Izetbegović: Konaković could have been one of the leaders of SDA

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - After leaving all positions within the Cantonal Committee of the Party of Democratic Action at the end of January, Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton Elmedin Konaković could officially leave the party itself.

Since then until today, there has been no significant reaction from his side, except that the day after resigning from party positions he said that „the media are attaching too much importance“.

The President of the Cantonal Committee of SDA Sarajevo, Asim Sarajlić, did not comment on Konaković's resignation. The President of SDA, Bakir Izetbegović, in an interview with Slobodna Bosna expressed hope that „Konaković will not follow the footsteps of many who imagined that SDA depends on them, and not the other way around.“

- Young and ambitious people are in a hurry, so, after receiving high positions from SDA, they start looking for flaws in their own party, criticizing it publicly, forgetting that neither they nor their careers would exist without the political force that defended and continues to defend Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is needed by the people, with or without them. They act hastily and ungratefully. Suddenly everything feels cramped and unbearable, they look for reasons for dissatisfaction and disobedience. In fact, the only thing that is unbearable for them is having a boss, because they want to be bosses – said Izetbegović.

He also cited earlier examples of people who left SDA and started their own political projects.

- At least a dozen prominent SDA cadres have done so so far, and anyone with an excess of ambition should ask themselves what happened to them and the political projects they launched. There were initial takeoffs, but after a few years it all ended at the local level and in political stagnation – said Izetbegović.

The President of SDA said that „Konaković had strong support, both mine and that of the entire SDA leadership, and thus a clear chance and perspective to be one of the leaders of SDA, to do important things for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and not to be a politician of local reach."

Izetbegović stated that the decision is solely up to Konaković whether he will „use that support, or lightly and without real reason discard it.“ 

Prime Minister Konaković confirmed to the Patria agency that a press conference, which some media had announced and at which he was supposedly supposed to announce his departure from SDA, will not be held on Friday.