Mijatović: We live in a stolen country, the opposition cannot camp in the shade

Interview by: Ernad Metaj

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SDP Vice-President Vojin Mijatović speaks to Patria about his specific political approach and expectations from it. Although it sometimes seems to him that he is fighting windmills, he does not give up.

Patria: Mr. Mijatović, people love you, you don't divide them ethnically, you call them Bosnians and Herzegovinians, and it seems that there is less and less of BiH. Are we making a mistake, and why is that?

Unfortunately, BiH is shrinking, and for 25 years, systematic efforts have been made to reduce the state. It should be emphasized that ethno-national policies from all three sides are equally working on this, only the way they present it is different. From Banja Luka, the state is openly denied, while from Sarajevo, they are satisfied with BiH from Marijin Dvor to Baščaršija, and in Mostar, they cry about "illegitimate" representation. Although the ethno-national policy from Banja Luka seems much more dangerous, from a broader perspective, the ethno-national policy from Sarajevo is no less dangerous for BiH, nor is the one from Mostar.

As much as ethno-national policies have tried for almost two and a half decades to make citizens in the Republika Srpska entity hate the state of BiH, ethno-nationalists from Sarajevo have not tried to talk to citizens in Republika Srpska and bring them closer to the idea of a common state. Ethno-nationalists from Mostar all have Croatian passports and complain that they don't have a large enough share of the spoils in the distribution of power.

For me, there are good and bad people. I am a proud Bosnian and Herzegovinian, by birth, by citizenship, by nationality, by my inner feeling, and I am also a proud Serb, an Orthodox Christian from Bosnia and Herzegovina. That's why I proudly say that I am 100% Serb and 101% Bosnian, that is my feeling, my right, and my pride.

Patria: Who is the biggest problem for a democratic and prosperous BiH, other than Tito?

We live in a stolen country, political elites have captured the citizens of this country and keep them in a vicious cycle of crime, nationalism, corruption, and budget. Frankly, citizens are also accomplices in this hijacking, because every time they need to choose democracy and prosperity, they choose "their own", and then these "theirs" drive away 100,000 of the best daughters and sons of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the country every year.

There is only one Tito, but unfortunately, he is no longer with us. When Tito was around, we were the West for half of Europe, and today, when he is gone, when his worst followers are on the scene, who overnight became great believers, Albania is the West for us. Without wishing to offend Albania, but in Tito's time, it was considered the most underdeveloped country in Europe.

Patria: You have been asked many times if there will be war, we ask if there are those who would want it?

There are those who are ready to sacrifice peace in this country for their freedom. To be precise, those who have been plundering this country for 25 years would be ready to shed blood, just so they don't end up in prisons and dungeons. Fortunately, the citizens of this country are not fools and have no chance of fighting for their stolen millions. There will be no war!

Patria: Everyone agrees that those who led us into war and who, 25 years later, divide people cannot bring a better future, but there is no answer as to who can, why, where is the problem with the opposition in both entities?

The biggest problem in the opposition is the lack of willingness to die for an idea and bring about change. Citizens will overwhelmingly reward courage, honest intention, and sacrifice, but they will not reward tactical maneuvering, bad copies of the government, and the same policies wrapped in new colorful paper.

Patria: What could be done specifically?

If I could decide, I would abolish the salaries of opposition MPs, then you would see how all three regimes would fall within a year. The chronic problem in BiH is the shade of the opposition in which many have been camping for decades!

Patria: The Sarajevo trio should be a hope, is it, given that you often criticize them, and why do you do it?

Well, I don't often criticize, but rather transparently point out things that are incorrect in my opinion. We have no right to lecture the decade-long government in BiH, and then when we gain the citizens' trust, to behave like them in certain segments.

I would be a dishonest person if I criticized SNSD, HDZ, and SDA every day, and I am among those who do it most directly, and then remained silent when we made some mistakes. Defending one's own mistakes with one's life is not only incorrect, it is called lying and hypocrisy.

I am in favor of taking power and responsibility, but not at the cost of losing our honor, principles, and word. This country does not need a Chinese copy of the government we have seen for 25 years; this country needs people who are ready to win, take power and responsibility, and create a system, even if it means falling from power.

We don't have three lives, only one. If you are involved in politics, leave behind a system and a state for your people, not millions for your children and the populism that we have too much of in BiH.

Patria: What can, and what do you believe the international community will do?

I am tired of stories about what the international community will do; the key question is what we in BiH will do. This is our painful country, how much longer will we beg from Serbia, Croatia, the EU, Russia, America. I honestly feel that everyone in the international community is tired of all of us.

Data shows that foreign aid worth four Marshall Plans has entered BiH, thanks to which Europe was rebuilt after World War II.

Our thievery has no end, so it is unrealistic to expect the international community to have understanding because we waste its trust anew every day. We are lucky to be in Europe; if not, they would have given up on us long ago. Enough playing the victim; we must resolve things in our country, period.

Patria: Do you believe in the judicial institutions of BiH?

Unfortunately, just as the entire country has been stolen, so have the judicial institutions. A large number of judges and prosecutors are party members, and this is not even hidden. The judiciary in BiH is controlled by the ruling elites; if it weren't, political leaders would be arrested for the tons of evidence presented to the public every day, not the poor who go into the forest and take a meter of wood to warm their families.

I do not believe in such institutions, but I believe that trust can be restored, but party judges and prosecutors must be removed, and they now control the BiH judiciary for their bosses. However, it should be said that there are honorable people in these institutions who do their job professionally, and they are the hope that things can change.

Patria: Where do you see yourself in the future, do you see anyone else similar to you, especially among Bosniaks and Croats?

I must admit that at least once a month I sit down with myself and decide that all of this is not worth it for me and my family and that I should leave BiH. Then I look at my family, my friends, and I have many all over BiH, and I tell myself, "Come on, man, you can't give up, these people are worth the effort, this country is worth so much burning."

I am someone who does not live off politics and can continue my life smoothly without it. If I only looked at the situation in my own SDP, in other parties, in the whole country, I would honestly have given up long ago, but every time I receive 100 messages a day from different people from all over BiH and outside our country, I tell myself I can't stop. These people want better, they want hope, they want life, who am I to kill that for them.

And let's be clear, people like me can hardly succeed in this perverted system, but I will be very satisfied if everything I do becomes the beginning of the downfall of this perverted system. After that, some new kids should finish the job and complete the process of building a normal society and state.

I don't know if there are others like me, ready to throw themselves in headfirst despite everything. No one called me to do this; it's an inner feeling, you do it or you don't, you are, or you aren't. I believe that this is the only way, a path less traveled, but the only correct one. The invitation to such a path is open to everyone, but one must step out of their comfort zone. It's not up to me; I'm here, are there others, I don't know, but it would be good if they showed up, then the fight for BiH would be easier.