The Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet are being driven out of Kosovo and Metohija and Serbian representatives in the Kosovo institutions and representatives of the international community do nothing to prevent it, although they are best placed to do so. Vukomir Petric has more.
The Serbian language is official and referenced as equal with Albanian even in the highest legal acts of the so-called state of Kosovo,. But, except on paper, it cannot be seen almost anywhere else, and those who thus demonstrated generosity towards the Serbian people have been trying for years to reduce the use of the Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet in the Province. Serbian toponyms and street names are rarely indicated and if the signs, they are coated with dark paint or misspelled. Documents, rulings, bills are mostly delivered in Albanian, and official bodies and forums have increasingly fewer translators and interpreters for Serbian.
The existence and equitable use of the Serbian language and Cyrillic alphabet are of enormous importance for the Serbs in the Province and Serbian interests in general. The Albanians and their authorities in Pristina certainly cannot be expected to protect and strengthen the Serbian language, but its marginalization and expulsion cannot be passively watched either. This is why a group of Serbian intellectuals in Kosovo and Metohija have revived a debate on violation of the Kosovo law at the expense of the Serbian language and informed international representatives in the Province about it. Serb representatives in Kosovo institutions, who could do the most to protect their language and, according to the general consensus, who do almost nothing to stop the negative trends, have been criticized as well. The statement of Swiss diplomat Norbert Routche, who said at a panel discussion at the Media Center in Caglavica that he personally warned certain Serbs against some cardinal linguistic and spelling errors, also reflects the negligent attitude and a lack of interest of Serb representatives in the Kosovo authorities to protect their language. "You can find so many misspellings in the official documents issued by the Kosovo highest institutions, including ministries and the Assembly. I had the opportunity to see, repeatedly, incorrectly written business cards of those who often complain of this law. These may be details, but it shows that even people whose native language is Serbian do not care if writing on their business cards is correct or not, " said Routche.
Vice President of the Kosovo Assembly Petar Miletic says a commission has been appointed that will deal with the "law enforcement" and he said it is "necessary to work on prevention", rather than deal with the consequences. In 2011, the coalition of NGOs, Kosovo Strategic and Action Network, made a survey on compliance with the constitutional provision on bilingualism, using traffic signs and markings. The results show that about 30% of the signs have been spelled incorrectly and that 22% of Serbian towns have not been marked at all.
Serb intellectuals from Kosovo and Metohija criticize the international community for being too lenient to those who wish to expel the Serbian language and indicate that the Ahtisaari plan, which it insists on already, is also observed in this area.
The Act on the Use of the Language was adopted in 2001 following a decree by UNMIK. It was then introduced in the Ahtisaari plan and finally in the Constitution of the so-called state of Kosovo.