Cardinal Puljić: There is no good will to implement the bishops' plan for the regionalization of BiH

Cardinal of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese Monsignor Vinko Puljić stated for BHRT that recent reports about the bishops' plan for the regionalization of the country represent a kind of manipulation, because a plan dating back to 2005 has been taken out, which was ignored by everyone at the time, Patria reports.

Cardinal Puljić considers it an insult that there was no reaction 12 years ago, when the bishops' regionalization plan was created. Neither politicians nor journalists spoke up.

“No one read what we proposed, they simply ignored it. No one was against it, but they ignored it for 12 years. Now we need it, and now they want to pull that program of ours out of mothballs. We felt hurt 12 years ago because we were ignored, even called out for meddling in politics, and now we believe we should not be manipulated,” says Cardinal Puljić.

Puljić says the bishops created the plan 12 years ago because representatives of the international community reproached them for only criticizing and attacking, without proposing anything.

“So we bishops proposed that modus, thinking they stood behind what they said, that they wanted a multi-ethnic state of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” says Cardinal Puljić.

If someone were to propose a plan similar to the one from 2005 today, Cardinal Puljić is not optimistic that it could be implemented.

“I fear there is no good will. I would be frustrated again. There is no good will, because all those who are now, in a way, exchanging fire, are imitating old Yugoslavia. They also said everyone was equal, only some were more equal,” Vinko Puljić says with dissatisfaction.

He says that the one who has power to speak, who holds authority, is not always right. The one who must be right, Cardinal Puljić believes, is the ordinary person with their rights, freedoms, and dignity, especially in this country where we are different.

“They swear by Dayton, but in that Dayton, my people do not have equal rights in that state. Then I ask: Has that Dayton, besides stopping the war, brought any other good? If not, then it should be changed. And all signatories must be responsible for that. Unfortunately, I must admit that it is difficult to propose anything if there is no good will, because then it is all in vain,” says Cardinal Puljić, revealing dissatisfaction with the implementation of the Dayton Agreement.

He believes it is necessary to create good will so that what one wants for one's own people is also recognized for others, and what one does not want must not be imposed on others.

“Leave us to perform our religious service, and you politicians, if you can, find smart heads and come to an agreement. And let every person feel that you are working for the people, not for your own interests,” Cardinal Vinko Puljić concludes.