Author: Boris Darmanovic Information on companies that were published today in daily newspaper “Pobjeda” and that are to be published tomorrow in other private daily newspapers in the Republic, would hardly help citizens of Montenegro or even those who are economic experts in deciding where to invest their voucher points. Most literally said, only basic information on 225 companies selected for MVP were placed in a table which contained, beside register numbers of companies and code of business, very confusing items “demand”, “obligation” and “equipment and realties”. This would not be so confusing if these items were explained somewhere in this supplement published in eight pages, and if “a some more information” was given. However, in this supplement there were no explanations for these expressions published in the table, although for a thousandth time it explained why Montenegro needed privatisation, what were privatisation funds and what is voucher. Those who studied economy are well aware of the fact that some of published expressions are clarified and explained to students in particular. Public Relations Agency stated for Montena-business that such ‘extensive’ information were prepared buy consulting company Price Waterhouse Coopers. On our question why there were no explanations for the table, PRA answered that it would probably be prepared in the next few days. The situation would hardly be clear for citizens with secondary or even high education outside economy when they see items “demand” or “obligations” – he can hardly understand whether the company owes to someone or someone owes to it, that is, whether his vouchers would become useless papers after investment. Column “Description of equipment and property” is the most confusing (worrying) part, and it is far from any help. For example, in this column the company “Albatros” possesses, beside two hotels, land and 20 apartments a mortgage. Of course, the question for the game of chance is whether these hotels are under mortgage, or perhaps the apartments, or only a part of the property, or everything or the property, or nothing of the property… It is clear to a literate man that investment depends on what of the property is under mortgage, what are conditions of the mortgage, when the financial means it was put under mortgage for should be paid, etc. Of course, no such information can be found within the space of half of the square centimetre. However, we have revolutionarily been informed that Telekom owned “telecommunication network and network for transmission of information with offices in Montenegro” and that, for example, Aluminium Complex in Podgorica owned “land, buildings and infrastructure”. There is no trace on situation on the final annual report of these companies, how many employees they have, how many of them are technological surplus, what is their annual turnover, what is their profit in the last few years, etc. It seams that, according to Operative Group for MVP that signed this material, such information is irrelevant for a possible investor !? Who knows whether we shall ever find the owners’ part except those owned by the employees of these companies? From this precious supplement, of course, we are not informed who owns the rest of the property, whether there were any unsuccessful attempts of privatisation of some of the companies offered, and why. We do not know whether these slip-ups are unintended, intended, or amateurish! It is all the same to citizens, since they did not get the information needed. On the basis of all this it is not difficult to conclude that in the next few days, the daily newspapers would publish something that is more of a ticket for a game of chance than information on companies for MVP. Play, perhaps you win! (end)