Kad vizija postane realnost

Privredni izveštaj / Economic Report - MIOMIR MUGOŠA
Gradonačelnik Podgorice / City Mayor of Podgorica

Kažu da je lako biti prvi čovek gradova koji, sami po sebi, privlače turiste i investiture, a samim tim i novac neophodan za razvoj i život građana. Podgorica nije turistička destinacija, iako je prestonica države koja se može pohvaliti turističkim potencijalom. To, naravno, ne znači da se u ovaj grad ne ulaže. Naprotiv, poslednjih godina, Podgorica je dobila nove zgrade, poslovne komplekse, tržne centre, a za njen napredak je, kažu, „odgovoran“ gradonačelnik Miomir Mugoša.

Kakvi su Vaši počeci u politici, s obzirom na to da imate najduži staž u Vladi Crne Gore?

Moji profesionalni počeci u politici vezani su za kraj osamdesetih i početak devedesetih godina prošlog veka i burna politička dešavanja i previranja na prostoru bivše Jugoslavije koja su ih obeležila. Pre toga, bio sam u potpunosti ostvaren u svojoj profesiji, kao lekar, preciznije kao hirurg, u Kliničkom centru Crne Gore. Ulazak u politiku, u tom društveno turbulentnom vremenu, za mene lično predstavljao je, s jedne strane, potrebu koju sam osećao kao intelektualac i kao otac zabrinut za budućnost svoje dece, ali istovremeno i profesionalni izazov. U februaru 1991. godine, imenovan sam za ministra zdravlja i zaštite životne sredine u Vladi izabranoj nakon prvih višestranačkih izbora u Crnoj Gori, na čijem čelu je i tada bio aktuelni premijer Milo Đukanović. Na istoj poziciji sam bio i u naredne dve Vlade, kao i u trećoj, na čijem čelu je bio Filip Vujanović, sadašnji predsednik Crne Gore. Izuzetak su predstavljala tri meseca koja sam proveo na funkciji ministra rada i socijalnog staranja. Početkom 2000. godine, imenovan sam za predsednika Odbora poverenika za grad Podgoricu, a nakon izbora koji su usledili, izabran sam za predsednika Opštine. Na neposrednim izborima za gradonačelnika 2006. godine, osvojio sam 62 odsto glasova. Konačno, u skladu sa promenama zakona, poslednji put sam na funkciju gradonačelnika izabran u Skupštini Glavnog grada 2011. godine.

Da li ste zadovoljni onim što ste postigli tokom Vaših mandata?

Po prirodi sam perfekcionista i uvek razmatram mogućnost da li se u nekom poslu moglo uraditi više i bolje. Imajući u vidu odakle smo krenuli, dokle smo došli i sa kakvim preprekama smo se suočavali, ne samo poslednjih godina u vreme globalne krize – moram da priznam da jesam zadovoljan. Međutim, ono što je najvažnije i zbog čega je moje zadovoljstvo najveće, jeste činjenica da su građani Podgorice zadovoljni onim što smo moji saradnici i ja postigli. O njihovom zadovoljstvu najbolje svedoči poverenje koje nam u kontitunitetu ukazuju na izborima, svih ovih skoro 14 godina, otkada sam na čelu grada. Isto tako, važno mi je i mišljenje ljudi sa strane, naročito onih koji, nakon nekoliko godina, ponovo posete Podgoricu i koji ne kriju svoje iznenađenje i oduševljenje promenama koje je grad doživeo.

Koliko je teško, u lošoj globalnoj ekonomskoj situaciji, voditi grad?

Ekonomska situacija jeste teška, ali uprkos tome, Glavni grad na vreme i u kontinuitetu izmiruje sve svoje redovne i neplanirane obaveze, zbog čega sam posebno ponosan. I ne samo to – tokom svih ovih godina krize, mi smo uspeli da očuvamo investicionu aktivnost, naravno ne na onom stepenu kao u periodu koji je prethodio krizi, ali na ipak zadovoljavajućem nivou. Sa razvojem grada nije se stalo, već je on nastavljen nešto sporijim tempom. Tako smo, u vremenu krize, sagradili dva velika tržna centra u javno-privatnom partnerstvu, više stambenih zgrada, nekoliko mostova, rekonstruisali smo i sagradili kilometre novih saobraćajnica. Na području Podgorice, od obnove državne nezavisnosti, u poslednjih sedam godina, od kojih su bar četiri bile krizne, uloženo je oko pola milijarde evra državnog novca, od čega je skoro 300 miliona bilo iz gradskog budžeta. Još pola milijarde uložili su privatni investitori. Priznaćete, za grad koji ima oko 200.000 stanovnika, to je mnogo novca. Međutim, nama tek predstoje značajni projekti, među kojima se izdvaja izgradnja uređaja za prečišćavanje otpadnih voda sa inseneracijom otpadnog mulja i primarnom mrežom fekalne kanalizacije dužine 41 kilometar. Ukupna vrednost ovog projekta procenjena je na oko 60 miliona evra, a predstoji nam raspisivanje međunarodnog tendera. Kao deo ovog projekta, gradićemo i jugozapadnu obilaznicu grada, kao i dva mosta na Morači. U planu nam je i završetak projekta vodosnabdevanja Podgorice, izgradnja postrojenja za tretman otpadnih voda na deponiji „Livade” i početak eksploatacije biogasa sa deponije i njegovog transfera u toplotnu i električnu energiju. Planiramo i izgradnju objekta Gradskog pozorišta, kao i izgradnju zatvorenog bazena.

(Nastavak teksta u štampanom izdanju)

When vision becomes reality

People say that it is easy to be the first man of cities that attract tourists and investors by themselves and, together with them, the money necessary for the development and life of its citizens. Podgorica is not a tourist destination, although it is the capital of a state that can boast tourism potential. This does not mean that there are no investments in this town. On the contrary, in recent years Podgorica has got new buildings, office complexes, shopping centers and people say that the city mayor, Miomir Mugoša, is “responsible” for its progress.

How did you begin your political career, given that you have the longest experience in the Government of Montenegro?

I began my political career at the end of the eighties and early nineties of the last century. They were characterized by the turbulent political events and upheavals in the former Yugoslavia. Before that, I was fully realized in my profession as a doctor, more precisely as a surgeon at the Clinical Center of Montenegro. For me, beginning a political career in those socially turbulent times represented the need that I felt as an intellectual and as a father concerned about the future of his children, but also a professional challenge. In February in 1991, I was appointed Minister of Health and Environment Protection in the Government elected after the first multiparty elections in Montenegro, headed by the current Prime Minister Milo Đukanović. I had the same position in the next two Governments, as well as in the third one, led by Filip Vujanović, current president of Montenegro. The only exsaradception were three months that I spent as Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. At the beginning of 2000, I was appointed president of the Board of Trustees of the city of Podgorica, and in the next elections, I was elected as City Mayor. In the direct elections for City Mayor of 2006, I won 62%of the votes. Finally, in line with changes in the law, last time I was elected as City Mayor by the Assembly of the Capital City in 2011.

Are you satisfied with what you have accomplished during your term in office?

I am by nature a perfectionist and I always consider the possibility that things could have be done better in another way. Taking into consideration where we started, where we came from and what kind of obstacles we faced, not only during the last years of global crisis, I have to admit that I am satisfied. However, the most important fact and my greatest pleasure is that the citizens of Podgorica are satisfied with what my collaborators and I have achieved. The best evidence of their satisfaction is the confidence that they have showed me in the elections all along these 14 years since I became the head of the city. Also, the opinion of outsiders is very important, especially of those, who re-revisit Podgorica after a few years and do not hide their surprise and delight, when they see the transformations the city has gone through.

How hard is it to run the city in a bad global economic situation?

The economic situation is difficult, but in spite of that, the capital city has consistently paid all its regular and unscheduled obligations and I am very proud of that. And not just that, we have managed to maintain the investment activity all through the crisis not at the same level as in the period preceding the crisis, of course, but still at a satisfactory level. The development of the city did not stop, but it continued at a slower pace. In that way, we succeeded in time of crisis to build two large shopping centers in a public-private partnership, several residential buildings and several bridges. We also reconstructed and built kilometers of new roads. During the seven years that have elapsed since the restoration of independence, out of which four were crisis years, public funds amounting to half billion EUR have been invested in the Podgorica area, out of which 300 million EUR came from the city budget. Half a billion more were invested by private investors. You will probably admit that it is a lot of money for a city that has about 200,000 inhabitants. We are about to begin important projects, among which the construction of facilities for the treatment of waste water and the incineration of sewage sludge, as well as a primary sewerage system with a length of 41 km. The total value of the project is estimated at around 60 million EUR and we will organize an international tender. As part of this project, we will build the south-western bypass motorway of the city, as well as two bridges on the Morača river. We plan to complete the water supply project of Podgorica, to build a wastewater treatment plant at the “Livade” landfill and to start the exploitation of biogas from the landfill, in order to convert it into heat and electricity. We plan to build the City Theater, as well as an indoor swimming pool.

(Continue reading more in printed edition)