No support for ban on hiring family members, Gratz says the Government is mocking citizens!

The Federal Government today at a session in Sarajevo gave its opinion on the Proposal for a Law on Prohibiting the Employment of Immediate Family Members of the President and Vice Presidents of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and members of the Government of the Federation of BiH in public bodies, submitted by Denis Gratz, a delegate in the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, Patria reports.

The opinion of the Federal Ministry of Justice states that a large number of irregularities were identified, the key one being that most provisions are not in compliance with the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This primarily refers to provisions 61. 1. and 5. of this proposal, which are contrary to constitutional provisions on human rights and freedoms, which establish the right of all citizens to participate in public affairs and have equal access to public services.

Furthermore, the opinion states, this Proposal for a Law is contrary to the Law on the Organization of Administrative Bodies in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Law on Civil Service in the Federation of BiH, and the Law on Employees in State Administration Bodies in the FBiH, because Article 3 provides a definition of the terms civil servant and employee that is not in accordance with the provisions of these regulations.

Proposer Gratz responded to the Government, stating that in practice it is clear that not everyone has equal rights in employment and that due to nepotism and corruption, the absolute majority of citizens are discriminated against compared to a very small group of people who are relatives of the ruling circles.

- The Government deliberately ignores the essence of this Law, which only expands the ban on conflict of interest, because when assessing it, it starts from pure theory, not from reality which has nothing to do with that theory - says Gratz.

- When we have radically reduced corruption and increased employment, when the majority of citizens have a decent job, then it will not be unfair for the children of the prime minister and members to get jobs in the civil service. Until then, it is an immoral, socially insensitive and unjust treatment by the highest officials of the Government. It is a conflict of interest, a phenomenon that should be clearly prohibited by law - adds Gratz.

Gratz concludes that the Government will be able to claim that everyone has the right to everything, „only when we reduce corruption and when we reduce unemployment to the American level, say, below 5%. And as long as we have over 500,000 unemployed and this level of corruption, the claim that the children of officials will be discriminated against if they cannot get a job in the civil service – is pure mockery of citizens by the Government - says the delegate of Our Party.