“If anyone has publicly spoken about problems in society, it was SANU,” said former president of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), Vladimir S. Kostić, to Nova, after SANU submitted a public demand for the resignation of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić.
They cited deep concern for the state of democracy, institutions, and society in the country as the reason, and now academicians are telling Nova.rs how that decision came about.
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts has submitted a request for the resignation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, emphasizing that the demand for resignation is not politically motivated, but stems from moral responsibility towards citizens and the future of Serbia, according to Radar.
They add that, in a time of deep crisis and polarization, the president’s withdrawal is the only possible step towards dialogue, the restoration of institutions, and regaining trust in the state. The statement, signed by several Academy members, asserts that President Vučić is responsible for the collapse of the democratic order. In support of this, they cited: manipulation of the electoral process, vote buying and abuse of state resources, control over the judiciary and endangering legal certainty, suppression of media freedoms and turning public service into a propaganda tool.
The academicians further supported their demand by listing the country’s non-transparent and excessive indebtedness, the cover-up of criminal affairs and widespread corruption, and the neglect of key social sectors such as education, healthcare, science, and culture.
This news resonated with the domestic public, and two SANU academicians are speaking to Nova.rs about how this came to be.
The Academy is Not United
Vladimir S. Kostić, in a statement to Nova.rs, explains that this decision was made during a regular assembly session, and that certain members initiated a proposal calling for a declaration on the demand for the President of the Republic to resign. The initiative, according to former SANU president Vladimir Kostić, originated from individuals and does not represent the official stance of the Academy.
“This is a routine discussion point at the end of every annual assembly. Some members presented justified demands, but members can, but do not have to, declare themselves on them. The Academy, on this issue, as on many others, is not united,” said Kostić.
He emphasized that the initiative for the president’s removal is not submitted on behalf of the entire SANU, but as the personal views of individual academicians.
“This is not the first time members have come out with such demands. I remember that 64 academicians signed a demand for Milošević’s removal, but they did so as citizens at the time, not on behalf of the Academy,” Kostić recalled, adding that there was no vote for this initiative, but that it was left to individuals’ conscience, with a deadline of about two weeks for a possible declaration.
Academician Nenad Kostić, a chemist and SANU member, supports the initiative for the president’s resignation.
“I support every initiative that seeks the resignation of the President of the Republic, because he violates the Constitution and laws. If he were to resign, legality in the country would improve. I don’t know who exactly initiated the proposal, but whoever it is – they are right,” said Nenad Kostić.
Referring to frequent criticisms that SANU remains silent on important social issues, Nenad Kostić says that the Academy is not a service for solving social problems, but a learned society.
“Members should act as individuals. SANU once burned itself due to its work on the 1986 Memorandum and is now cautious. Some members are conscientious and active, but I understand the hesitation of others, because it is known what happened to former president Vladimir Kostić,” concluded the Nova interlocutor.
However, the Academy is often under public scrutiny for its lack of public statements on these issues, until very recently. Kostić says that such criticisms are not accurate, and that he personally, as well as SANU, bore consequences based on their political declarations.
“If anyone spoke about it, it was SANU. If anyone bore consequences, it was SANU, including myself. A large number of academicians declared themselves by name and surname and stood up, where many did not. Another thing is that we have a kind of representative logic here, ‘you go ahead and speak out, so I don’t have to.’ The Academy has spoken, and even in these current moments, it has made itself very clear,” concluded Vladimir Kostić for Nova.rs.
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Source: Nova.rs, Photo: ATA Images