Mogu li politički lideri bojkotovati svoje građane?

Mogu li politički lideri bojkotovati svoje građane?

Na prošlonedjeljne proteste u BiH  izašli su građani kojima je stalo da se riješe određena pitanja, koji vide da probleme niko ne rješava, koji vide da BiH zaostaje za svojim susjedima i koji žele da se vlast angažuje u njihovom interesu.  Naizgled obično administrativno pitanje, dodatno zakomplikovano kroz političke mehanizme u BiH, dovelo je do toga da jedan od najmlađih i najranjivijih bh. građana, jedno bolesno novorođenče, nije moglo otputovati u inostranstvo radi neophodne medicinske pomoći. Pomislili biste da će ovako ozbiljna situacija potaći bh. političku elitu na određena preispitivanja i moguću akciju.  Pomislili biste da će se angažovati na iznalasku trajnog rješenja za ovaj relativno jednostavan problem. Međutim, kao što vidimo,  reakcija političke elite na proteste ogleda se u pokušajima manipulisanja činjenicama, izbjegavanju da se suoče sa stvarnom porukom koju im šalju građani, omalovažavanju nastojanja građana da zahtijevaju političko djelovanje, te prebacivanju odgovornosti za neuspjeh sa političara na građane. 
        
Prošle sedmice su neki političari govorili da su jedna ili dvije političke  stranke tajno organizovale proteste; da je demonstracije naručila i platila međunarodna zajednica; da je cilj protesta svrgavanje određenih političara; da problem jedinstvenog matičnog broja građana nije pravi razlog za ove proteste; da građani ne bi trebalo da protestvuju; da su demonstracije etnički motivisane i ko zna šta još. Trebao bi nam profesionalni kartograf da izradi kartu svih opsežnih, kompleksnih i čisto izmišljenih teorija zavjere koje su se počele širiti dok su majke sa djecom još uvijek dolazile da se pridruže mirnim protestima pred parlamentom, a studenti Banje Luke, 6. juna, tražili bolje uslove smještaja.
  
Niko ne bi trebao vrijeđati inteligenciju građana. Niko ne bi trebao govoriti  građanima da ne učestvuju u mirnim protestima.  Rekao sam tada i opet kažem: protesti 6. juna i oni koji su uslijedili u zdravoj demokratiji predstavljaju utjelovljenje građanske odgovornosti. Ovim demonstracijama  građani su poslali jasnu poruku. Umorni su od razjedinjujuće retorike, od neaktivnosti i raznih izgovora. Umorni su od političara koji ih nikada ne slušaju i ne nalaze rješenja za probleme. Oni naprosto žele da njihovi izabrani lideri i institucije u kojima oni rade funkcionišu. Ne traže previše.
    
Ipak, kad su građani izašli na ulice, koristeći svoje ustavno pravo, političari su negdje nestali, a institucije ostale prazne. Moguće je da je BiH jedina demokratska zemlja u svijetu u kojoj je reakcija političkih lidera na proteste pokušaj da bojkotuju svoje građane. To nije način na koji se odgovorni lideri ponašaju u demokratskim društvima. 

Pred BiH su ozbiljni izazovi koji zahtijevaju ozbiljno liderstvo i, možda ono što je najvažnije, funkcionalne institucije. Kako bi odgovorili na ove izazove, čak i na najelementarnijem nivou, lideri moraju preuzeti odgovornost i zajedno učiniti institucije funkcionalnim.  Neki su rekli da su zabrinuti za ličnu sigurnost.  Mislim da se na te primjedbe reagovalo. Rukovodioci u oblasti sigurnosti na državnom nivou zatražili su istragu prošlosedmičnih događaja i lično su garantovali državnim predstavnicima sigurnost pri dolasku i odlasku sa posla, bez ometanja. Aktuelizirana su i pitanja koordinacije. Ova i druge vrste “zabrinutosti” ne bi trebalo koristiti kao izgovor za izbjegavanje angažmana u interesu građana.  Parlamentarci Bosne i Hercegovine i članovi Vijeća ministara primaju plate koje su, uz beneficije, među najvećim u BiH.  Najmanje što treba da urade je da dođu na posao.

To duguju građanima koje zastupaju. Građani su ti koji će ispaštati zbog bojkota rada na veoma važnim zakonima u parlamentu koji već ima veliki broj prioritetnih pitanja. Građani su ti koji će za dvije sedmice vidjeti EU na svojoj granici i pitati se zašto njihovi politički lideri ne mogu postići dogovor oko osnovnih pitanja koji bi otvorio razgovore o članstvu u EU. Ako građani i dalje budu ignorisani, hoće li dati glas političkim strankama koje odbijaju raditi u njihovom interesu?


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Can Political Leaders Boycott their Own Citizens?

The protests over the past week around BiH were an expression of citizens who care about the issues, see problems that are not being resolved, see BiH falling behind its neighbors, and want to see their government working on their behalf.  A seemingly basic administrative issue, convoluted through BiH's political machine, resulted in the inability of one of BiH's youngest and most vulnerable citizens, a sick newborn, to travel overseas for necessary medical care.  You would think this powerful story would prompt some introspection and perhaps even action by BiH's political elite.  You would think they would work to implement a permanent solution to this relatively basic problem.  However, as we have seen, the response to the protests from the political elite has been attempts to manipulate the facts, avoid the citizens' real message, denigrate the citizens' efforts to demand political action, and to shift responsibility for the failings of the politicians back to the citizens.

In the last week, we have heard from various politicians that the protests were secretly organized by one or two or more political parties.  The demonstrations were bought and paid for by the international community.  The protests are about overthrowing a certain politician.  The demonstrations are not really about the personal identification number.  Citizens should not be demonstrating.  The demonstrations are ethnically motivated.  And on, and on.  One would need a professional cartographer to map out the extensive, convoluted, and purely fictional conspiracy theories that began even as mothers and children were still joining the peaceful protests at parliament and students in Banja Luka were asking for better living conditions on June 6.

No one should insult the intelligence of the citizens.  No one should tell the citizens that they should not demonstrate peacefully.  As I stated then and repeat now, the protests on June 6, and others since then, are the embodiment of a citizen's responsibility in a healthy democracy.  Through these demonstrations citizens have spoken clearly.  They are tired of divisive rhetoric, inaction, and excuses.  They are tired of politicians who never listen to them and do not find solutions to the issues.  They simply want their elected leaders and the institutions those leaders serve in to function.  This is not too much to ask.

Yet, as the citizens come out to the streets, exercising their constitutional rights, politicians are nowhere to be found and institutions are left idle.  Bosnia and Herzegovina just might be the only democratic country in the world where political leaders respond to protests by trying to boycott their own citizens.  That is not how responsible leaders act in a democracy.  

BiH has serious challenges that require serious leadership, and perhaps most important of all, functioning institutions.  To meet these challenges, in even the most basic way, leaders must take responsibility and come together to get institutions functioning.  Some have shared concerns about personal security.  I believe these concerns have been addressed.  State-level security leadership has called for an investigation of last week's events, and has personally guaranteed the security of state-level representatives to come and go without hindrance.  Coordination issues are being addressed.  These and other "concerns" should not be used as a justification to avoid working in the citizens' interests.  BiH parliamentarians and members of the Council of Ministers are being paid; they have some of the most generous salary packages in BiH.  At the very least, they need to show up for work.

They owe that to the citizens they represent.  It is the citizens who will suffer from a boycott of important legislative business on the parliament's already full agenda of priority issues.  It is the citizens who, two weeks from now, will see the EU at their front lawn and wonder why their political leaders cannot make the basic agreements that would lead to talks on EU membership.  If citizens continue to be ignored, will they vote for political parties which refuse to work for them?

Comments

  1. Democracy? What democracy? Does someone see democracy in Bosnia? Civilians have no power at all, they have to stand up to three governments. No nation could accomplish that. What we have is a new form of dictatorship? We have like 150+ kings. And what could we have expected after Dayton? Dayton robbed Bosnia of its independance. When the president of Croatia and Serbia (neighbouring countries) were asked to decide the fate of Bosnia, what else was expected? And what are we (Bosnians) to do now? Return back to Croat and Serbian presidents and let them decide the fate of Bosnia again, this time by removing Dayton and liberating Bosnia, giving our country its independance back? Is that the way? Or perhaps international community could open its eyes to the injustice it inflicted on Bosnia and remove this agreement - after all, they are the ones who wrote it. Please proclaim Dayton invlaid and give Bosnia back to Bosnians. We can't do it, but you can. Please give Bosnia back 'her' independence.

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