The Imposed Government in Sarajevo is Closer to Belgrade Than to Sanski Most

By: Muamer Bandić, delegate in the KS Assembly and member of the SBiH Presidency

The crime in Sanski Most has completely exposed the tragedy of our harsh reality and the depth of our society's collapse. This tragic and painful case is not just an isolated incident, but one in a series of similar monstrous events, which show that the state and social system in which we live is completely ruined.

And while our country is experiencing a collapse in all spheres, bewildered citizens, like cowboys from the Wild West, are taking "justice" into their own hands. This might have once been a line from a "Zabranjeni pušenje" song, but today it is our grim everyday life, which looks as if it has descended onto our streets from the screen of the former "1. maj" Cinema.

Do not, under any circumstances, think that the previous paragraph defends or justifies anyone; on the contrary, this is a criticism of all of us – citizens and politicians alike – who have failed in building an orderly and just society.

Furthermore, the events in Sanski Most also show the complete alienation between the center and the periphery in our society. The Sarajevo Film Festival is currently underway in Sarajevo, and all cameras and all social attention are focused on the red carpet and entertainment, so the monstrous crime in Sanski Most is an unwelcome, but still a secondary piece of news for the social and political "elite" of our country.

All the rulers will issue some appropriate statement, express regret, and then rush off to the next photo opportunity with stars, while the overall tragedy of small Bosnian-Herzegovinian towns like Sanski Most will remain forgotten until the next maniacal rampage.

Let's all watch whether, if not the Council of Ministers of BiH, then at least the imposed Government of the Federation of BiH will declare a Day of Mourning, as a gesture of respect and sorrow for the innocent victims in Sanski Most. With their new cars, it would be appropriate for at least one minister, if not the Prime Minister, to visit Sanski Most and forgotten Krajina, because it is the toughest and bravest part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I sincerely hope that the current imposed and alienated government is not closer to Belgrade than to Sanski Most. At least it shouldn't be with its new and overpriced "tools of the trade"!