DECLARATION MADE BY ALIJA AND HARIS

A Political Blank

Those who are now appealing for defence of integrity of B&H have themselves contributed to its ethnic division and territorial fragmentation

AIM Sarajevo, April 7, 1996

Recently promoted Declaration on Integrity of B&H, as a joint initiative of Alija Izetbegovic and Haris Silajdzic, was announced to the local public and media as a first-class political sensation. But, judging by its contents, it is nothing of the kind, and even if it is, it is only by its authors. Namely, the recent split between Haris Silajdzic and the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was interpreted by some as a tactical move aimed at gathering of a significant part of the electorate around the former prime minister and his new party, which could be later, after the elections, drawn into an alliance with Mr. Alija Izetbegovic and reinforce the already predominant position of his party in the political scene of B&H. But, hardly anyone believed in the possible new coalition between Izetbegovic and Silajdzic, especially after Mr. Silajdzic's recent very sharp attacks and accusations against his former political party, and even Mr. Izetbegovic himself. Nowadays, however, it seems that such calculations made certain sense. And that is where elements of a political sensation lie. Haris Silajdzic's political conversion which took place just before the founding convention of his party, is a great surprise for many of his former supporters. It is manifested in unconcealed disappointment, anger and depresion of those who had hoped that he would turn the flow of political developments towards democratic changes. They all felt defeated by the feeling of being cheated again by a man whom they expected it from the least.

When speaking of Alija Izetbegovic, his effort is evident, after his temporary absence due to illness, to regain or reinforce his authoritarian power and reestablish obviously disturbed order in his own party. This task which he desperately needed Haris Silajdzic for (as the most dominating personality at the moment), can be interpreted as an expression of extreme concern because of implementation of the agreement on the Federation, but also fear of a sharp warning coming from the international community addressed primarily at uncompromising partners in the shaky ruling coalition SDA-HDZ and their even more uncompromising leaders.

Apart from the almighty SDA, personified by Izetbegovic and Bicakcic, and Silajdzic's still unfounded "party for B&H" personified by his exceptional populist charisma, the other signatories of the Declaration play the role of mere decoration of the spectacle. Especially because they received the text of the Declaration enclosed to a letter signed by Alija Izetbegovic on a letterhead of the SDA and bearing its stamp.

Participation of the Serb Civic Council, the Jewish Community and minor Vladimir Srebrov (with his even more minor B&H variant of the Serb Revival Movement), or Rasim Kadic or Ibrahim Spahic from the Liberal Party and the Civic Democratic Party, respectively, was supposed to show the multiethnic character of the whole venture, but even those worst informed must be aware that the initiative was actually aimed at even apparent consolidation of integrity of the Bosniac ethnic corps, or more precisely, of its ruling SDA elite which is shaken by numerous internal crises, wrong political moves, unconcealed faction conflicts, global political and military situation in the country, and certainly, fear of the forthcoming elections. It was necessary to prove by all possible means that they were united and persistently in favour of (their) ideal of integral and sovereign B&H, especially now when very little is left of that state and when it must be established who and how much is guilty for it being what it is. The ruling SDA and its leaders headed by Alija Izetbegovic certainly are among the most responsible ones.

Although stances quoted in the Declaration (integral, democratic, multiethnic B&H, punishment of war criminals, protection of human rights, return of refugees to their homes, reconstruction of the country, etc.) can be questionable only for sworn enemies of this state, for the mentioned political spectacle it is more significant to mention those who did NOT participate in it. And they are the most important opposition parties: Union of B&H Social Democrats, Social Democratic Party, Muslim Bosniac Organization, Republican Party and Croat Peasants Party, but also the Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) as the only true (and coalition) partner of the SDA. Some respectable and influential non-partisan civic and democratic groups, such as the Forum of Citizens of Tuzla and Association of Independent Intellectuals Circle 99 from Sarajevo also stayed away.

The paradox of the whole political exhibition is that it deals with something so well-known that it is a constant in the mind of any normal (i.e. moral) man in this long-suffering country. And those most powerful, who are now arrogantly appealling for defence of its integrity and sovereignty, have contributed to its fragmentation, ethnic division and loss of political, state and territorial integrity and identity. Maybe it occurred to them that it was high time, for the sake of their own political interest and relying on the short memory of the people, to recollect the former Platform of the Presidency of B&H which they have forgotten the very next day after its adoption. Therefore, it is not hard to conclude that they need this Declaration to lay the responsibility at someone else's door (first), as an attractive but abstract and unrealistic election platitude (second), and as an instrument in relations with the international community, which they uncritically accuse as the only one to blame for ethnic division of B&H (third).

Requirements from this declaration can hardly be promoted in the way it is being done - by the effort to turn the whole initiative into a new, Bosniac referendum, by showy campaigning for a plebiscite, and by accusing all those who failed to sign the Declaration as open enemies of B&H. If anyone at all needs such a declarative document at this moment, and if it is not made official by the all-national parliament where it belongs, it can be understood not as an especially powerful political "bomb", but rather as a plain political blank, one in a row which were fired in the political space of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

SLAVKO SANTIC