The military parade titled \u201cStrength of Unity\u201dwill mark the recently established national holiday Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom, and the Flag (September 15), and will be held on Saturday, September 20 from 11 a.m. in Belgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Preparations for the parade have been underway for several weeks as residents face heavy traffic and military planes flying overhead daily. The Serbian military leadership has announced that its most modern military equipment will be displayed that day in the neighborhood of New Belgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regarding the organization of the parade and the previous celebrations of the national holiday, Petar Bo\u0161kovi\u0107 told Ma\u0161ina<\/em> that neither the parade nor the more relevant date of September 15 should be taken discounted. In his view, the government has done exactly that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSerbia certainly should commemorate September 15, because without the Thessaloniki fighters who helped defeat the Central forces in World War I, we would not have our own state today. However, the current regime is disregarding that date. Looking back, the parade could have been held on the Sunday before the holiday, which would have made more sense. However, since the President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 had obligations in Japan, he decided to adjust the national holiday to his schedule. Following the mantra: \u2018The state, that\u2019s me,\u2019\u201d Bo\u0161kovi\u0107 tells us. He adds that it is interesting that Vu\u010di\u0107 himself announced the parade, meaning it was not planned in accordance with the military\u2019s annual budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the main questions regarding the parade is: if it is truly the largest in Serbia\u2019s history, how much of the government\u2019s resources financed by taxpayers will be spent organizing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Bo\u0161kovi\u0107, the sum spent amounts to millions of euros. However, he notes that there is a catch in that calculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur army is budgeted as if it is at full capacity, that is, at 100 percent strength, but we all know how many specialists are lacking in the system. And now, that money from the budget, which under other circumstances would go toward the salaries of officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, is being used to finance this parade,\u201d Bo\u0161kovi\u0107 explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He emphasizes that this money could have been put to much better, more humane use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat money could have been directed toward ten thousand square meters of housing, because the army still has about 1,500 military families displaced from Croatia who do not have apartments and live in temporary accommodations. Finally, we also have examples like the Bristol Hotel. Or, for instance, that money could have been used to purchase four Canadair helicopters for firefighting, since currently we only have one such helicopter,\u201d Bo\u0161kovi\u0107 points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, Bo\u0161kovi\u0107 believes that, regardless of the parade\u2019s cost, it is illogical for the government to organize such an event at a time during such an intense socio-political crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn Serbia, a state of emergency has been ongoing since the canopy of the railway station in Novi Sad collapsed. The people are deeply divided, students and war veterans are being arrested and beaten, and the regime is organizing a military parade. By doing this, the government is creating new divisions. And that polarization is the only thing the current regime knows how to enforce. The message, in my view, is clear: \u2018No one is allowed to touch us.\u2019 What is a military parade? It is a connection with the people because citizens have the most trust in the army, and Vu\u010di\u0107 wants to embrace that segment of society to boost his rating. At the end of the day, the point is for him to show strength and power,\u201d Bo\u0161kovi\u0107 concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n M.B.; A.M.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Amid the ongoing social crisis in Serbia, which has lasted for over ten months, the Vu\u010di\u0107 government has decided to hold the largest military parade in the country\u2019s history. According to retired military officer Petar Bo\u0161kovi\u0107, who spoke with Ma\u0161ina, despite the enormous amount of resources spent on this parade, it would be incorrect to assume that it will be the best ever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[359,360,127],"form":[71],"concept":[188],"contents":[],"coauthors":[5],"class_list":["post-20485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-military","tag-military-parade","tag-serbia","form-news","concept-society","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-25"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDo<\/strong> Serbians need a <\/strong>military parade?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n