Edin Urjan Kukavica: Bosnia and Herzegovina is ruled by lies and fear

By Edin Urjan Kukavica

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How and why did an ordinary party declaration without any legally binding force take Bosnia and Herzegovina back to 1990?

Any change on the reinforced, and then concreted political, administrative or factual scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina is an act that requires commitment and work that no one in this generation of politicians, both domestic and international, is willing or will undertake... First of all, because it is an unimaginably large amount of work, and then (or before first of all), simply because no one needs it, no one is interested in it, and it is not in anyone's interest, or rather, no one sees their interest in it. Namely, too many people in the current insane state and situation earn too well, and too many actors have gotten too deeply into their historical roles... so any step towards any change of state - for the better or even for the worse - would leave too many people who 'matter' without money or without purpose.

The aforementioned equally applies to the declarative and resolute commitment to constitutional changes, internal territorial and administrative reorganization of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the establishment of a unified state, regional, and local government with all the basic and supporting elements that such a move and process requires, as well as to the independence of RS and/or the legalization of Herceg Bosna as a third entity (instead of tacitly tolerating the coordinated economic and propaganda occupation of West Herzegovina or everything south of Konjic).

In other words, if this - a unified BiH - were anyone's strategic interest, not from 2009, but at the latest from 1999, strategic moves would have been made to first prevent the application of the ethnic and demographic structure of BiH, for example, however difficult it may be to imagine, by consistently and persistently insisting on the full, effective, and sustainable implementation of Annex VII of the Dayton Peace Agreements (return of displaced persons and refugees to their pre-war places of residence and life), if necessary with some radical measures such as an administrative ban or prevention of the devalued sale of property and settlement in parts of the territory under the control of ARBiH (more precisely, the reintegrated municipalities of Vogošća, Ilijaš, Ilidža...), and then with a whole series of orders and prohibitions in spheres from politics to economics, or more clearly, from bureaucracy and administration through institutionalization to privatization.

Furthermore, a series of facts, the first of which is that the entire 'story' is being re-actualized by a party that has been at the forefront of fighting for the ethno-national rights of only one people for a quarter of a century, and that this re-actualization is happening at a time of all sorts of tensions and tug-of-war regarding the (non)formation of government, and indecent conditioning with this or that from all sides, speaks more than the move itself.

In fact, at best, it is another transparent, operetta, and dangerous performance that will, unfortunately, only result in a multitude of hard-to-count omissions, old and new lies, and unfulfilled actions for a unified Bosnia and Herzegovina being swept under the curtain. Moreover - and more dangerously - every such statement, however fragile in terms of the promiser and performer, plays into the hands of the proponents and executors of the work on the independence of RS and the legalization of HB, for whom, it should not be forgotten, time is on their side.

And then, neither BI with the entire SDA and IZ, nor ŽK with ten or even a hundred times larger and more influential DF, possess the internal will and interested strength, nor are they able to gather the critical - let's say, majority - needed to initiate any move in that direction. Why? Simply: because they themselves - among others - are the ones who earn too well in this whole story and have roles they didn't even dream of in their wildest dreams.

All in all, whoever thought of it, it is another bad move by a below-average politician, no different from all previous ones, from the re-filing of the lawsuit to the announcement of the revision of the name of RS, perhaps well-intentioned, perhaps sincerely motivated, perhaps even secretly desired... but usually unfortunately timed and disastrously executed... so that at best it looks like a foul in the penalty area of MD and DČ. Of course, there are also intentional fouls and intentionally misplaced balls.

The only sensible statement that appeared in the past few days of the theatrical parade for and against Bosnia (and Herzegovina) was made by ŽK, stating that (paraphrasing) 'The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not anyone's private or party property, nor political capital'... but a striving, a longing, and a dream too beautiful and fragile to be allowed to be dreamt by anyone (added EUK).

So how, and why, did an ordinary party declaration without any legally binding force take Bosnia and Herzegovina back to 1990?

Bosnia and Herzegovina, in defiance of the Constitution, is not ruled by Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats, or Others... Bosnia and Herzegovina is ruled by fear and lies. Fear does not only rule inter-ethnic relations but, above all, intra-ethnic ones, because any opposition to the dominant ethno-nationalist narrative at the very least leads to accusations of national betrayal, and then to all other forms of direct and indirect pressure, mostly of an existential nature.

As for lies, there are several types. The biggest lie that we have all collectively and individually fallen for is that there are three sides in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There never were! There have always been only two: for and against Bosnia and Herzegovina. From the first four paragraphs, conclude for yourself who is against and who is for BiH, including these so-called civic, left-wing, independent, just, people's... And one of the most foolish is that a civic Bosnia and Herzegovina is at the expense of anyone, including the eternally minoritized or majoritized Croats...

What do Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina fear when, despite the verdict of the International Court of Justice for a joint criminal enterprise (it should stop being called UZP), they possess at least 50% of the power (if not more... it could be easily determined by an ethno-national census of state officials and employees, directors of agencies and presidents and members of the supervisory boards of foundations...), control all flows of budget money at two levels: state and federal, indisputably and unquestionably rule in at least three cantons/counties in FBiH and share power in two or three more... while, at the same time, such participation in the power of RS does not interest them at all?

What should Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina fear when, despite the verdict of the International Court of Justice for genocide, they possess Republika Srpska, the only spoils from all the wars initiated and waged ever, and especially these few – if God wills, the last ones – on the territory of the former SFR Yugoslavia?

Objectively, the only ones who have reason to fear are Bosniaks. The revived nationalist appetites of Croatia and Serbia are still not satisfied, partly because the current state and situation – although irresistibly reminiscent of the state established in 1939 by the Cvetković-Maček agreement – are only so *de facto*... for complete satisfaction, it needs to be defined *de jure*: to 'entitize' all or part of the Federation of BiH as Herceg Bosna, to secede Republika Srpska, and Bosniaks... to euthanize them = consider them non-existent or make them feel safe, to gather them in an easily controllable territorial percentage where 'Muslims' will be the majority and rule, and to do everything to – partly from within, and partly from outside – radicalize them and self-condemn them to ruin.

Stereotyping has never been good, and generalizations are regularly wrong because there are always exceptions (though, mostly those that confirm the rules). Therefore, speaking not of everyone but of many... As far as I know ethno-national Serbs, they initiated wars for greater deceptions and smaller lies than the independence of Republika Srpska. As far as I know ethno-national Croats, if they don't emigrate and cheer from abroad, they will continue to wait to see who is stronger and then try to grab something for themselves in the muddy mire. As far as I know Bosniaks, and I know them best, it is very likely that their freshly discovered ethno-national policy with immense ignorance and meaningless mercy, multiplied by the diplomatic and political genius from the 'neighboring' former Muslim countries – like Andalusia, which they so readily invoke – will lead them to the safe and warm embrace of an ethnically compact Bosniak territorial percentage.

The 'winners' will be satisfied: what they have is what they have, but it's ours... ours rule... if they steal, at least ours steal from us... we know who our friends are; they are far away, but at least we know who they are... and so on, all that we have heard for almost thirty years...

Of course, none of the above will be possible without war, and of course, that is one of the reasons why, even after 25 years, people have not stopped talking about war, and recently more frequently and seriously than before.

In insincere relationships, it is most difficult to tell the truth.

And the truth is: if nothing else: poverty, misery and destitution, emigration, diseases that can only be treated by collecting alms and abroad... the terrible cases of Memić and Dragičević (by no means should the two girls killed at a pedestrian crossing in Sarajevo, Selma Agić and Edita Malkoč, be forgotten) show that all people in Bosnia and Herzegovina are troubled by the same or similar problems that have nothing to do with national or any other policy, and that among people and nations – even among Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats – in this country there is much more human potential that goes far beyond all superficialities and trivialities, beyond all obscurities of meetings in cafes, restaurants, hotels, and various wildernesses, beyond all illogical, unclear, and inexplicable mega-projects with two or three unprovoked detours up and down, beyond all highways to nowhere that overnight become express roads to this or that announcement of prosperity for this or that number of years...

If there is no – and there isn't! – any responsibility for spoken words, it must be introduced! I don't just mean the elastic category of 'inciting racial, religious, and national hatred and intolerance or discord' criminally qualified by Article 145a of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina... but before and after all, I mean lies! If they are not ashamed, let them at least be a little afraid... of anything... at least of some Law.

Because, everything they have been *selling* us, putting in front of us, deceiving us with, and persistently trying to convince us that it is – That! – is, in fact, a lie! Small, large, party, factional, systemic, institutional, national, everyday, pre-election, post-election, compensatory, coalition... but, only and exclusively lies!

And people are increasingly afraid.