L'ETAT CE SONT EUX

BY THEIR OWN LAWS TO THEIR OWN POSTS

AIM, SARAJEVO, March 2, 1995 "Nowadays there is more struggle for power than there is for Bosnia&Herzegovina", that is how a year ago, Prime Minister of Bosnia&Herzegovina, Haris Silajdzic, expressed his disapproval, whose Government is now getting ready to amend, prescribe and adopt laws aimed solely at preserving posts of the current power-wielders. Namely, at the last session of the republican parliament, deputies of the ruling Party of Democratic Action (SDA), with the majority of their votes, made a draft Law valid according to which deputies can at the same time perform other duties, such as the ambassadors' or ministerial. Unity of legislative, executive and judicial authorities, as the fundamental characteristic of totalitarian regimes, was thus approved by the new "democrats", for the sake of further personal profiteering only.

Although in the past year the opposition strongly disapproved of several deputies of the SDA, such as Irfan Ljubijankic, who was at the same time the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Muharem Cero who was at the same time the Minister for Refugees, or Naim Kadic who was also the Ambassador in Kuwait, it is an undoubted fact that, according to the currently valid law, the mentioned deputies- ministers- ambassadors occupied the posts given to them as a gift illegally and contrary to law, since high officials, management workers, and workers with special authorizations in state administration "can be neither deputies nor representatives in the assembly of the same social and political community", that is, in the case they are elected to become deputies or representatives, "their functions, or employment shall be interrupted by the day their mandates are verified". Naturally, since these fabulous "democrats" had absolutely no intention of giving up their ministerial or ambassadors' posts, they decided to amend the law instead. To make things look even more stupid, at the latest session of the Assembly, its Secretary General, Avdo Capmara, frustrated by the protests of the opposition, took the floor and declared that the opposition was not right at all, "since we (the SDA) will change the law at the very next session, and the deputies will then be able to remain at their posts"!?

What they promised then - they carried out now! With six opposition votes against it, deputies of the SDA voted in favour of the law which gave Bosnia&Herzegovina the status of very few other countries in the world where the entire power is divided among members of a very small sect, called either a party, or a family. Namely, since all the three ruling national parties in Bosnia&Herzegovina (SDA, HDZ and SDS) from the very beginning acted rather as national movements than parties with clear political orientation (despite the good will, it is hardly possible to imagine any party in the world that the listed ones could cooperate with as their counterparts), nepotism became the basis of all their activities, and the love towards the leaders or family links determine the degree of loyalty not only to the party, but, unfortunately, to the state, too.

Just as an illustration, this is what nepotism in the diplomatic network of the Republic of Bosnia&Herzegovina looks like: Permanent Mission with the UNO in New York - Muhamed Sacirbej, Ambassador, Omar Sacirbej, Secretary, and Nedzib Sacirbej, Ambassador at large; Permanent Mission with the UNO Office in Geneva - Mustafa Bijedic and Armin Bijedic; Embassy in Ankara - Hajrudin Somun, Embassy in Zagreb - Sulejman Somun; Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Nedzad Mirica, Embassy in Bonn - Jasmina Mirica; Prime Minister of the Government of RB&H - Haris Silajdzic, Embassay in Pakistan - Sadzida Silajdzic; Consulate in Stuttgart - Asim Dautbasic, Embassy in Ljubljana - Mina Dautbasic, President of the Constitutional Court of B&H - Ismet Dautbasic; Embassy in Zagreb - Kasim Trnka, Permanent Mission in New York - Jasmina Trnka; Government of the RB&H - Faruk Smailbegovic, Embassy in Bonn - Habiba Smailbegovic; Embassy in Islaamabad - Osman Music and Fatima Music; Embassy in Tehran - Sead Jusufovic and Edina Jusufovic; Embassy in Paris - Taib Bekto and Bozidarka Bekto; Director General of "Energoinvest" - Ibrahim Bukvic, Embassy in Kuala Lumpur - Ibrahim Bukvic...

Finally, what the "new democrats" think about the state, or to what extent they identify it with the state party leadership and their private property is perhaps best illustrated by the recent news published in Sarajevo media: while touring the Orthopaedic Hospital, Minister of Internal Affairs of B&H, Bakir Alispahic, gave two children from Sarajevo passports as a gift to enable them to travel abroad for treatment! Will perhaps the Minister-donor organize a lottery giving as prizes to the lucky ones, "miraculous" passports, or the right to a different life? Because, as Alija Izetbegovic himself determined recently, laws and paragraphs are one thing, and justice of the people, another. After all, the latest session of the Assembly showed, that for everything it might see fit, the party leadership will adopt a relevant law. Even a decree that that they are immortal, if necessary...

DRAZENA PERANIC