DIVIDED BY THE AUTHORITIES

Lukavac near Tuzla: Opposition Takes the Offensive

AIM Tuzla, June 27, 1996

The opposition in Bosnia & Herzegovina is going on the offensive. At the latest large gathering of the oppositionists in Lukavac near Tuzla, sharp criticism against behavior of the ruling parties could be heard, from preparations of the elections, abuse of religious and national feelings which leads to division of internationally recognized B&H, all the way to manipulations with patriotic feelings, role in defence and "stealing" of political orientation of the opposition for the sake of strengthening the position of the authorities. Power and nothing but power is the interest of the ruling national parties - Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Croat Democratic Community (HDZ) and Serb Democratic Party (SDS) - which they are guarding solely by exerting pressure. All the way to open assaults on political opponents.

"Elections in B&H will be quite uncertain. To schedule elections in the conditions when there is still not even fundamental political organization in the entire space of the state, no free and independent media, no free return for the banished, means to schedule elections for which not even fundamental democratic precoditions exist. That is why the elections will be a great farce and fraud if something is not changed in this sense. According to the present circumstances, neither will the elections be legal, nor will they be democratic, nor will they reflect the free will of the citizens. If something is not changed in this sense, we will ask the pro-Bosnian parties to boycott the elections, because they will be disgraceful and a caricature of democracy", says President of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of B&H, Nijaz Durakovic.

There were about 1200 visitors in the Lukavac Community Centre. Many remained outside because there was not enough room inside. Apart from Durakovic, Dr Sead Avdic and Gradimir Gojer, vice-presidents of the SDP B&H, addressed the public, and also Mirsad Djapo and Mustafa Sehovic, deputies in the Assembly of the Republic and the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Their messages were often interrupted by a frenetic applause of those present. The more bitterly they stressed failures of the authorities and the ruling parties in B&H, and offered their visions of the future, the more thunderous the applause became. Both the number and the reaction of those present at the gathering are valid indicators of a change of the political disposition of the citizens and their attitude towards the authorities:

"Bosnia & Herzegovina is practically divided. This was done by the ruling coalition of national parties. They have signed the Dayton accords, but they are doing their best not to implement them. They do not allow free movement across the state, return of the banished... Instead of allowing them to return, they evict them from one and colonize them in another place in order to create ethnically cleansed territories. As things are going now, B&H will not be formed of the Federation and the Republic of Srpska, or the Serb entity, but it will consist of three entities. According to these characteristics the ruling top echelons of the HDZ and the SDA are increasingly beginning to resemble Karadzic. The ruling parties are dividing B&H, which means that they are behaving as enemies of the state, the nations and the citizens", Gradimir Gojer said.

Dr Durakovic characterized the Federation as a "cluster of pastures" instead of cantons in which "captains of gangs of bandits" were leading lead the way with the blessing of the ruling parties, and Gojer characterized the current situation as a collection of small estates "in which each pasha rules according his own judgement".

"That is why nobody says 'I'm going to Bugojno', but 'to Mlaca's place' or 'to Brajkovic's' instead to Mostar", commented Gojer.

In view of such assessments of the current situation in B&H, the oppositionists pointed out to the necessity of a struggle against those who wished to divide the state, the nations and the citizens, because the only prospects were in a joint state, and not in its dissolution.

"The struggle for defence of B&H was waged by the people and it financed it with self-sacrifice. But not in order to let it be divided by the ruling parties, nor in order to protect the ruling structures, but for the sake of democracy, political freedoms and united B&H. We must have free access to Brcko and Neum. Recently I've heard a ridiculous statement of the ruling circles in B&H that they would allegedly allow Croatia passage through Neum. That is a farce. The Croatian flag is hoisted in Neum now, they are passing freely through Neum now and we - the Bosnians and Herzegovinians - depending on ethnic affiliation, have no right to hoist (the flag with) 'lilies', nor to freely pass through this town. People must become aware of the deception of the ruling parties and fight against those who are dividing us, who would gladly put nations into 'cans' for the sake of preservation of power, or make states out of two streets, three mosques and two churches", Gradimir Gojer stated.

For the sake of preservation of power, according to the assessment of opposition politicians, leaders of the ruling parties are making good use of everything they can. From the beginning of the resistence to the aggressor, to the Army, religion... Dr Sead Avdic stressed that in the beginning of the war the "Patriotic Front" of B&H had 500 thousand members.

"Noone can have a monopoly on patriotism and the Army of B&H. The state was defended by the self-organized people, not the parties. That is why the Army cannot belong to political parties because it was joined by patriotic citizens. Unfortunately, due to many circumstances, by wish of the SDA, it was "cleansed" and nowadays it belongs more to the party than to the people. We need an army which would protect the state, and not the party, and this army should be on all the borders of the internationally recognized B&H", said Dr Nijaz Durakovic.

These oppositionists, especially Durakovic, pointed out to the dangerous consequences of abuse of religion and national feelings.

"Newly founded parties are allegedly in favour of B&H in internationally recognized borders, but most of them - especially the ruling parties - are doing their best to divide the state. In this space, relations between ethnic groups have for centuries been adorned by multiculture, but the ruling parties wish to destroy that now. They are secretly plotting about division, and publicly they quarrel in order to homogenize the nations. All those who do not want to live in ethnic ghettoes and be tied to them by chains are proclaimed to be traitors of the nation and the state. That is what the SDA, HDZ and SDS are doing. We in the SDP are accused by them to be against religion, against Islam. That is a loathsome lie. We have never been against true believers who are increasingly joining us. Noone has a monopoly over religion, therefore not over Islam either. We are not against religion, we are against those who are, for the sake of political objectives deceiving God, the people and religion. Noone can privatize religion. Most of all religion is misused by ex-communist presidents of committees. They are nowadays in the first rows in mosques, Catholic and Orthodox churches. We are in favour of a secular state and treat religion as a private will of the citizens", stressed Dr Nijaz Durakovic.

Deputies Mirsad Djapo and Prof. Dr Mustafa Sehovic spoke about obstruction of the work of the Assembly of the federation B&H by the ruling parties. Behind the stage, top echelons of the ruling parties negotiate, and in public appearances they homogenize the nations and implement separatist objectives of the leaders. According to the assessments of the deputies, the mentioned political factions do not hesitate to do anything for the sake of preservation of power.

"Leaders of the ruling parties are not in favour of a state of law. In their public presentations they do not offer political arguments. They are becoming nervous lately, because the nations are beginning to see through their "games". Instead of political and rational arguments, the case in Cazin is an indicator that their best argument in the struggle for preservation of power against opponents is a punch in the head. I'm afraid that violence will become a normal instrument in political struggle", said Prof. Dr Mustafa Sehovic.

The oppositionists presented a number of indicators which show that three identical national projects are in the scene in B&H, which lead to new conflicts and not peace and prosperity. That is why they offered to the people present a vision of civic Bosnia & Herzegovina with all the characteristics of civic rights and freedoms. Judging by the stances of ordinary citizens and nations in B&H, the number of followers of such a vision is increasing, because ethnic frames have become too tight for the majority of citizens of B&H.

VEHID JAHIC