PARTY REACTIONS TO SHADOW CABINET

AIM, SARAJEVO, January 20, 1997

The initiative for the political consensus has produced an idea on the establishment of a shadow cabinet, first in the Republic of Srpska, and then the territory of the Federation. According to signatories of this initiative, shadow cabinets should act as counterparts to legal institutions of the authorities, but also as qualitative competition and a correctional mechanism for the already existing cabinets, which was the topic of our discussion with representatives of the B&H opposition.

"We consider the idea to be quite good. It provides an opportunity for the strongest possible pressure to be exerted on the legitimate authorities representing the will of the people deprived of all rights, demobilized soldiers, pensioners, students who live on different promises, but also on the fact that they belong to one or the other nationality or one or the other political party", says Sejfudin Tokic, Vice-President of the Union of Social Democrats of Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the co-signatories of the initiative for the political consensus.

Similar is the stand of the Croatian Rural Party (HSS). According to Stanko Sliskovic, President of this political party, all possible forms and types of political activity and work should be used so as to preserve the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Everything that serves this function is welcome, and consequently a shadow cabinet, as a correctional mechanism for the existing governmental institutions", said Stanko Sliskovic, President of the HSS.

Vice-President of the Moslem-Bosniac Organization, Mujo Kafedzic, explained that the efficiency of shadow cabinets depends on their financial ability to cover their own expenses. He also emphasized that with their own programmes shadow cabinets will compete before the international institutions, but also, through their delegates in the Assembly, present views of shadow cabinet members (from the Federation: UBSD, MBO, HSS, and from the territory of the Republic of Srpska: the United Left, Social-Democrats and Social-Liberals)

"Having in mind the concept of work and selection of men, we think that we shall be efficient and competitive in relation to legal authorities, and shall make it possible for the voice of the people to be heard. What will pass in Parliament will depend on the voting mechanism of parties in power", explains Mujo Kafedzic his vision of shadow cabinets.

On the other side, Muhamed Filipovic, President of the non-parliamentary Liberal-Bosniac Organization, thinks that such an idea cannot be productive. According to Filipovic there are reasons for this, the most important being that the relationship between the authorities and the opposition is not a one which will make it possible for shadow cabinets to last. The other, equally important segment, is that the opposition already exists in the republican Government. More precisely, the Serbs, Croats and Bosniacs, members of the Government, are in opposition to the Government depending on their own requirements.

"Under such conditions an establishment of a broad alternative programme as an alternative to such an absurd situation would be a waste of energy", thinks Muhamed Filipovic. "The B&H Liberals are satisfied that democratic processes in B&H have reached a level at which it is possible to establish a shadow cabinet. The problem of the functioning and influence of such cabinets primarily lies in election results, as well as historic processes that occurred in these regions during the last five years. Therefore, we are not optimistic as regards the influence of shadow cabinets on public opinion in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, as such, shadow cabinets are acceptable as a correctional mechanism of the ruling structure", says Hasib Salkic, one of Vice-Presidents of the Liberal Party, also a non-parliamentary party after the last elections.

According to the Republicans, the idea of a shadow cabinet is a powerful one and probably an acceptable correctional mechanism for the legal institutions of B&H.

"However, having in mind the composition of the present cabinet which is not an expert, but formed observing ethnic quotas, I am not sure that it will serve that purpose. However, if the shadow cabinet will be so organized so as to include the top experts in individual fields and according to principles announced by parties signatories of the initiative of the political consensus, it might prove successful", thinks Ahmed Isakovic, member of the Republican Party Senate.

We were unable to learn the opinion of the Social-Democratic Party on this problem. We were told that the SDP Presidency has decided to present it at its regular press conference. We therefore had to wait and this is what Sead Avdic, the SDP Vice-President said on the initiative to establish parallel governmental institutions in B&H:

"The SDP thinks that the procedure and method of establishing an alternative Ministerial Council are not in accordance with the basic requirements that such a project entails. According to the procedure first, the Coordinating Council of the United B&H List should state its opinion on such a major political project, then a full political consensus should be reached, after which a stand should be taken and only then the idea promoted. It is common practice in all civilized democratic countries of the world for all new cabinets, and consequently for the B&H Ministerial Council too, to get their hundred days to prove how good are they in their work. This was not observed, irrespective of the fact that the establishment of the Ministerial Council was delayed", says Sead Avdic, the SDP President.

The project of establishing a shadow cabinet has still not presented the mechanism envisaged for its financing. It can be only guessed that there are certain institutions in Europe which would finance the work of an alternative Ministerial Council. But, it is easy to conclude that this financial aid would imply political influence, so that a financier could easily influence the work and political decisions of the shadow cabinet, and thereby the political developments in the state.

N. MUJCINOVIC

Entrefilet:

Formation of such institutions is conducive to the stabilization of peace in both entities. The efficiency of shadow cabinets shall depend on the degree to which the problems will be dealt with jointly, both on the territory of the B&H Federation, as well as that of the Republic of Srpska. We think that we shall succeed because we want the public to say what it thinks of our activities, as it will know best whether we have been and are working in the interest of all peoples of B&H", says Milorad Dodik, Vice-President of the Social-Democrats of the Republic of Srpska.

Miodrag Zivanovic, President of the Social-Liberal Party of the Republic of Srpska thinks that the essence of the initiative for the political consensus is much broader than the establishment of shadow cabinets in both state entities. According to Zivanovic these institutions have been established with an attempt to reconstruct life in B&H.

In order to help the reconstruction of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we first have to abandon any thought of private national mini-states. This initiative offers a possibility to resist all such trends which draw us towards the establishment of national boundaries", emphasizes Zivanovic, adding that the idea on speedier reintegration of B&H will fully develop in practice when presented to the public or at the moment when those like-minded join the opposition which is forming shadow cabinets.

Zaim Backovic, one of the leaders of the Party for B&H thinks that when speaking of shadow cabinets at this moment it is first necessary to give every assistance to the establishment of the legal institutions of B&H. It is a fact that without legal authorities there can be no segments which are essential for the implementation of the Dayton Agreement.

"Namely, we need expert teams which would assist the Government in this critical period for B&H. The Government should be given time to prove that it is capable to fulfill its tasks. In case it fails to carry them out, the formation of shadow cabinets would serve as a rebuke. As far as the present moment is concerned, a shadow cabinet can be used as a remedy, but also as a stumbling block", said Zaim Backovic, member of the Party for B&H, whose President is Haris Silajdzic one of Co-Chairmen of the Ministerial Council of the ruling SDS, SDA and HDZ.

N.M.