Surroi is an intelligent advocate of Albanian national interests, often at the expense of Serbs in Kosovo. Hand in glove with a circle of Albanian intellectuals—from Adem Demaçi to today’s Albin Kurti—he “astutely” predicts the last Serbian war with the “Ustaše” and the “Šiptars.” As supposed proof, he points to slogans shouted by rebellious students and citizens—“Aco, Šiptar!”—and to Andrej Vučić’s raised middle finger and cry of “Ustaše!”
Surroi has subtly pulled symbols out of his and Kurti’s sleeves and immediately deployed them against Serbia in today’s difficult struggle of students and citizens for democracy. Once again, he trips us up from Pristina, because Kosovo’s regime has no interest in seeing democratic change in Serbia. And so, he pulls us down by the collar to the floor.
On that very floor still lies the so-called Kosovo democracy, which has failed 55 times to bring its parliament out of the electoral mousetrap in which Albanians themselves are caught. As if Surroi has not heard 50,000 Red Star and Partizan fans chanting “Vučić, you faggot,” or, ultimately, citizens and students shouting the same. None of this is cultured, but it is a fact.
No, he chooses what is politically and nationally opportune for Kurti’s regime, in order to further marginalize—and oppress—the dwindling Serbian population in Kosovo.
His commentary fits neatly into the attacks of Kosovo’s political hawks against “Shkije.” Am I also a “Shkija,” since I was born in Prizren? And what about him—the polished Albanian I once met at the Marriott Hotel on Capitol Hill—who, sensing (at the time) Milošević’s political decline and bloodshed, was handing out lessons? Though, sadly, we Serbs too bathed in that blood for a long time.
Does he now sense the downfall of Vučić’s regime and some new blood, and is that why he invokes the last Serbian war?
Haven’t Kosovo, Albania, and Croatia jointly purchased sophisticated American weapons? And does that mean Veton Surroi—as a refined journalist, or rather as an Albanian nationalist—is calling on Serbs to go to war? So who is naïve and “well-intentioned” here?
Street and stadium folklore is similar, whether in Serbia, Croatia, or Kosovo. There is only one difference.
Do you not see, Mr. Surroi, that Serbian youth are advocating for a multinational and multiconfessional community? Have you not seen the images and events from Novi Pazar? Have you not noticed the students on their way to Strasbourg and Brussels?
All of this—from stadiums, to the streets that for nine months have been chanting against the regime, to the fraternization in Novi Pazar, despite the propaganda of that same regime, and even to the running and cycling blisters and tears in Strasbourg—none of it can be seen today in Pristina or Zagreb!
Take off the national blindfold and sharpen your lens—you will see those dominant images, just as you heard “Aco, Šiptar” or Andrej’s “Ustaša.”
Do you only read the Serbian tabloids that incite, while ignoring the genuinely positive events flourishing in Belgrade? What is written in the Albanian-language media, and how do their studio commentators speak about Serbs in the north, about Serbs and Serbia in general?
Do young Albanians, alongside your academic community, raise their voices against an ever more autocratic and ultra-nationalist regime?
Fight against your stagnant economy, corruption, severe institutional crisis, shrinking democracy, and ultimately, the trampling of Serbian rights. Show that you have a civilizational and democratic gift—we have already seen the other, incendiary one, and we reject it.
How much has your American education influenced your views?
Do not fear the new Serbia. Do not frighten or disturb your compatriots. Use your talents constructively. Do not deceive your neighbors.
Greetings from Belgrade, which has begun to breathe the scent of freedom.
All views expressed in this text are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the editorial staff. KoSSev is not the author of this piece.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
