National Assembly Deputy Speaker Dr Zoran Lutovac met today in the National Assembly with representatives of the Kreni-Promeni (Go-Change) organisation to discuss the importance of protecting public interest and further steps after receiving an unsatisfactory answer to the question about the fate of the initiative to ban research and mining of lithium and boron, submitted by this organisation and signed by over 38 thousand citizens.
Dr Zoran Lutovac pointed out that the National Assembly must be open to all citizens and organisations that take care of the public interest and respects every initiative launched towards the parliament. He said that he would personally push, by asking a parliamentary question, to get an answer as to why this people's initiative, submitted according to the legal procedure, was not acted upon. It is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of the citizens, as the bearer of sovereignty, said Lutovac.
Savo Manojlovic, of the Kreni-Promeni organisation, also reminded the Deputy Speaker of the important petitions submitted or supported by this organisation, such as the provision of free textbooks for all students in Serbia and the abolition of VAT on menstrual hygiene products, which were also not taken into account in the preparation of the Budget proposal for the following year.
The National Assembly Deputy Speaker thanked the representatives of Kreni-Promeni for broaching and initiating topics of broad social importance, adding that this is extremely important for achieving full democracy in society.
The attending agreed that changes happen when there is solidarity among the citizens and an organised pressure of public opinion on institutions.
