Coalition 'Država!': We don't need additional divisions between cantons

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The State Coalition is fully committed to building Bosnia and Herzegovina, a state of equal opportunities and rights for everyone in every part of it. We reject abuses and attempts to deepen divisions and the gap between various regions, cantons, or parts of our country, and we call on all political actors to treat and fight for every citizen, woman and man equally with their proposals, statements, and actions, regardless of which part of BiH they are from.

In this regard, the State Coalition understands the intentions and supports justified initiatives for amendments to the Law on the Allocation of Public Revenues in FBiH, which would mark the beginning of correcting the injustice towards the residents of most cantons in the Federation of BiH.

"We believe that it is necessary to agree on a completely new model of criteria, calculation, and distribution of public revenues, which would be based on a combination and balance of social, economic, and development principles, but until that happens, it is necessary to make an urgent improvement to the existing model. Therefore, the deputies of the State Coalition in principle support the current proposals that will be on the agenda of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament on Monday. At the same time, we draw attention to the necessity of harmonizing the distribution of public revenues at the BiH level as well, which has not been done since 2009, and in which, according to current economic and social indicators, the FBiH entity loses about half a billion KM annually that belongs to it," stated Mirsad Hadžikadić, president of the Platform for Progress and candidate of the Coalition "Država!" for the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"Solidarity, social justice, and equal status for all in BiH is the foundation that will ensure that every mother, police officer, teacher, or medical worker throughout BiH has the same income and the same salary for the same job they perform. It is a shame that almost nine years had to pass since the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted my initiative to adopt the Law on Balanced Development and Investments throughout BiH, before the authorities in FBiH decided to support such a principle and approach. The income and salaries that our citizens earn on these grounds in any canton must be equally available to every other citizen, in any other canton," emphasized Senad Šepić, president of the Independent Block.

"As part of the adoption of amendments to the Law on the Allocation of Public Revenues, the deputies of the Coalition Država! will also propose the adoption of a conclusion obliging the Government of FBiH to prepare the Law on Balanced Development and Investments in the Federation of BiH within 60 days at the latest, and we will provide our working draft of this Law to the federal institutions. This law, along with a completely new Law on the Allocation of Public Revenues for which the Federal government has long been tasked, would reduce inequalities and enable uniform, faster, and greater economic development of this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina," stated Adis Arapović, deputy of the Coalition Država! in the FBiH Parliament.