The mentality of a slave, politically oppressed in freedom: In free Sarajevo, Ferdinand has no place!

Written by: Rasim Belko

A severe immune disease of foolishness has entered the pro-Bosnian political space and eliminated the sensory centers for creative, responsible, patriotic political action. Therefore, it is difficult to understand the proposers of all sorts of nonsense, and even harder to restrain criticism so that it retains its essence, but also the journalistic code of ethics.

But, whatever journalistic etiquette may be, what the city councilors of the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina proposed, and the Sarajevo City Council adopted, can and should only be called nonsense! Because only an immunologically ill political organism can deal with the issue of erecting a monument to the occupier of Bosnia and Herzegovina, just a few days before we mark Independence Day.

Independence Day, which we paid for with blood. Nonsense, nothing else!

And when nonsense is proposed, the argumentation is at the level of a fourth-grade elementary school child, who naively justifies a blurted-out stupidity.

Thus, the councilors of the Party for BiH justify their idea for a monument to the occupier with reasons of cultural and historical heritage. In addition, they add this: “the terrorist Gavrilo Princip got a monument, while his victims have no monument.”

Which nation in this world takes pride in its period of slavery and builds monuments to its occupiers and masters? None!

Every nation mourns its victims of that system, but behold, in pro-Bosnian politics there are also those who mourn the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, who died while visiting occupied territories.

Gavrilo Princip in Bosnia and Herzegovina did not receive the status he should have, solely due to Serbia's connections with the Young Bosnia movement, but, whether it suits someone or not, whether they accept it or not, Princip shot the occupier in the name of Yugoslav freedom, and that ends all discussion about his role. What his instigators did later is not a question that should be tied to the act of Gavrilo Princip.

Because, if we followed the logic of those who propose nonsense, would Bosnia and Herzegovina be covered with monuments to the fascists of the Third Reich? Is that not also part of our history, is that not also an “empire” that occupied us and we broke its nose? In that case, should the heroes of the National Liberation War be declared terrorists?

Judging by how much sympathy for fascist ideology is present in Europe today, and in our region as well, there is no doubt that from the tourist aspect, which the councilors of the Party for BiH offer us, it would be quite profitable. So to speak, two-thirds of Europe would walk through Bosnia and Herzegovina on a pilgrimage to their fascist ancestors.

Or should we go back through history and build monuments to the Ottomans, the Romans, the Karađorđevićs, the Pavelićs... All of them, in their own way, played a role in occupying Bosnia, and whoever denies us freedom and makes us dependent is an enemy, isn't that right? Or perhaps we no longer want to be independent?

And finally, because stupidity should not be explained too much so as not to give it significance, isn't it a shame that a people and its politics discuss monuments to the occupiers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, today an independent state?

And they do not discuss its liberators and their monuments. If there were even a grain of patriotic gift in these proposers of nonsense about a monument to the occupier, they would be dealing with initiatives for monuments to generals Mehmed Alagić, Atif Dudaković, and other liberators of our country. Because it is strange that from the Party for BiH, whose president Semir Efendić, as the mayor of Novi Grad, ensured that we have a monument worthy of the defenders and liberators of Bosnia and Herzegovina, come ideas for monuments to occupiers.

These two things will not and cannot go together. Because, if you erect a monument to Franz Ferdinand and his lady, then also erect a monument to Eugene of Savoy, Ratko Mladić, Radovan Karadžić, and mourn the independence and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

But do it far from the institutions, the public, and the people, the people who celebrate its independence because they gave their sons and daughters for that freedom. And leave the occupiers to history!