Dodik is the same today as yesterday, but what kind of 'common state' is Nikšić talking about?

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

Bosnia and Herzegovina woke up to the old atmosphere the day after celebrating renewed statehood and the victory of anti-fascism.

Fascism is all around us, especially visible in Republika Srpska, whose leader Milorad Dodik wrote on social media at dawn.

"BiH is a negotiated country and it is not based on the emotions of the people living there. It would never have existed if Serbs had been asked. Therefore, it is unacceptable for Serbs to be imposed with certain values such as holidays that have not been agreed upon at the BiH level.

We in RS can accept BiH as it is in the Constitution, but there is less and less of it. We clearly say that we do not accept BiH that is not in accordance with the Constitution, and that should be a virtue," Dodik stated on the social network 'X'.

Dodik wanted to repeat what is already a fact, which has been more or less accepted by everyone, except his partners from SDP, NIP, Naša stranka, and HDZ BiH.

And so, the 'trojka' (the three parties) are still trying to show that compromise is possible, so the leader of SDP, Nermin Nikšić, I want to believe with all my heart, unconsciously utters such a sentence:

"This is not what we want, this conflict today, this conflict. So, we want, man, to build a common state where everyone will feel comfortable"!

What kind of common state is Nikšić talking about, or did his jugostalgic thoughts revive in a fit of emotion, because Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a common state at all, but as the BiH Constitution states - Bosnia and Herzegovina is a democratic state functioning in accordance with the law and based on free and democratic elections.

And let it be clear, following the continuity, it can never become a common state, because in the event of any unexpected changes to the BiH Constitution, it can only become the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose official name since Dayton is Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After being a republic, it continued its legal existence under international law as a state, with an internal structure modified by the Constitution, and with existing internationally recognized borders.

To say that some common state should be created means admitting to Dodik that BiH is composed of two entities, and not, as the BiH Constitution states, 'consists of'.

These are nuances, important nuances, that bring secessionists into the clear. However, pro-Bosnian politics urgently needs to regroup, because it has clearly lost so much that it is going into the negative.

Because, the fact that Nikšić, Konaković, and Forto had coffee in Banja Luka according to Vojin Mijatović's plan, and that Nikšić argued with journalists in front of the SDP headquarters, means nothing. Dodik's rhetoric, which is not just empty talk but a great danger that the 'trojka' continues to appease with compromises, must be decisively countered.

That 'trojka' and that Nikšić who so skillfully convinced us that Milorad Dodik is some new European man, could finally say what's next.

Because, it was precisely in front of the cameras in January this year that Nikšić stated 'that it is possible that they are wrong and if it turns out that we will again be faced with blockades, none of us were born to be a minister or a prime minister – we can withdraw from power'. Nikšić also promised an apology to the citizens then, which he has not yet offered.

And he could have! At least yesterday from Banja Luka, he could have said a big 'sorry', or is the siege of the SDP headquarters in Banja Luka and the increased police escort just a form of compromise for him!