Mujkić for NAP: Exodus of the able-bodied is the most radical protest, but we do not want to see it

SARAJEVO, (Patria) -  One of the most radical protests, but we do not want to see it, is the protest of the mass exodus of people of all nationalities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, said in a comment for the Patria agency Asim Mujkić, a professor at the University of Sarajevo. 

“For me, the most radical form of protest is when you, as a young person in your full working capacity, by leaving, tell your country that you see absolutely no perspective for yourself and your family in it and that you do not intend to return. I think there can be no more radical protest, only we ignore it and do not want to see it,” says Professor Mujkić.

He adds that the protest of exodus from Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged after the joint offensive of political elites and the media against the “JMBG” protests of 2013 and the citizens’ protests of 2014.

“At that time, from almost all sides, the demonstrators were declared terrorists, hooligans, and bandits. The next form of protest you can take is to turn your back and forever leave such a hopeless and depressing place, which is BiH under three decades of rule by political elites who deal with the protection of vital national interests,” Mujkić believes.

He expects that the protests from the region could eventually spill over into Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Given that the source of the problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina is related to nationalism, and in ’89 and ’90 nationalism came from those areas where protests are now taking place, it is possible to expect that some breakdown of the situation could be initiated from those parts of the Balkans. But, simply, the number of people who could rise up in protest in BiH is rapidly decreasing every day,” Mujkić believes.

Asked why it is easier to leave than to defend rights in one’s own country, Mujkić says that “it is not easy to turn around and leave.”

“Because the ruling political elites, in collusion with their media, have shown that they do not shy away from force either. Look at what happened on December 25 last year, look at the permanent terrorizing and interrogations happening in Banja Luka against people. And we could see that in a similar version in 2014 in the rebellious cities of BiH. You are ready to use the crudest force and the lowest insinuations, to accuse someone of terrorism because of the war on terror. I fear we are dealing with people who, to protect their positions, are ready to use the most inhumane methods to dismantle things. Why would people try anything again in such a constellation,” Mujkić says for Patria.

Professor Mujkić concludes that he does not rule out that something major might happen soon, because “this is an unbearable and unsustainable situation.”

“If we do not see that this is a special form of protest, then our situation is truly hopeless,” Mujkić concluded.