Federation should reciprocally respond to the introduction of the RS police reserve

(Patria) - The National Assembly of Republika Srpska today adopted the Proposal for a Law on Amendments to the Law on Police and Internal Affairs, which introduces a police reserve in the smaller BiH entity.

Professor of International Relations and Geopolitics at the International University of Sarajevo, Jahja Muhasilović, told the Patria News Agency (NAP) that there are several reasons why the President of RS and SNSD, Milorad Dodik, decided on such an urgent move.

Serbian-Croatian agreement

- First, Dodik has embarked on implementing this policy of open secessionism. I believe he has a green light for this, given that the international community, apart from verbally, has done nothing concrete to remove him from the political scene.

Moreover, it has strengthened him with its somewhat clumsy moves. But I think this is about some Serbian-Croatian agreement that has been approved in much stronger power centers, allowing them to freely pursue such a policy - said Muhasilović.

He assesses that in this segment, responsibility also lies with the Troika (SDP BiH, Naša stranka, NiP), because it was too naive when it thought it could enter government with Dodik without demanding anything concrete in return that would be in the national interest.

- At the moment when it entered the government with SNSD, the Troika was exclusively focused on overthrowing the previous government and chasing its own positions. In the new government, they secured nothing for the state, only a few ministerial positions, so they share responsibility there - says Muhasilović.

The best and most adequate measure in response to the move by the RS National Assembly, he adds, would be for the Troika to convene an emergency session of the Federal Parliament within 24 hours and adopt the same law at the level of the Federation of BiH.

- If they do not do that, then they should be expelled from parliament, because they serve no purpose other than to lull and anesthetize the Bosniak people and the pro-Bosnian front with their conciliatory, sometimes quarrelsome tone, which, however, as I already said, serves exclusively to anesthetize Bosniaks and prevent any adequate reaction - states Muhasilović.

He emphasizes that the move by the RS National Assembly must be reciprocally responded to, because Dodik, besides taking that clear course and moving rapidly along that path, has now also started to threaten the security of our country.

- Given that state institutions did not react in time, among other things due to the Troika, the only remaining option is for federal parliamentarians to also vote for that police reserve.

Because it is evident, if Dodik gets away with this, and I see that he is getting away with it, given the lack of an adequate response, BiH security institutions will probably have no mandate or any power in that part of BiH - Muhasilović believes.

On the other hand, the professor points out, Dodik is raising the stakes in this way because he expects to be acquitted of what the prosecution charges him with, so he intends to strengthen his position and force the other side to finally close the process against him.

And that other side, our interlocutor continues, has already started moving in that direction, after the Chief State Prosecutor Milanko Kajganić disbanded the prosecutorial team that led the investigation against Dodik, Nenad Stevandić and Radovan Višković in the "coup d'état" case.

Saving Dodik

- Personally, I believe that behind all this, of course with Serbia, Zagreb also largely stands, which decided to save Dodik. But what is additionally saddening is that some people from the security structures of Bosnia and Herzegovina are also participating in this.

We clearly see that Zagreb is in cahoots with Dodik and that the Croatian capital, through HDZ BiH, but also its intelligence, security, political and other cells in BiH, has been working for years on his political rescue, continuing that Serbian-Croatian alliance directed against BiH, its institutions and Bosniaks - emphasizes Muhasilović.

After Kajganić's mentioned move, the "coup d'état" case will only be handled by prosecutor Vedrana Mijović, the daughter of former SNSD cadre Slavko Jovičić Slavuj, and Muhasilović believes this indicates that the prosecution is largely controlled by SNSD and HDZ.

- The prosecution has essentially been left to their person, who will, as the last one, probably just turn off the lights and close the entire case, so this is a step before Dodik's final acquittal.

They can, of course, use various legal arguments, but how they technically package it is less important. What matters is this essence - that it was decided not to go for the downfall of Milorad Dodik, but to politically preserve him.

But I repeat, besides Banja Luka and Belgrade, Zagreb is also actively participating in this, and unfortunately various people who, under the guise of pro-Bosnian, Bosniak politics, are close to the Troika and foreign embassies.

All of them are actors in this entire operation of saving Dodik. And our citizens should know that, besides having enemies in Belgrade and Zagreb, in their copies in BiH - SNSD and HDZ, we unfortunately also have a lot of people in the so-called pro-Bosnian front who work for that axis, and not for the interests of BiH - notes Muhasilović.

He then also commented on the (non)functioning of the government at the state level, which consists of the Troika, HDZ and SNSD.

Muhasilović says that the only strategy left for the Troika is to survive until 2026, with the caveat that they will now adjust the narrative that they will then sweep Dodik away. However, results on the ground show that Dodik has never been stronger.

- The Troika members actively prevented his arrest when it was supposed to happen, bought him time, while simultaneously attacking those who timely warned that something needed to be done.

However, the only thing they can do now is to lie low for a while and build a narrative for themselves that will preserve them in 2026, even though the vast majority of people have actually seen what the Troika is and that it definitely has neither the momentum nor the narrative to rely on in 2026. Unless, of course, there are some interventions, as was the case in the last General Elections, which would extend their political life.

HDZ is currently, unfortunately, the strongest political party, and it was given that by the Troika, and that should be known, because with its accommodating, lenient, naive and treacherous policy, it made HDZ an unavoidable factor.

All of this was pushed by High Representative Christian Schmidt and the international community, through lobbying from Zagreb, and of course the lion's share of the work for HDZ was done by American diplomacy in BiH - says Muhasilović.

According to his words, Čović's HDZ has turned into an absolute "kingmaker", not only in the Federation, but also at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- We see that even the position of the Serbian opposition, but also of SNSD in general, as well as the Troika on the political map of Bosnia and Herzegovina, largely depends on HDZ, which has been given all possible levers of power through various interventions - concludes Muhasilović in an interview with NAP.

(D.K.)