Attacks on Komšić: Compromises against the state are not made by those who are not corrupt

By Ernad Metaj

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The villas of politicians and their property are the only things constantly growing in BiH. The truth about the wealth of politicians, both in power and in opposition, can only be hidden by a crisis, which is why it is deepening. There should be no dilemma; some would even see war as a solution to protect themselves.

Gabriel Escobar, the US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, knows this well, having publicly stated that the problem in BiH is not ethnic. It is produced by corruption, and its sources are politicians, especially those who have been in power for a long time. Escobar's stance is shared by European Greens whose representatives Romeo Franz and Thomas Waitz visited BiH. Most other serious Western diplomats share this view, and the opposition also points the finger at corruption. However, this does not prevent some individuals, on both sides, from pursuing schizophrenic policies that create a paradoxical situation where a thief is preferred as a partner over someone who has resisted the temptations of corruption.

In the past period, it was evident that international negotiators in BiH would gladly avoid the Chairman of the Presidency of BiH and the leader of DF, Željko Komšić. They have no problem with Komšić's legitimacy because he was elected in elections, in line with the achievements of any civilized democratic society. The problem is Komšić's integrity, or rather, the almost complete absence of any possibility to influence his views through blackmail, views which are, no more, no less, fully compatible with the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.

The problem for pragmatic foreigners is that they cannot put Komšić in a corner and force desirable compromises by twisting his arm. With Komšić, it has become clear that there are no compromises when it comes to the interests of the state and its survival. In discussions with him, the only arguments are court rulings and democratic principles, which pragmatic foreigners cannot and must not publicly disregard.

Only those who fear their own responsibility for the fact that BiH is one of the European leaders in the volume of corruption can agree to a compromise against the state. Thus, we have reached a situation where people with criminal complaints blame Komšić for the state of affairs in BiH, because their logic is that honest people have no place in politics.

Komšić's critics often twist logic, accusing him of fighting for a position, which, if we are not mistaken, is also their goal, but also the purpose of political struggle. Criticisms that measure his work are more logical, and for the social good, it is no less significant than theirs. Unlike most of them, during his political activity, Komšić's real estate did not grow at an astronomical rate, he did not suffer from being praised to the skies, he did not divert rivers to expand his property, nor did he arrange bars for his "dangerous friends" that instead of ice rinks, froze state property entrusted to their management.

What is controversial is that Komšić cooperates with SDA, the very party where some individuals have been for years, the one with which the loudest critics share positions in the FBiH Government where DF is not present. That is why those who have long lost their honor now point to Komšić, who carelessly forgot that in politics there is a rule of "never say never". That is why it seems justified only in BiH to challenge the legitimacy of a man with the most votes in FBiH and who, unlike legitimate ones, has supporters in almost all municipalities where he could be voted for.

Komšić has been and remains true to the idea of a civic BiH. If we were to conclude from the statements of European officials, he is therefore a proponent of the fight against corruption, which is hindered by the fact that ethnicity is placed before professionalism in the selection and appointment of those who should lead this process. However, most politicians seem to prefer a different BiH, one that cultural expert Srđan Sušnica also sees as problematic.

"Politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina is indeed one of the most lucrative businesses, because you don't need to have initial capital, or even any special talent for illegal activities. You just need to be unscrupulous and use hate speech as much as possible in your appearances."

Why, for whom, and whether Komšić is a problem, it is up to the citizens to decide. Let the elections be fair and honest, and may the best one win.