The Protector of Citizens, Zoran Pasalic, said today that in the ten years of the institution's existence, there have been 352 complaints from citizens of Novi Pazar, which is a very small number compared to the rest of Serbia. Within the “Day of the Protector of Citizens” campaign in Novi Pazar, after meeting with the Mayor, he said that their complaints were not specific and that they mostly complained about property - legal relations, social and economic issues.
“This is an opportunity for me to invite the citizens of Novi Pazar and this region to contact the Protector of Citizens in writing or electronically, and we have the jurisdiction to handle all cases except those related to the courts and the judiciary. If we are not competent for a certain case, then we will refer citizens promptly, quickly and efficiently to the body that is, and we will monitor the work of that institution acting on the citizens' complaint”, said Pasalic.
He added that most complaints come from citizens who live in cities that gravitate towards Belgrade, because information is more accessible to them.
“To illustrate, in and around Novi Pazar there are at least five schools that are close to the main roads, which is why every citizen should come to the municipality and complain about it, as this is a problem of republic importance. Through this example, I want to show you the point of our arrival here, and that is to receive complaints and resolve them with the local self-government, but also to set those issues that are outside of our jurisdiction as our topics as well”, said the Protector of Citizens.
He pointed out that this campaign has shown that it is completely different when you meet the people in person, when you hear their words, and that this cannot be compared to any conversation via Skype or other electronic device.
He also added that he would soon organize a public forum in this city to explain to the citizens the function and powers of the institution of the Protector of Citizens.
The Mayor of Novi Pazar, Nihat Bisevac, said that he informed the Protector of Citizens about the problems of citizens and about the cooperation of local and republic institutions.
“We also discussed the national representation of citizens in certain republic institutions. Our goal is that the City Administration, together with the Protector of Citizens, considers and resolves the problems of citizens in accordance with the rights guaranteed by law”, said Nihat Bisevac.
During his visit to Novi Pazar, the Protector of Citizens also spoke with representatives of the non-governmental sector from that city.
The Republic Ombudsman is visiting 13 local self-governments within the “Days of the Ombudsman” campaign. The visits are implemented within the project of increasing the accessibility of the Protector of Citizens to citizens living in the interior of Serbia. The project is implemented by the Protector of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia with the financial support of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Serbia.