Išerić: Does the SDA leadership hate traitors, or are they becoming them?

By Dr. sci Enver Išerić

When it was necessary to implement the election results of the general elections held in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022, various mathematical and unprincipled coalitions were formed, and in the end, power in the Federation was established by violating the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, by the High Representative, who with his decision allowed the appointment of the Government of the Federation without the consent of the Vice-President of the Federation from the Bosniak people.

This has reduced Bosniaks as the majority people in Bosnia and Herzegovina (50.1%), and their participation in the total population of the Federation according to the 2013 census is 74%, to a completely insignificant political factor, and the political party SDA, which won the most parliamentary seats, has been prevented from participating in power.

The Troika (Three) tried, and succeeded, in forming a government with HDZ BiH, which is the strongest political party of the Croatian people, who constitute 22.4% of the population in the total population of the Federation. At the state level, a government was established with HDZ and SNSD, whose president, Milorad Dodik, they claimed was a man with whom agreements and compromises could be made for Bosnia and Herzegovina to progress towards the European Union, as well as in the area of the rule of law. In this fervor, the Troika agreed to all conditions, or rather, ultimatums, from Dragan Čović and Milorad Dodik.

NES and SBiH did not agree to this, and very decisively refused to participate in the government at the state and Federation level, which would practically mean, for several ministerial positions and other places in public service, assisting the actions of the destroyers of the state through the state's institutions.

By doing so, these political parties showed a high degree of state-building awareness. And they did not stop there. These two parties, together with DF and SDA, tried to establish a patriotic, Bosniak bloc of political parties that would be a barrier to the total collapse of the constitutional order and the dismantling of institutions and the entire legal system in society.

During that period, Bakir Izetbegović stated: "The first sin, the 'mother' of all sins and mistakes of the 'Troika' is that they betrayed their own principles, sold them cheaply for power. One should remember what they promised to do easily and quickly, and what they promised never to do. A list of all these betrayed principles and promises should be made. Nothing of what was promised remained! They sold everything to enter power, and in the end, their mutual struggle for survival in that power will remain."

He also said that the Troika was servile and that it was trading the majority at the expense of Bosniaks.

However, for the sake of a few positions, the SDA first in Mostar, and then in Bihać, betrayed NES and the agreement between the president of NES, Nermin Ogrešević, and SDA, Bakir Izetbegović, on a coalition partnership between these parties in these cantons. In Bihać, the SDA also betrayed SBiH and DF.

SDA betrayed the patriotic parties and decided to form a government in these cantons with political parties that it itself called traitorous. That is called a double betrayal by SDA.

And SDA did this in one of the most difficult post-war periods in Bosnia and Herzegovina when our country is threatened from all sides for its survival. Thus, SDA has transformed from one of the state-building parties that is built into the foundations of this country under the leadership of its president Alija Izetbegović, into a (solely) destructive campaign and has become a serious threat to the construction of the never more needed unity of Bosniaks.

There is no justification in the platitudes in letters to cantonal party SDA leaderships that the responsibility for the moves they will make lies with them, and allegedly suggesting that they be careful what they do. If Bakir Izetbegović seriously meant this and if he cares about the Bosniak patriotic bloc that will stand as a defense of the country, then he should have used his presidential powers and sanctioned the 'betrayal' within his own party.

This did not happen. And it will not happen. The situation is very clear. It is even clearer if we consider that no one from the inner leadership of this party has publicly reacted to these developments, which are very harmful to both Bosniaks and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

But I want to remind them that Alija Izetbegović said: "The only kind of people I hate are traitors."

Does the SDA leadership hate them, or are they becoming them? And are they guided by the Machiavellian principle: "A wise ruler should not be bound by his word when it is against him and when the reasons for giving it have ceased to exist." NES was bitten by a snake once. It won't be a second time.

It is expected that such behavior of the SDA leadership will be condemned by all patriotic forces of this party, in the party leadership and representative bodies at all levels of government, and that appropriate steps will be taken. NES will not create divisions within the Bosniak people and will work tirelessly to strengthen their unity. But there will be no compromise with traitors.