Kojović: We want to protect the civil service from politicisation

Predrag Kojović, president of Our Party, warned of the need to return amendments to the Law on State Administration in the Federation of BiH to regular procedure. The Presidency of NS has agreed and prepared seven amendments to the proposed changes, and will request that both houses of Parliament comment on them tomorrow, if the request to return the Law to regular procedure is not accepted, Our Party announced, as reported by the Patria news agency.

-Although we have again received an important law just a few days before the session is to be held, i.e. under urgent procedure, we have analysed the proposal and will try to act through amendments, as in the case of the Labour Law, in order to improve this proposal.

Although we understand the need for ministers to appoint a team of people they want to work with and take greater responsibility for their work, as is the practice in Western countries, it is also important to protect certain positions from politicisation. With our amendments, we tried to find a compromise between these two ideas, Kojović said.

-We requested that from the proposed list of positions which, under the new proposal, are not treated as functions performed by civil servants, the positions of secretaries of the houses of Parliament, the Government of the Federation and federal state administration bodies be removed.

We also request the same for the chief federal inspector and heads of expert services. We believe that these positions should not be politicised, because they should be held by professionals, who are bearers of "institutional memory", a link in the transition of government, and a guarantee of the uninterrupted functioning of the state, Kojović said.

-Through the amendments, we also seek greater security in the process of transferring power, meaning that all appointed persons remain in their positions until new appointments are made. We also seek an end to party-based employment in the process of appointing civil servants, by insisting that the Law prescribe the obligation to appoint the candidate who achieves the highest score in the competition, Kojović emphasised.

-It is also very important that the recruitment of trainees in the civil service is done through a public competition, since the proposed solution allows for the possibility of abuse. Finally, do not forget that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that everyone has the right to equal access to public service in their country. With our amendments, we want to protect that universal principle from politicisation, Kojović concluded.