Dissatisfaction surfaces: Mutual accusations between partners in the Sarajevo Canton Government become commonplace

By Amra Vrabac

When the leaders of the "trojka" decided to remove the Party of Social Democracy (SBiH) cadres from the Sarajevo Canton Government, they did not consider the price they would pay for four necessary votes.

Damir Marjanović, who heads the ZNG, cashed in the most on his vote. Although this movement has only one representative, Marjanović received two ministries in the Sarajevo Canton Government: finance and higher education. It is no secret that Marjanović has been interested in higher education in the Sarajevo Canton for years, and the latest accusations coming from the University of Sarajevo reveal deeper problems between the authorities and the academic community. In addition to two ministries, Marjanović's party also received leadership positions in some cantonal institutions.

Just a few days before the Prime Minister of the Sarajevo Canton, Nihad Uk, resigned, as this was the quickest way to form a new Sarajevo Canton Government without the SBiH, Damir Marjanović left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He directly negotiated with the head of the NIP, Elmedin Konaković, about entering the Sarajevo Canton Government, as well as about other positions filled by ZNG cadres.

We saw the epilogue of that meeting very quickly. ZNG nominated Adna Mesihović and Afan Kalamujić for two extremely important departments in the Sarajevo government.

It did not matter that Marjanović is the director of an institute in Croatia and is more connected to Zagreb than to Sarajevo. According to attendance records at the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, Marjanović has absences, so some decisions or laws were adopted by a narrow majority of 18 or 19 votes, even though the new majority has 21 votes. The SDP has seven representatives, if we add Redžo Lemezan, who is at every SDP rally, the NIP has six after Arijana Memić left this club, Our Party has four, and ZNG has one. With independent representatives Admela Hodžić, Elza Gaković, and Memić, the majority should be 21.

Problems piled up, and then, as the election campaign approached, everything came to the surface.

It broke over the issue of the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then accusations followed one after another.
In a statement released by ZNG, the relationships between certain ministers and deans, directors, and institutions are revealed, which mostly concern the SDP.

On the other hand, ZNG does not accept responsibility for the difficult situation at the NUB because the budget was planned much earlier, and this institution also lost funds from the FBiH level, i.e., the Federal Ministry of Education, headed by Jasna Duraković (SDP BiH).

The SDP, on the other hand, is opening fronts with the People and Justice party cadres, so the director of the Public Utility Company Vodovod i kanalizacija (VIK), Rusmir Salić, is under attack from cantonal representative Belma Kapo. Incidentally, the VIK report passed through the needle's eye in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly. And then came the decisions by which VIK ceased to subsidize the commission for bill payments, and everything fell on the citizens. Although the responsible minister, Bojan Bošnjak (Our Party), opposed such a move, no change occurred. VIK is in deep financial trouble, and the Sarajevo Canton Government is currently servicing these debts. An increase in the water price is still an option. This was stated by director Salić in his response to cantonal representative Davor Čičić. He even questioned the company's liquidity, i.e., the regular payment of salaries to employees.

On the other hand, the question arises as to how financially liquid the Sarajevo Canton is, and Damir Marjanović asked exactly such a representative question to the Minister of Finance, Kalamujić. And from the University of Sarajevo, whose majority financier is the Sarajevo Canton, they expressed concern that there will be no money for salary payments in the last quarter.

Dissatisfaction with the work of the Sarajevo Canton Government is also simmering within the SDP. Although Nihad Uk moved from the position of representative to the position of Prime Minister of the Sarajevo Canton solely thanks to the NIP and SDP, it seems he has not justified their trust.

Furthermore, these parties blame each other for certain cadres whose appointments are also subject to checks and investigations by the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office. Although they are dissatisfied with their own cadres, there are no dismissals, and only the director of the Public Institution Health Center Sarajevo, Abel Baltić (SDP), against whom several criminal charges have been filed with the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor's Office after his work report was rejected, withdrew from his position.

Milan Mioković was appointed director, who, on the orders of the SDP, proceeded to dismiss Admir Spahić, and there are audio recordings of this.

Problems within these parties have intensified with the preparation for the local elections. The "trojka" barely reached an agreement on candidates for mayors, and the concept by which they won voters in 2020 proved to be a total fiasco in the municipalities of Centar and Novo Sarajevo. And it is precisely regarding these two municipalities that the "trojka" reluctantly put forward candidates: Srđan Mandić, who does not have the support of NIP Centar, and Benjamin Karić, whom Our Party voters will not support.

Since they have been in power at higher levels and hold positions as state ministers and federal prime minister, the leaders of the "trojka" have not been too concerned with the Sarajevo Canton and local problems. Precisely such an attitude could come back to haunt them very soon.