Ladies and gents, I present to you: Dragan Markovic Palma, head of Jagodina municipality and a pre-election coalition partner of our prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica.
Palma on culture
Question: who is your favorite singer? Translation follows.
DMP: My favorite singer is Ceca. Ceca is a singer who managed to gather most of her fans in one place – 200.000 people in front of Usce. The only singers and musicians who I didn’t manage to see live, because i was just a kid, were Beethoven and Chopin. Everybody else came and played live for me personally. There is no other popular artist that hasn’t played for me privately…
Journalist interrupts: What do you mean Because i was just a kid – Beethoven and Chopin didn’t play for me?
DMP: Well, maybe if I had been popular back then when i was a kid, maybe back then they would have performed for me live. Just to let you know, you have that in my CV also, I’ve been in show-biz too, you know, because it was economically interesting for me…
Journalist interrupts again: I think you made a mistake there, you weren’t a kid when Beethoven was still alive… (laughs)
DMP: Yes, yes I was. Ok, you tell me, how old was Beethoven? How old was he?—
Dragan Markovic Palma on homosexuals
Journalist: Would you ever be a friend with someone who is gay?
DMP: No. Never in my life.
Journalist: Why?
DMP: Because I wasn’t brought up in such a manner. Also, Serbian Orthodox Church doesn’t approve homosexuals. We are not so modern so we could legalize those gay marriages that some politicians stand for…
Journalist: But wait, don’t you realize that in some manner it’s politically intolerant to think that way?
DMP: Look, we can’t really say that these are human rights we are talking about.
Journalist: What is it then if it’s not a human right?
DMP: It’s an illness.
Journalist: But you are aware that WHO said it’s not an illness?
DMP: It is sick to make love in the place where God didn’t tell you to. Than it must be something wrong…
Journalist: But the doctors say it’s not an illness.
DMP (not listening) so, it’s a very, very bad thing. God said…
Journalist. Ok, so now, you are leader of Jagodina municipality, and what do you mean to do now, to expel all the gay people from Jagodina, or…?
DMP: No, I am not going to expel them, it’s just that they are not people I want to cooperate with…
Journalist: Would you sack somebody from the job in the municipality administration if you knew they were gay?
DMP: No, there aren’t gay people in Jagodina. I haven’t really thought about it, but there are no gay people in Jagodina.
Journalist: But if there were?
DMP: No. I know every man in Jagodina. There are no gay people in Jagodina.
Journalist: Maybe they are afraid to tell you because you do not tolerate them?
DMP: What do you mean I am not tolerant?
Journalist: Well you just said you wouldn’t have them for friends.
DMP: No, I can’t be tolerant to something that’s unnatural, you know. You’ve been talking to me whole day now, how did you conclude that I was not tolerant towards anyone? And the citizens of Jagodina know me, they know I am tolerant.
Journalist: Well, in my book, after all that you just said, you are not tolerant to gay people.
DMP: No, I am not and I never will tolerate them.—
After I finished laughing, the grim reality struck me: the joke is on me and other people living in this country, particulary in Jagodina to have this guy decide anything on our/their behalf, or infact, decide anything at all.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I’d kill this man for one KM if anyone is hiring! I would throughly enjoy it too….
Is this serious? It almost reads as a prank of sorts to be honest. If it is true, it is a shame and disgusting. No need to get me on a ranting, drunken rave though
LOL!!!
One day…a true leader will emerge that will bring true change and real tolerance! If the following speaks ill of me sorry but…I’d like to kill this man spoke of here. I really would. Of course I cant and wont because it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. If there is anything that upsets me more than anything it is men and women who use their positions of authority and power over citizens…
And for the record, NO, I have not been drinking today…I’m just voicing my true opinion. I’m not going to assasinate this man nor want too but, wish I could! If you anyone can understand this…..
But perhaps this wonderful journalist has done more harm to this piece of shit of a human than any bomb, bullet, knife or posion I could bring…
I don’t understand why some people stand on some stupid position like that man! First of all, homosexuals are normal people in their public life. After, if they make love differently that’s their problem! For me it’s much more sick if somebody have sex with a child or with an animal
(.... but for that man that’s not an illness? I knew that there are some people like him here, but I’m always shocked to see it for real 
(
He is stupid, I live in this city….he is just a stupid criminal who is doing well with crime and monopoly….. I would like to kill him too
You’d kill him? You’re no better than he is then. But, of course, you’re not serious, are you?
A bit old, but let me sort some things out:
> First of all, homosexuals are normal people in their public life.
Why the parades then? Should the normal people parade “we’re straight, we are normal, get used to it!” And the “gay bars”? And the transexuals? And the “gay movies”? Why does everything have to be so gay-centric? Isn’t it just a sexual preference, as you say?
The separatistic nature of the homosexuals is what brings homophobic attitude.
> After, if they make love differently that’s their problem!
Precisely, what they do in their free time is their own business, they shouldn’t advertise it.
What the blogger forgot to say is what is the purpose of that tv broadcast was about. It was about what he does, but also what he thinks and what he was his opinion on several “hot” topics. The tv show targets several topics which are considered as “no comment” by a lot of popular people in Serbia.
Face it, we’re all human, perhaps not all say in public what they think, but Palma did the right thing and answered directly, not with some bullshit political crap. So what if he believes in something?
Palma does not lead a sect, but a political party, which is not related to sexual beliefs – end of story.
P.S. Didn’t like the first one though, that was a bit agnostic.