HYPOCRISY OF ČOVIĆ AND HDZ: Close associates in management structures of BHRT and RTV FBiH, but they are not interested in saving public service

When the president of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, stated on October 16th during BHRT's morning program that the BHRT was not an issue for him in the Budget of BiH institutions "because they never had doubts about it", he already knew then that the proposed budget would not have support, but he cunningly gave the impression that he was also in favor of solutions to the problems of the state public RTV service.

The budget was not adopted, and the new proposal that arrived at the BiH Parliament did not include BHRT, nor cultural institutions. Čović did not comment then.

HDZ associates publicly boast that they do not pay RTV subscriptions, and a few days ago Marina Pendeš repeated this precisely on BHRT's program. She said with a smile that she pays 80 KM for cable, and does not pay the RTV fee. She added that she would not mind if 10 KM were allocated from that to BHRT, but that she does not pay the RTV fee now.

When on November 27th, a protest of BHRT employees was held on the plateau of BiH institutions as a final appeal to save the Public RTV Service as one of the symbols of an organized state, only one MP in the BiH Parliament mentioned the problems faced by BHRT. It was Jasmin Emrić, but the Speaker of the House, Marinko Čavara (HDZ), did not have the patience to wait for Emrić to finish his statement, even though he was talking about BHRT and the fate of 800 employees, and interrupted him due to time constraints.

And it's not that HDZ and Čović do not have their extended arms in the management structures of BHRT. For years, journalists from Večernji list have been appointed to the Steering Board of BHRT. Thus, in the previous term, it was Valentina Rupčić, while Jozo Pavković, also from Večernji list, was elected to the new convocation. The new Steering Board is still awaiting confirmation in the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament, if the public service is shut down by then. The former director of BHT, Mario Vrankić, is also close to HDZ.

It is no secret that Čović and HDZ were the main protagonists in establishing a channel in Croatian, and RTV Herceg-Bosne was formed on that idea, which today has priority in asking questions at press conferences before BHRT or FTV, especially when Borjana Krišto makes statements!? However, despite this, HDZ continued to appoint personnel to BHRT, as well as to FTV with the arrival of the Trojka parties in power. Zoran Krešić from Večernji list was appointed to the Steering Board of RTV FBiH, whose appointment was also warned about by the US Embassy. Krešić's articles in Večernji list are inflammatory and negatively oriented towards Bosniaks, as well as Sarajevo. But that was not an obstacle for the MPs of Trojka to vote for Krešić's appointment. And Krešić, as a member of the Steering Board of RTV FBiH, should know that by shutting down BHRT, the entity broadcaster from which he collects his membership in the Steering Board is also shut down.

Immediately after his appointment, numerous citizens expressed dissatisfaction and announced that they would stop paying the RTV fee. And the data for 2024 clearly show that the Public Services BHRT and RTV FBiH are financed by majority Bosniaks. From March to the end of October 2024, in eight months, a fee of 20,827,800 KM was collected in FBiH. Of this amount, the most was paid in Sarajevo 6,367,080 KM, Tuzla 5,435,683.50 KM, Zenica 3,815,220.50 KM, Bihać 2,605,702.50 KM, Travnik 950,040 KM. In Mostar, 666,052.50 KM was collected. If we divide this money by eight months, 83,256 KM is collected monthly from Mostar, and when divided by 7.50 KM, which is the RTV fee, it means that about 11,100 residents of Mostar pay the RTV fee. And the fee is collected only from users of JP Elektroprivreda BiH.

Journalists from Čović's favorite Večernji list have also been appointed to the management structures of the Federal News Agency.

But while invoking the homeland of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Čović should know that the homeland is also built with a strong public service. It is not too late for HDZ and coalition partners, even without the participation of SNSD, to offer or accept solutions for saving BHRT. Unless that was the ultimate goal, to collapse and permanently destroy everything that carries the prefix "state".

Is that not precisely the goal with seven cultural institutions of importance to the state.

(A. Vrabac)