Month: September 2020

The network of academic solidarity and engagement strongly condemns the interruption of the selection process of the dean of the Faculty of Philology of the University of Belgrade, which was ordered by the educational inspection of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development (MPNTR).

After two months of the procedure, carried out in accordance with the order of the same inspection dated 13.12.2019. in which it is expressly ordered to take all actions and start the procedure for the election of the dean, acting dean Anđelka Mitrović annulled the elections. What caused this radical turn and why did the MPNTR educational inspectorate issue two mutually contradictory decisions in the space of only nine months?

The crisis at the Faculty of Philology of the University of Belgrade has been going on for several years, due to numerous controversial decisions and behavior of the dean, and then the acting dean Ljiljana Marković. The Committee for Professional Ethics of the University of Belgrade issued a public reprimand to her due to a series of omissions and violations of university and legal regulations. Marković is suspected of falsifying documents and irregular management of the Faculty's finances. During her mandate, the Faculty of Philology did not harmonize the Statute with the Law on Higher Education and the Statute of the University, although it was its obligation. In the end, she completely monopolized the most important functions at the faculty, simultaneously performing the functions of dean, vice dean for finance and acting manager of the Department for Financial Operations.  

Although her mandate as dean ended due to proven unethical behavior, Ljiljana Marković was appointed as a special advisor in MPNTR. It is very symptomatic that this very Ministry now sends an educational inspection to the Faculty of Philology, which changes its original decision and orders that the procedure for electing a new dean be cancelled, only three days before the scheduled vote. At the moment when it seemed that, after several years, the situation at the Faculty of Philology was normalizing and that the institutional agony was ending, the Ministry employed the person most responsible for that agony and grossly violated the University's autonomy, sending an inspection that stopped the process of selecting a dean.

MASA requests MPNTR not to obstruct the election of the new administration of the Faculty of Philology, but to respect the order of its own inspection issued in December 2019. Also, MASA appeals to the Council of the Faculty of Philology to protect the interests of its own faculty and enable the process of selecting a dean to be completed and the faculty to be introduced into regular business.

We invite colleagues, male and female students to join in solidarity with the protest walk organized by the employees of the Faculty of Philology on Tuesday, September 29, starting at 2 p.m. The walk starts from the Plateau in front of the Faculty of Philosophy.

The Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASA) protests against the practice of continuous reckoning of the ruling regime with representatives of various professions. This practice is typical of the autocratic regimes that, according to many eyewitnesses and experts, have been established in Serbia in recent years. By dealing with groups and individuals who take a critical stance on any social issue, the autocratic regime sends a message that one should remain silent and do their job without question and despite the risks, incompetence or poor organization. There is no one to protect those who dare to criticize, and with the example of unscrupulous retaliation against them, the regime instills fear in others who think they have the right to publicly express their opinion.

Today, we look in awe at the professional individuals who point to the current health situation with Covid-19, but at the same time we are also wondering about their fate. Were the doctors from Belgrade, Niš, Novi Pazar and other cities wrong when they publicly expressed their opinion and pointed out the problems they directly encountered during the epidemic? Are they brave or do they make unnecessary sacrifices? How long will we tolerate political decisions that further collapse the entire social system?

We invite all colleagues to show solidarity with endangered doctors at every opportunity and in every place, because tomorrow each of us can be on that list. If there is no collegiality and respect for the truth expressed or the attitude shown in public, the regime can attack every individual without mercy. We are witnessing the changes of top doctors who raised their voices to point out shortcomings. In a democratic order, pointing out failures, mistakes and shortcomings leads to the improvement of policies, institutions and practices. The Network of Academic Solidarity and Engagement (MASA) therefore gives full support to the doctors who treated us, are treating us and will treat us to stay in the country and persevere in what they started through United Against Covid.

MASA, as a professional organization of civil society, founded with the aim of providing support to members of the academic community and advocating the inviolable right to free expression of professional and scientific opinion, referring to the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution of the RS, closely monitors public and political discourse, noting with regret to continue with incoherent attacks on free-thinking individuals, primarily members of the academic community.

During the summer months, we once again witnessed an attack based on the already established method of tabloidization of the academic community, by presenting the most heinous untruths and accusations against distinguished professors of the University of Belgrade, prof. Dr. Dubravke Stojanović and Prof. Dr. Danica Popović. The latest attack by representatives of the executive branch directly or through the supporting tabloid media and their editors-in-chief is aimed at another member of the academic community, Dr. To Vojin Rakić, full professor and scientific advisor, director of the Center for Bioethical Studies and head of the European Directorate of the UNESCO Department of Bioethics in Haifa. The attacks are aimed at discrediting the person, and their initiators use the tried-and-tested spin technique to divert attention from important questions that have been publicly posed to the representatives of the executive power.

MASA believes that it is particularly unacceptable that the editorial board of a tabloid, which has no competence for that, deals inappropriately with the scientific views expressed in the published scientific work of Dr. Vojin Rakić in a peer-reviewed foreign scientific journal. All the more so since the practice of tabloidization of science can be disastrous from the point of view of the development of the entire society, not just the academic community. The Coordination Committee of the Mass therefore notes with regret that along with the specific destruction of political culture, the culture of public communication, the suppression of media freedoms, we are clearly moving in the direction of further destruction of society, which is reflected in the collapse of basic social values, but also the suppression of human rights. In this particular case, we point to a violation of rights to freedom of opinion and expression, which includes the right not to be harassed because of one's opinion, as well as the right to seek, receive and disseminate information and ideas by any means and regardless of borders, which is defined by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The state of emergency and the prescribed measures to protect against the Kovid-19 virus set the concept profession in the center of media and public interest. While on the one hand praises could be heard because the implemented measures were taken in consultation with science and experts, on the other hand criticisms could be heard on account of political abuse and manipulation of trust in scientific authority. And outside our country, the global pandemic has triggered an avalanche of questions about the trust we have or don't have in science.

A particularly complex issue, which we want to address at this forum, is how the views and recommendations of science are translated into political measures and decisions. In complex situations, such as the global spread of a dangerous virus, how to open space for different opinions, conflicting attitudes, and even serious disagreements that can exist not only among decision makers, but also among scientists themselves, i.e. those whose expert opinions are used to legitimize political measures?

Apart from the inevitable review of the crisis, the pandemic and the state of emergency behind us, this panel wants to start thinking about other extremely important areas of life in which politicians are expected to consult with science and the profession, such as issues of the environment, economic development, but also overall quality of life of all citizens.

The venue: Deli space, Davidova 2a, 18000 Niš / https://deli.rs/

Time: 15.9.2020. at 6 p.m

Participants:  

Prof. Dr. Tatjana Pejčić, pulmonologist at the Clinic for Lung Diseases in Niš

Dr. Gazela Pudar Draško - director of the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory and member of the Committee of Masses

Dr. Rastislav Dinić - assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš

Moderator: Dr. Nemanja Krstić, assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš and trustee of Mass for Niš