“The Faculty of Medicine is not mine”: Prime Minister Macut answers for Danas whether he replied to the President of the Constitutional Court – Society

That’s what Prime Minister Đuro Matsut says for Danas, answering Danas’ question whether he replicated the president of the Constitutional Court, Vladan Petrov, in his author’s article in Politika, from whom the statement that Medicine is “Masut’s faculty” originated.

Matsut, who is also a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, previously said in the author’s text that “as a professor and as a person, it deeply affects him when such an institution tries to reduce itself to a political label or a personal reckoning, and that at the moment when the election for the dean is underway, a process that should be accompanied by academic maturity, dialogue and responsibility”.

Instead, the prime minister wrote, we are witnessing attempts to turn the entire process into a political competition, in which “camps” are counted and “sides” are recognized.

When asked what he specifically meant, Macut replied that he pointed to the problem of politicization in the process of selecting the dean of the Faculty of Medicine, first of all, taking into account the efforts of individuals to interpret the internal issues of the faculty and its community, which should remain within the academic community itself, through the prism of political divisions and competition from different parties.

– Such interpretations often go a step further, and without foundation the issues of the faculty are attributed to officials who have nothing to do with those processes, which creates the impression of political competition, even though the faculty is not a political arena, nor a place for it – says Macut for Danas.

Does he know that some of the employees accuse the government of interfering in academic matters and the functioning of the Faculty of Medicine?

– I am aware that there are individuals from the academic community who accuse the government of interfering in the internal affairs of the faculty, but I consider such claims unfounded and I think they divert attention from the essence, which is the responsible functioning of institutions and the resolution of current issues in the interests of students. Instead, a campaign is being conducted in certain media in which my name is persistently and baselessly placed in a negative context, in connection with the institution where I spent decades of work, which is really inappropriate – the Prime Minister of Serbia points out.

Some employees and students have been claiming for months that politics has interfered in the work of this higher education institution for a long time.

In support of this, they also testify elections for the new convocation of the Student Parliament which are followed by serious doubts about the irregularity of the electoral process.

Commenting on these elections, the President of the Constitutional Court made the remark that the Faculty of Medicine cannot be compared with the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy for at least two reasons.

“The Faculty of Medicine is a huge faculty and the second Faculty of Medicine is the faculty of Prime Minister Mazut,” said Vladan Petrov.

Part of the employees at the Medical School now fear that the authorities will try to influence the selection of a new dean.

After declaring for the chair, professor Vesna Bjegović Mikanović got a convincing advantage over her opponent, Milica Bajčetić.

Bjegović Mikanović has the support of 24 departments, Bajčetić seven, and two departments did not support either of them.

The next step will be the vote of the Teaching and Research Council, which determines the proposal of one candidate for dean by secret ballot.

Statute of the Faculty of Medicine stipulates that the candidate who received at least half plus one vote from the total number of members of the NN council is considered to be the established proposal, and the dean is elected by the Faculty Council, also by secret declaration.

In order for a candidate to be elected, he must receive the majority of votes from the total number of Council members.

“University issues concern university bodies, which is why, to put it mildly, it is frivolous when they try to present disagreements as a result of the influence of state officials, just because some of them were or are professors at that faculty. And all because of the unwillingness of individuals to take responsibility for their decisions within the institution, so they choose the easier way – creating a narrative about ‘external’ influence and looking for the culprit among people who have nothing to do with it,” wrote Đuro Macut in the author’s text. saying that the choice for the dean should be solely a decision about the future of the faculty, and not a reflection of daily politics.

– We fully agree with the Prime Minister’s position that university issues are resolved within university institutions and in accordance with their competences. This is precisely why the fact that the work of the Council, as the governing body of the faculty, is being influenced by strong influences that come from outside the academic community is worrying. Instead of the Council acting as a stable and responsible institutional framework, we are witnessing a kind of “ping-pong” between different actors, which further deepens the management crisis – Professor Dejana Vuković, a member of the Council of the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, told Danas.

She points out that the effort to dispute the candidacy of Professor Vesna Bjegović Mikanović, who received the support of approximately three quarters of the faculty’s chairs, is particularly problematic.

– Such an approach not only ignores the clearly expressed will of the academic community, but also calls into question the basic principles of university autonomy – states Vuković.

When asked who is contesting the candidacy of Professor Bjegović Mikanović, our interlocutor says that such attempts come from a trade union.

– It is led by a professor of the Faculty of Medicine who has been speaking quite maliciously about Professor Bjegović Mikanović in the media for some time. It is obvious that it bothers her that Bjegović Mikanović clearly decided to support the students all the time. Her age is mentioned as an argument to challenge her candidacy, but Professor Bjegović Mikanović is a full-time professor and has the absolute right to run for dean, regardless of her age. Our dean would have to take office immediately, given that these are extraordinary elections for the dean – points out Vuković.

She notes that Bjegović Mikanović did not hide her age.

– Everything is written in her biography, but now they are trying to challenge her candidacy in another way, which is really wrong. We have an earlier opinion of the Committee for Statutory Issues of the University of Belgrade, which said that a professor who is employed can run for dean, regardless of the fact that he will soon be eligible for retirement. The University’s Statutory Affairs Committee believes that the professor is a fully qualified candidate, and we should adhere to their position. Even Professor Macut said in his statement that university issues concern university bodies – Vuković says.

As we have learned, Bjegović Mikanović submitted a request for the extension of her employment relationship, but at the time of the vote for dean, she will not fulfill the requirement for retirement and will continue to be employed.

The exact dates of the voting have not been determined, and according to the plan, the NN Council should make a decision on the candidates by the end of May, while the Council session at which the dean is elected should be held by the end of June.

– We expect the President of the Election Commission, Professor Mazić, the President of the Council, Professor Milovanović, as well as all members of the Council who are part of this institution or were, to act responsibly and in accordance with academic standards, protecting the faculty’s integrity from inappropriate external influences. At the same time, we expect that Professor Macut, as the Prime Minister who appointed part of the members of the Council, will convey this message and the concerns of the academic community to those members, so that they align their actions with the principles of university autonomy and the best interests of the faculty – says Vuković.

The Council, he notes, has a clear obligation to consider arguments coming from university bodies, including the Committee on Statutory Issues, and to make decisions in the best interest of the faculty, with the aim of overcoming the current management crisis.

When asked if she expected the members of the NN Council to vote against the opinion of the department whose representatives they are, or if the Council would not elect a dean, Professor Vuković replied:

– The members of the Teaching and Research Council are not all employed and voting is secret, so anything is possible. But the difference in the statements of the chairs between the two candidates is so great that it would be a surprise if the Academic Council voted differently. It is true that the NN council only determines the proposal on which the Council declares. But it has never, absolutely never, happened that the Council did not respect the decision of the NN Council. According to the Statute of the Faculty of Medicine, it is possible, but it would really be a precedent. I can’t imagine that could happen. If you appoint someone as dean who does not have the support of the collective, it will be difficult for him to manage the faculty – points out Vuković.

When asked by Danas whether he thinks that the Council should support the candidate proposed by the NN Council, and that they should consider the chair’s opinion on the candidates when voting, Đuro Matsut reiterates that the selection of deans is the responsibility of the university authorities, and that all decisions of this type have always been made in accordance with regulations and academic standards.