Serbia, hold on to Pupin's values, that is the only way forward
Dušan Čkrebić
Dušan Čkrebić (Niš, 7. avgust 1927), učesnik Narodnooslobodilačke borbe i društveno-politički radnik SR Srbije i SFR Jugoslavije. U periodu od 1984. do 1986. godine obavljao je dužnost predsednika Predsedništva SR Srbije.
Osnovnu školu pohađao je u Vrnjačkoj Banji i Kragujevcu. Bio je đak Kragujevačke gimnazije i u njoj je maturirao 1947. godine. Učestvovao je kao dobrovoljac na Sremskom frontu, kao i u završnim operacijama za oslobođenje Jugoslavije u Trećem kragujevačkom bataljonu Prve proleterske udarne brigade. Iz rata se vratio odlikovan Ordenom za hrabrost i oficirskim činom. Rezervni je major.
Studije aeronautike počeo je 1947. u Sovjetskom Savezu na Moskovskom avijacionom institutu (MAI) kao stipendista jugoslovenske vlade. U leto 1948, zbog Rezolucije Informbiroa, prekinuo je studije u Moskvi i nastavio ih iste godine u jesen u Beogradu. Diplomirao je juna 1953. na Elektrotehničkom fakultetu u Beogradu. Uža struka mu je elektro-energetika. Radio je kao diplomirani elektroinženjer-energetičar u Vojnom vazduhoplovnom institutu u Žarkovu, kako na održavanju elektromotornog pogona, tako i na automatskoj regulaciji aerodinamičkih tunela u povoju. Bio je direktor tehničke službe održavanja u Koksari u Lukavcu, BiH. Izabran je za generalnog direktora „Fabrike sode” u Lukavcu u jesen 1958. godine. Bio je kao stipendista OUN na usavršavanju i specijalizaciji u termoelektranama velikih kapaciteta u sistemu RWE (Rajnsko-Vestfalske elektrane) u Zapadnoj Nemačkoj. Položio je državni ispit za ovlašćenog diplomiranog inženjera elektrotehnike.
U Republici Srbiji bio je podsekretar u Republičkom sekretarijatu za privredu, pri čemu se posebno bavio energetskim razvojem Republike Srbije. Bio je predsednik Privredne komore Srbije. Predsednik Izvršnog veća je bio u periodu 1974—1978. godine, a u periodu 1978—1982. predsednik Skupštine SR Srbije.
Bio je izabran za predsednika CK SK Srbije za period 1982—1984, a predsednika Predsedništva SR Srbije 1984—1986. godine. Bio je član CK SKJ-a od 1982. do 1990, a Predsedništva CK SKJ-a od 1982. do 1984. i od 1986. do juna 1990. Nakon promene vlasti u Srbiji, u jesen 1987. bio član Predsedništva CK SKJ.
Ante Marković
Ante Marković (Konjic, November 25, 1924 - Zagreb, November 28, 2011) was a participant in the People's Liberation War, an electrical engineer, and a socio-political worker of SFR Yugoslavia and SR Croatia. In the period from 1982 to 1986, he was President of the Executive Council of the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, from 1986 to 1988 President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, and from 1989 to 1991 the last Prime Minister of the SFRY.
He received his education in Dubrovnik and Zagreb and even before the Second World War he belonged to the progressive youth. He became member of the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia (SKOJ) in 1940, while he became a member of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ) in 1943.
He graduated in electrical engineering at the Technical Faculty (now the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing) of the University of Zagreb in 1954. After graduating, he got a job and worked for a long time in the company "Rade Končar", Zagreb, first as a designer, then as the head of the testing department, then as an assistant technical director and finally as an assistant general manager. From 1961 to 1984, he was the general manager of this company, which had 25,000 employees.
As prime minister, he pulled Yugoslavia out of the economic crisis, knocked down inflation from 56 percent a month – the inflation rate in November 1989 – to 2.4 percent in March 1990, and began vigorous reforms to bring Yugoslavia into the European Community (EEC). Imports were liberalized, the money, capital and labor markets were partially deregulated and opened. Markovic's reforms led to the SFRY's foreign exchange reserves rising from 1.5 to 6.8 billion dollars (USD). In the time interval of a year and a half, the foreign debt was halved to 12.2 billion dollars. Markovic also pegged the Yugoslav dinar (YUD) to the German mark (DEM), at a ratio of 1:7, making the dinar the only convertible currency from Eastern Europe. However, due to the political circumstances at the time, his plans were thwarted. In December 1989, he stated:
"We will pay for our delusions with poverty, poisoning of the spirit and the position of the far periphery of Europe."
In the middle of 1990, he founded the Union of Reform Forces of Yugoslavia (SRSJ), before the then multi-party elections. However, as they were fiercely attacked in the media of most Yugoslav republics, the reformists suffered a political defeat. By the end of 1991, Marković was completely marginalized, which resulted in his resignation.
He died on November 28, 2011, in Zagreb. He was cremated at the Mirogoj cemetery in Zagreb and was buried in Dubrovnik.