<nettime> Falling Madonna

["Ivo Skoric" <ivo@reporters.net>]

This just confirms how buyer boycott may be one of the most 
efficient methods of non-violenet resistance. Milosevic's son Marko 
runs businisses that cater to his generation - discotheques. theme 
parks and cybershopping. But his generation is mostly involved 
with Otpor! - and Marko and Otpor! don't mix well - Otpor! wants to 
get rid off Marko's dad, and Marko's bodyguards (what a coward 
that he needed bodyguards for that) beat-up some Otpor! kids (the 
kids were later accused of attack, of course), and Marko's 
customer base eroded to the point where he had to close down 
most of his businesses....

ivo

>From www.iwpr.net:




MARKO'S EMPIRE FALTERS

Slobodan Milosevic's son, Marko, is suffering an expected 
downturn in his
business fortunes.

By Marko Ruzic in Pozarevac 

The financial fortunes of Marko Milosevic, the Yugoslav president's
son, have been hit by a commercial boycott of his Pozarevac business
empire.

The boycott, which has seriously affected some of his most high
profile business ventures in the town, began in May after his
bodyguards beat up several OTPOR activists in front of scores of
passers-by.

The public's revulsion over the incident was heightened when the
authorities put the victims on trial for the attempted murder of their
assailants. The trial was postponed after three judges assigned to the
case withdrew.

One of the earliest casualties of the boycott was one of Marko's
flagship businesses. The "Madonna" nightclub, which used to regularly
attract thousands of revellers from Pozarevac and beyond, was shut
down in June.

It was a major blow for Milosevic junior as the discotheque, the
biggest in the Balkans, had only just been reopened after expensive
renovation work - which included the installation of sophisticated
laser, video and sound equipment.

The relaunch was a lavish affair " The ceremony was glamorous -the
Belgrade jet set were there with their expensive jeeps and cars," said
Marianja Jovanovic, a Pozeravac student." At midnight fireworks
exploded in the sky over the town. It was a display that would have
made the Chinese envious."

Milosevic-owned Radio "Madonna" appears to heading for a similar fate
as the nightclub, where its been based for the past three years. The
broadcaster has recently featured noticeably fewer commercials from
local private enterprises.

Marko's attempts to exploit the cyber revolution are also failing. He
set up the region's first and only Internet provider, but his
subscribers have now abandoned him. 

More worrying for Marko is the demise of "Bambi Park". A sort of
Yugoslav version of Disneyland, and considered to be one of his
biggest investment, the centre is attracting a fraction of the crowds
that have turned up daily over the past twelve months or so. 

The centre, which cost around one million German marks, was built
during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia last summer. Marko boasted that
work continued on the site while the air-raid sirens were sounding.

The entertainments complex was busy for much of the last year.
Attendances were often topped up, however, by ordering schools to
include visits to Pozarevac and the "Bambi Park" in their schedule of
outings - much to the annoyance and resentment of many parents.

With so few people visiting the centre, it now only opens at weekends,
staging performances by Yugoslav pop and folk musicians and sports
tournaments.

Marko's fortunes have plunged to such an extent that he is now reduced
to selling off goods from his "Cybernet" shop at knock-down prices. 

But despite his recent disappointments, Marko appears determined to
persevere with his business activities, albeit more modestly than
before.  He recently opened a new bakery and pizzeria, distributing
hundreds of free loaves of bread in a publicity stunt. 

Marko Ruzic is the pseudonym for a journalist from Pozarevac.

#  distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission
#  <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism,
#  collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets
#  more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body
#  archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net