Mahmutćehajić: We can only lose if we stop fighting

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - General elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be held on October 7, or in a little over a month.

The preparations for the elections were accompanied by numerous accusations regarding the work of the Central Election Commission of BiH (CEC), there are many examples of irregularities in its work, and a large number of representatives of political parties and non-governmental organizations warn that there could be many irregularities on election day itself.

However, the fight of individuals at the local level to conduct the elections as fairly as possible instills confidence in citizens that a fight for fairer elections and a better society is still possible.

- According to polls, a low voter turnout is expected, because disappointment is huge, people don't see the point in voting, the CEC is corrupt, and the ruling parties control the election process through the control of polling station committees. Because of all this, and much more, the majority of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina will not vote. Many of the reasons mentioned are valid, and it is so, but not voting is precisely what leaves those responsible for the catastrophic state of our society in power – says Demir Mahmutćehajić, president of the OO SDP Stolac, for the Patria news agency.

Mahmutćehajić adds that the local elections in Stolac two years ago showed that there are people willing to fight for a better society, but that this fight is not sufficiently recognized in BiH society.

- With the example of Stolac, we showed that it is worth sacrificing for the common good, that it is necessary to overcome personal interests for the sake of a common future, and that we should stand on the side of what is right without calculation. I regret that this has not yet been recognized outside of Stolac, but despite the continuation of the persecution of us from Stolac, we will do everything to continue the fight.

He cites examples of how in a community where one party controls all levers of power, those who serve the community succeed.

- In HNK, the HDZ controls the police, the prosecution, the judiciary, most of the media, and 70% of the budget money. Therefore, it is not surprising that the persecution against us continues, because we pointed out the mafia-like theft of votes. Over 20 people from Stolac were indicted after the 2016 elections. Some of them agreed to individual settlements and received suspended sentences, while others were sentenced to prison terms of six and nine months. It is unbelievable that a young man, who was confused in the general chaos of 2016 and took a ballot box to a closed office of the Election Commission, receives nine months in prison, while a torturer in a concentration camp only gets a year in prison!

This alone would be enough for a wise person, so there would be no need to talk about all the election thefts that we discovered in 2016. It would not be necessary to talk about voting for the dead, about voting multiple times (which was even recorded), about invalidating ballots and false applications for postal voting, but the prosecution has not filed a single indictment against the HDZ election thieves! This would be enough for a wise person and they would understand which direction to continue, persevere, and direct political strength – Mahmutćehajić believes.

He points out that due to such a situation in society, an increasing number of citizens are leaving the country in search of a better life.

- Every day, friends, neighbors, young men, girls, sons, daughters, brothers leave for one of the Western countries to regain their dignity through work. These are all facts on the ground, and free people know this very well, but they don't know how to fight against it, because on the other side are captured people. These are people forced to return donations with blind obedience, to pay for appointments or jobs at the cost of a total loss of personality, and they are blackmailed by insecurity and the inability to believe in themselves.

Therefore, in most cases, free people go abroad, while captured people remain and guard the positions of their jailers with all their might. In this way, the ruling class's intention to completely eliminate the possibility of organized opposition and to continue exploiting the working class, peasants, honest and naive citizens unimpeded is slowly being realized. By systematically driving away the most capable, but free citizens, the rulers are deliberately increasing the inflow of funds into their budgets, knowing that those driven away will send money to their relatives and friends – points out the SDP candidate for the HNK Assembly in the upcoming elections.

Despite the numerous problems faced by people in local communities, Mahmutćehajić emphasizes that there is no surrender and that the fight continues.

- We must and can resist! We must, because this is not just, it is not right, and regardless of whether it is done "according to the law," it is simply not moral. We can, because united we become incredibly powerful. This is precisely what I have been offering all citizens through my actions for years. I call for mass unity against those most responsible to force them to be accountable, because responsibility, personal and collective, must become understandable, clear, acceptable, and mandatory everywhere and for everyone! Only when we, as a society, individually and collectively, build this awareness can we move forward and expect progress. Until then, until we force elected representatives to behave responsibly, simply all partial policies in Bosnia and Herzegovina are meaningless.

Mahmutćehajić points out that the main obstacle to progress, at least when it comes to the community he comes from, is the HDZ.

- My personal activities in Herzegovina are aimed at weakening the HDZ, because in Herzegovina the HDZ has the greatest power, authority, and therefore should have the greatest responsibility. When they attack me for not grouping SDA with HDZ in the same basket, I simply answer them that it is not possible. In Herzegovina, the SDA is pathetic, ridiculous, and lost compared to the HDZ, which simply plays with the SDA and uses it in every possible way.

Those who vote for the SDA are not aware that they are only deepening the agony in this region and thereby strengthening the HDZ, unfortunately. So, the example of Stolac is a way for all of Herzegovina to organize politically. We must be realistically aware that the HDZ in Herzegovina is an organization that holds the fate of all of us in its hands. It is simply humanly unacceptable to weaken the political front with which the HDZ must finally be forced to accept responsibility towards all citizens – says Mahmutćehajić.

In the end, Mahmutćehajić concludes that he is not thinking about giving up the fight for a more just society and invites all citizens to get involved. He also emphasizes the importance of voting for people living in the diaspora.

- I will never give up, and it is clear to me that this has already grown into a popular movement. Why do I say this? I feel such great support from ordinary people that I am convinced that together we can continue our fight for dignity, hope, the future, but above all for a responsible society and responsible people.

Ballot papers have already started arriving in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Every vote is important, and can be decisive. It is also important to vote in an organized manner, to direct political strength and not to waste it, but this does not mean falling for hollow nationalist fears, but strengthening healthy individuals... The responsibility of the elected is what we need! And if in our fight for social justice, workers' rights, peace, and security we preserve our honor, principles, and ideals, then we can only lose if we give up. I promise that I will never give up – Mahmutćehajić concluded.