Veterans' Organisations in the Hands of SDA: When Patriots and Fighters Are Divided

Written by: A. Vrabac

The Coordination of Veterans' Organisations of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a press release stating that they will, „as proven patriots, defend all our commanders, generals and all our members from attempts of unnecessary and unjustified public shaming, among whom is Prime Minister Fadil Novalić, who, in addition to the position he holds, is also a war veteran with disabilities, a member of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina“. 

The Coordination of Veterans' Organisations issued the statement just a few hours after the press release by the President of the SDA, Bakir Izetbegović, and the SDA, using similar or identical claims, but also emphasising that the patriots of Bosnia and Herzegovina are still on the ramparts of this country and „we will not allow any tampering with what we carry in our hearts, and that is the homeland“. 

While the Coordination only spoke out regarding Prime Minister Novalić, should they not, as patriots, have also spoken out about Fikret Hodžić, a child of Srebrenica who lost his father and home in the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and about Fahrudin Solak, who was a member of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and was severely wounded in the arm, which doctors saved through superhuman efforts. Can it then be interpreted that this statement was put out under the baton of the SDA, which also only spoke about Prime Minister Novalić? 

Without entering into the investigation being conducted by police and judicial institutions regarding the „Respirators“ case, it is indicative that veterans' organisations are speaking out precisely at this moment. And there have been far too many instances when they should have raised their voices, from the arrest of generals, the poor position of fighters and patriots, the enormous enrichment of certain war comrades, to the protection of all disenfranchised fighters whom the state they defended has for years cast into oblivion and shamed. 

Not so long ago, they watched one of their own members who was sentenced to a 6-month prison term for three metres of wood. Fikret Dedić did not seek help nor to avoid the sentence, but were justice and the law broken on his back? Half of the Coordination's statement would have been enough for this man from Krajina, who was wounded seven times and whose five-member family lives on 50 KM of war disability benefits, to feel that he is not alone, that there is someone who thinks of him too. Where were the patriots on the ramparts then to stand up for every one of their members? 

„Our patriots are not people who flee from judicial institutions like many others for whom Interpol warrants are issued and who have not been found to this day; they do not have dual citizenship and their only homeland is Bosnia and Herzegovina. We did not flee in 1992, nor are we fleeing now, so there is no need for pompous arrests, to disturb citizens, or to attempt to create general chaos“, they stated in the press release. 

Fikret Dedić went to serve his sentence, and with the help of good people, the remaining part of the prison term was commuted to a fine. The question is whether anyone from the veterans' organisations ever asked about Fikret Dedić afterwards or provided him with the necessary assistance. No one steals from goodness, or at least that is how it should be. 

Perhaps the claim that not all citizens are equal before judicial institutions could stand, but for the Coordination of Veterans' Associations, not all fighters are equal either. 

When Bakir Izetbegović tried to defend Asim Sarajlić after the affair regarding the election of the head of the SDA Municipal Board Sarajevo, he said that he was „a fighter and wounded twice“, and that the SDA has bigger problems than Asim Sarajlić. Can and should the president of a party absolve anyone of responsibility for violating the law, justifying it by their participation in the defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina? Why was there no reaction from veterans' organisations then, or is Asim the SDA's smallest problem for them?