Konaković Seeks a Scapegoat, While the Government Has Been in Power for Years: The Troika Is Destroying Good Projects That Could Have Kept Young People in BiH

Written by: Amra Vrabac

The President of the People and Justice Party, Elmedin Konaković, is actively involved in the party's election campaign, touring Bosnia and Herzegovina and addressing members at rallies.

At a rally in Tešanj, Konaković lamented that BiH is a record-holder for youth emigration, and that the number of pensioners could soon surpass the number of workers. He emphasized that in a few years, twice the amount will be needed for pension payments.

“We inherited a country with the lowest birth rate. Our country is in last place, with a birth rate of only 1.3. These are terrifying figures, and we have arrived at this point because politicians win votes through populism, not concrete solutions,” said Konaković.

However, Konaković forgets that he was in power for years. He served as Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton while he was in the SDA. His party, NIP, has been in power in Sarajevo Canton for years, and Sarajevo has not experienced economic prosperity. Good projects that were started have been destroyed or halted during the mandate of the Troika government.

From Sarajevo Canton, we will mention just two. Subsidies for young people for the purchase of their first property were significantly reduced from 10,000 KM to 4,800 KM. Prime Minister Nihad Uk, who got that position only thanks to Konaković, told young people this week that they will not receive additional funds. So, the Troika government lied to young people who committed to staying in Sarajevo for the next five years. Many of them are ready to return that 4,800 KM and leave BiH because they do not have the conditions for a decent life. And why would they live under a government that lies to them?

The second project that was successful is biomedically assisted fertilization (IVF), which was fully financed from the funds of the Sarajevo Canton Health Insurance Fund. The FBiH government passed a law taking over the financing of IVF, and the cantons no longer participate in cost-sharing. Unfortunately, since the project moved to the federal level, the number of couples having children has significantly decreased, and the conditions and criteria they need to meet have become more difficult. Moreover, not all costs are recognized, and couples must pay for the IVF process themselves, only to have part of the costs reimbursed later. In times of inflation and high credit rates, many couples do not have 15,000 KM or more if they need to repeat the procedure, and then they wait to see if their incurred costs will be recognized. The Fokus portal published several testimonies of couples who tried to have children through this project but did not have their funds reimbursed. Many have given up on IVF due to this situation, which is already very stressful for couples, further compounded by financial uncertainty.

The next time Konaković speaks about the birth rate, he should first check how misguided policies have made it harder for those who wanted to have children and stay in BiH. He could also propose to his Sarajevo Canton Government, which he certainly controls, that the Sarajevo Canton Health Insurance Fund should again finance IVF procedures, even if the law has to be changed. They now have majorities at all levels, so that should not be a problem.

Konaković also touched on the pension fund. He confirmed that the FBiH government is already providing the money needed to pay pensions. The data from the FBiH Tax Administration is clear. The number of employed people is falling, and the collected revenues for pensions are insufficient for pension payments. It is obvious that there is no clear employment policy, nor is the number of those retiring being replaced.

The prediction that BiH will soon become a country of old people will come true very quickly. There is a shortage of labor in all areas. In the very center of Sarajevo, on Marijin Dvor, within 50 meters, one facility has permanently closed due to a lack of labor, and another works only until 4 PM, even though it is a store.

However, Konaković is worried about something entirely different. And that is that he will be left without a pension.

“If our economy fails to keep up with the needs of the pension fund, there will be no pensions for me and my generation, nor for those after us. It will explode. The only way to prevent this is to have economic growth of at least three percent per year. That is why European integrations are important to us; they bring investments, jobs, stability, and we integrate into a huge market. That Europe has not always been fair to us, we have felt that on our own skin, but now we have a good and fair offer. They are putting 2 billion KM on the table for growth and integration into the European market. This will mean that people from various places will come here because they will be able to invest in the heart of the European Union,” said Konaković, adding that the future, demographic and otherwise, is the reason why he is ready to sit down and try to negotiate reforms with those he would not even want to accidentally find himself in the same bus with.

And while he is full of talk about the European Union and the famous 2 billion KM, perhaps he should first deal with internal problems. Since NIP has been in power in Sarajevo Canton, and for the second year at the level of FBiH and the state, the rate of corruption has only increased. There has been no reform of public administration; on the contrary, it continues to be politicized. Political appointees from NIP and other parties of the Troika and HDZ are piling up in positions regardless of whether they have the necessary qualifications. Politics has halted the process of appointing the director of KCUS, the most important healthcare institution in BiH.

Novels could be written about education and healthcare in BiH. But we will focus on Sarajevo, where Konaković's NIP holds power. The arbitrariness of ministers and political options of the Troika has led to a catastrophic state in two key areas. Therefore, no one should be surprised by the departure of young people and entire families who do not want to depend on the policies of those whose diplomas were bought from meadow-faculties, who have indebted us for the next 50 years, who have settled into comfortable armchairs and just move from one to another.

New railways, new schools, new clinics will be useless when there are no people in them, neither to work nor to be educated and treated.