6 ms·

I know very little about Serbian politics, is this genuinely gone for good or will they just try to reintroduce it later or by other means?

noptd 5y ago
More likely than not, the bill will sit in a drawer waiting for the perfect reason, or distraction, necessary to be pushed through.
illuminated 5y ago
I don't believe it will ever be forgotten. The PM in the article says he withdraws it as he's facing elections in 6 months, not for any other reason. He's got a strong support among the elderly and/or "conservatives" so it is expected for him to win those elections. Once he does win, I'm sure he'll try to reintroduce the same thing. The capital of Serbia is being covered in surveillance cameras for some time now, a "gift" from Chinese friends, and I don't think they'd let the technology sit unused, especially that the overall unrest of his opposition is rising.
- sm4rk0 5y ago
  Small correction: the guy was the PM until 2017. now he's the president (but basically the Big Boss since 2012.)
  - illuminated 5y ago
    You're right. I stopped tracking his formal roles (or caring in any capacity about them) since the time when the most prestigious position in the state was "the first vice-president of the government" (his, at the time) and the running joke was that everyone, including the PM and the president, were eyeing that position if they wanted to advance their career further.
zekica 5y ago
It might come back but it will have to be another law. The current law prevents the executive branch from doing mass surveillance without a warrant. They already installed more than a thousand (there is FIOA law in Serbia, but the official number is designated as state secret) Huawei cameras through Belgrade (a city of 2M), but they are (at least officially) not doing automatic biometric matching currently. In general, the politics scene is completely broken - there is one (ruling) party that allegedly bribes/blackmails people that work in the public sector to vote for them.
salex89 5y ago
You're never sure, it's always a drama and thriller with any kind of political decision with the current dictatorship, no matter how minute the decision is. Even though the government has backed off with the law, the explanation mentions "foreign powers preparing a blood bath in Belgrade using the law just as a reason for it, just because they don't want Serbia to prosper". The minister of internal affairs says that people give much more data when "they go to an embassy and squeal for a visa". It's always some mystical powers working against our benefit, good thing we have such a protective government...
- thegreatdukd 5y ago
  As a Serb I have to say that the way our governmental officials speak for the local newspapers always feels like I am in the 4chan thread. Especially Vulin.
  - op00to 5y ago
    It sounds like my boomer parents trying to lay the guilt trip on thick.
- nobody9999 5y ago
  >"...foreign powers preparing a blood bath in Belgrade using the law just as a reason for it, just because they don't want Serbia to prosper" Is that an actual quote from an elected official in Serbia? Really? The population of all of Serbia[0] is less than that of Hong Kong, less than that of London and less than that of New York. The GDP of all of Serbia is also ~1/6 of Hong Kong, is less than 1/10 of London, and 1/30 of New York. As such, my guess is that Serbia isn't very important to "foreign powers" at all. Certainly not enough for a "blood bath" or even harsh words. And certainly not as a result of proposed internal surveillance laws. Such a statement is ridiculous on its face. Does the population of Serbia actually buy into that sort of rhetoric? I'm genuinely curious. N.B. I don't have anything against Serbia or Serbs in particular. I know that historically there have been sectarian issues in the Balkans and the Serbs were caught up in that, but I'm pretty sure that like everyone else, most Serbs just want to have a decent life and raise their kids in relative safety and security. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Serbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Serbia Edit: Added the missing link.
vasac 5y ago
In Serbia, for a ruling class (politicians, judges, attorneys, police), laws are more like a lax guidelines so even if this is a step back for them in the end nothing fundamentally changes.

noptd 5y ago

More likely than not, the bill will sit in a drawer waiting for the perfect reason, or distraction, necessary to be pushed through.

illuminated 5y ago

I don't believe it will ever be forgotten. The PM in the article says he withdraws it as he's facing elections in 6 months, not for any other reason. He's got a strong support among the elderly and/or "conservatives" so it is expected for him to win those elections. Once he does win, I'm sure he'll try to reintroduce the same thing. The capital of Serbia is being covered in surveillance cameras for some time now, a "gift" from Chinese friends, and I don't think they'd let the technology sit unused, especially that the overall unrest of his opposition is rising.

sm4rk0 5y ago
Small correction: the guy was the PM until 2017. now he's the president (but basically the Big Boss since 2012.)
- illuminated 5y ago
  You're right. I stopped tracking his formal roles (or caring in any capacity about them) since the time when the most prestigious position in the state was "the first vice-president of the government" (his, at the time) and the running joke was that everyone, including the PM and the president, were eyeing that position if they wanted to advance their career further.

zekica 5y ago

It might come back but it will have to be another law. The current law prevents the executive branch from doing mass surveillance without a warrant. They already installed more than a thousand (there is FIOA law in Serbia, but the official number is designated as state secret) Huawei cameras through Belgrade (a city of 2M), but they are (at least officially) not doing automatic biometric matching currently. In general, the politics scene is completely broken - there is one (ruling) party that allegedly bribes/blackmails people that work in the public sector to vote for them.

salex89 5y ago

You're never sure, it's always a drama and thriller with any kind of political decision with the current dictatorship, no matter how minute the decision is. Even though the government has backed off with the law, the explanation mentions "foreign powers preparing a blood bath in Belgrade using the law just as a reason for it, just because they don't want Serbia to prosper". The minister of internal affairs says that people give much more data when "they go to an embassy and squeal for a visa". It's always some mystical powers working against our benefit, good thing we have such a protective government...

thegreatdukd 5y ago
As a Serb I have to say that the way our governmental officials speak for the local newspapers always feels like I am in the 4chan thread. Especially Vulin.
- op00to 5y ago
  It sounds like my boomer parents trying to lay the guilt trip on thick.
nobody9999 5y ago
>"...foreign powers preparing a blood bath in Belgrade using the law just as a reason for it, just because they don't want Serbia to prosper" Is that an actual quote from an elected official in Serbia? Really? The population of all of Serbia[0] is less than that of Hong Kong, less than that of London and less than that of New York. The GDP of all of Serbia is also ~1/6 of Hong Kong, is less than 1/10 of London, and 1/30 of New York. As such, my guess is that Serbia isn't very important to "foreign powers" at all. Certainly not enough for a "blood bath" or even harsh words. And certainly not as a result of proposed internal surveillance laws. Such a statement is ridiculous on its face. Does the population of Serbia actually buy into that sort of rhetoric? I'm genuinely curious. N.B. I don't have anything against Serbia or Serbs in particular. I know that historically there have been sectarian issues in the Balkans and the Serbs were caught up in that, but I'm pretty sure that like everyone else, most Serbs just want to have a decent life and raise their kids in relative safety and security. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Serbia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Serbia Edit: Added the missing link.

vasac 5y ago

In Serbia, for a ruling class (politicians, judges, attorneys, police), laws are more like a lax guidelines so even if this is a step back for them in the end nothing fundamentally changes.