HDZ Minister Bošnjak Supports Secessionist Policies: Civil Servants Without Any Sanctions at Political Gatherings

(Patria) - Last week we witnessed a scandalous gathering in East Sarajevo, organized by political representatives from the RS entity in the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it was ultimately concluded that they are ready to leave BiH institutions if 'Schmidt's provocations' continue.

During and after the meeting, unequivocal threatening secessionist messages were sent. To make the scandal even greater, in addition to political officials from the smaller entity, civil servants and employees of many institutions also participated in that meeting.

Thus, employees of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Biljana Čamur Veselinović, secretary of the ministry, and Nikola Ašanin, assistant minister in the Sector for Legal, Personnel and General Affairs (on probation), participated in and supported the gathering.

At the head of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH is an HDZ appointee, Minister Dubravka Bošnjak, and it was expected that she, in accordance with the mandate she holds, the oath she took before the BiH Parliament, legal competencies and constitutional obligations, would initiate disciplinary proceedings to determine the factual situation and eliminate irregularities, or take other legal measures to maximally protect the dignity of public service and the integrity of the MCP BiH.

However, she did nothing! While the Ministry claims that the mentioned civil servants used their right to annual leave on the day of the meeting in East Sarajevo and did not use Ministry resources, according to verified information available to Patria, the mentioned civil servants appeared at work that day, and at least one of them used Ministry resources (driver and car).

Those better acquainted with the situation in the MCP BiH say that, after the illegal acts committed by these two senior civil servants – which must carry particular weight, the position of political power and influence is being exploited, even subtle coercion of lower-ranking civil servants, to cover up illegal activities. Subsequently, a day of annual leave was recorded to avoid responsibility and disciplinary proceedings.

And even if it were true that they were on annual leave, that does not relieve them of responsibility for undertaking obligations of illegal conduct and anti-state activity. If senior civil servants publicly declare that they will implement policies in BiH institutions as 'defined in the RS,' this cannot be interpreted in any other way than as stepping outside the legal framework to which they committed themselves by their employment contract.

What is particularly symptomatic is the fact that all subsequent activities regarding the fictitious day of annual leave cannot be recorded without the consent of Minister Bošnjak.

Therefore, Bošnjak owes a precise answer to the Bosnian-Herzegovinian public regarding the illegal conduct of the mentioned civil servants and her, obviously, conscious consent to favor their protection.

Without that answer, the wider Bosnian-Herzegovinian public has reason to believe that Minister Bošnjak favors and discreetly supports secessionist policies in the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH.

We remind that the Law on Civil Service in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina unequivocally prescribes Legal Principles in Civil Service (Article 3), Duties of Civil Servants (Article 14), and Incompatibilities with the Duties of a Civil Servant (Article 16).

Having in mind the above, it is completely clear that this involved illegal conduct by senior civil servants in the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., a conscious violation of the provisions of the Law on Civil Service in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is evident that the senior civil servants, Čamur Veselinović and Ašanin, were invited to a gathering of a political nature, that they accepted the invitation and attended the meeting, and it is beyond doubt that they publicly expressed their political beliefs during working hours.

Their inappropriate conduct could become legalized behavior (although contrary to positive legal regulations) so that in the future, other Ministry employees may, citing the precedent of the ministry secretary and the assistant for legal affairs, visit political gatherings during working hours and follow instructions from political leaders (instead of respecting legal regulations, as stated in everyone's employment contract). Thus, we can already speak of incalculable consequences for the reputation of both the Ministry and the state public service as a whole.

(A.Č.Z.)