University Professor Says Opposition Leadership Infiltrated by Regime Elements

Jovo Bakic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Belgrade School of Philosophy professor Jovo Bakic said on Nov. 21 that government elements had infiltrated the upper echelon of the opposition and that they were decieving people, adding that a part of them were the regime opposition whose job was to "lead the people left-right."

"We walk a little, we talk a little in parliament. Without any goal, any purpose, any effect. We need to settle things between us; in other words, people that are not ours are amongst us," Bakic told the Vreme weekly. He said that he expected nothing from the opposition, because part of it was the regime's and part of it honest and that the honest part needed to understand whom it was dealing with.

"Repression is increasing. We already have arrests and people being jailed now and there will be more and more of this," Bakic said, adding that the part of the opposition that was honest needed to understand that the usual methods of battle were not going to produce results.

He also said that the opposition needed to be more active and that the liberal mantra "we do not want violence" was constantly being repeated and that people did not understand the difference between strategic and tactical planning. "First of all, we need to protest peacefully. The most important thing now is for as many people to come to the protests as possible to show our numbers (...) Second, we need to be ready for force. These two things are not mutually exclusive," Bakic said.