KOTOR ART WILL BE FUNDED BY THE MUNICIPALITY, WITHOUT THE FUNDS OF THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE

The fact that the new local government is unwavering, that it does not adhere to blackmail and is not subject to the undue pressure of the Government of Montenegro and its ministry is shown by the fact that the Municipality of Kotor, in agreement with the organizer, took over the entire financing of the festival Kotor Art. We immediately said that the Ministry of Culture, with the perfidious obstruction plan, at the very last moment, will not be able to call into question the achievement of functions in the field of culture through the new local government made up of opposition parties that honestly gained the trust of the citizens of Kotor in the previous elections to exercise power.

What we say is what we do! We can say that and fulfill it, as well as resist the pressure of the Government, because we are the responsible local government in the service of citizens. How wrong and shameful is to obstruct the new democratic governance in Kotor, which enjoys the full confidence of citizens, at the expense of the culture, testifies the trap of the Ministry of Culture and the ambush by minister of culture Janko Ljumović, in view of the termination of the long practice of Kotor Art funding, made right before the preparations.

The ambush made by Ljumović will not pass, and he should be clear to it, because the new local administration, headed by the mayor Vladimir Jokić, has the power to gain public interest, to save and cut privileges, to introduce the order, to abolish party employment and to gain the trust of citizens, as well as of business owners and cultural workers. The cultural capital of our country would not be what it is, as well as what it is respected for and maintained in the world, when it would appreciate and approve the degrading attitude of the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Culture showed its true face when, after the democratic change of power, announced that it would not sign a contract with the Municipality of Kotor as it did before, offering an amount that is four times smaller than the average amount for the previous six years.

Regarding how the Ministry was “generous” only towards the party and partitocratic authority of the DPS is shown by the fact that Kotor Art in 2011 was granted 395,000 euros, which is five times more than this year's offered amount, in 2012 – 394,000 euros, or also five times more than amount offered this year, in 2013 – 330,000 euros or 4,12 times more than the amount offered this year, in 2014 – 300,000 euros or 3,75 times more than the amount offered this year, in 2015 and 2016 – 230,000 euros, or almost three times more than the amount offered this year.

We do not accept the blackmail of the Government and we are not under pressure from the Ministry of Culture! We can finance Kotor Art ourselves because we love Kotor. We can do it ourselves because we are not afraid of anyone but the citizens of Kotor. We can do it on our own because we are responsible authorities.

We can do it ourselves because we have abolished the privileges of public officials and sent in an insidious history of the previous government's disgust with the expense of all citizens. We can do it ourselves because we have increased the income from collection of tickets to the city walls in the period April-May, ending June 15th, by 79,000 euros in relation to the same period last year. We can do it ourselves because we have reduced the wastefulness and savings of budget expenditures by 1,319,000 euros in comparison to the same period last year.

We can do it ourselves because we were responsible enough to spend three times smaller amount of fuel in comparison with the last year, as well as  three times less for official trips as well as five times less in name of the cost of representation than it was spent in the same period last year.

The announcement of the mayor of Kotor  that this year's Kotor Children's Festival, Don Branko’s Days of Music and the Klapa Festival, which are part of Kotor Art, will be held according to the plan, with the full support of the Municipality of Kotor, will be filly conducted. 

MAYOR'S CABINET, MUNICIPALITY OF KOTOR