May 4, 2010

4. May 2010.

This year, only 40 residents of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja lodged their complaints to the Republican Ombudsman’s operational office against illegal or irregular operation of the local governmental bodies.

Sasa Jankovic, the Republican Protector of Citizens, says that the reason for such a small number of complaints received from South Serbia is insufficient information of South Serbia’s citizens and South Serbia’s citizens’ remoteness from the Republican institutions, and not their life without problems. He also pointed out that it was, therefore, necessary to improve contacts between the citizens and the government.

„We have already solved some problems in Medvedja, because after having received the complaints, we talked with representatives of the local self-government, “ Mr. Jankovic said during his visit to South Serbia.

The Republican Ombudsman’s offices should have been opened in Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja at the end of last year, but it didn’t happen because there weren’t any properly qualified people for the job then, so that the open competition to fill the positions at the said offices, which was announced last autumn, failed.

Sasa Jankovic, the Protector of Citizens, pointed out that until the offices were opened in these three municipalities, members of the Ombudsman’s operational office would visit South Serbia every month – and that they would stay two days in Presevo and Bujanovac and one day in Medvedja. These three municipalities will be the only ones that will have the Republican Ombudsman’s offices outside Belgrade.