Eight Months of Chairman Dodik: Flag, Security, Blockades, Nothing for the Citizens!

By: A. Čorbo-Zećo

Urnebes in Banja Luka was staged by Milorad Dodik, former chairman member of the Presidency, and now just a member after the veto on the Pelješac Bridge passed. The opposition told him that Dodik is the 'reserve Croatian member of the BiH Presidency'.

However, his latest moves have only spiced up everything that Dodik has done in the last eight months as chairman. Nine noisy months have passed with nationalist rhetoric and proving that Dodik is the president of a country he does not recognize and does not love.

This was best described by Christian Schwarz-Schilling, former High Representative in BiH, who said that Dodik himself openly states that he does not feel like the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which in reality does not exist for him at all, but that he only represents the interests of the Serb people.

The members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, elected in the October elections, held their first session only in December 2018, at the headquarters of the state leadership in Sarajevo, and with only the BiH flag and coat of arms displayed, although Chairman Milorad Dodik had previously strongly opposed this, insisting that the flag of Republika Srpska must be placed in the hall where the sessions are held.

These were Dodik's first tasks when he took over as chairman of the BiH Presidency. From the October elections until December, he spent his chairmanship questioning the flag and his security.

Milorad Dodik also spent his first hours in the BiH Presidency dealing with issues related to his security.

He requested that members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, who have been part of his personal security for over a decade, remain with him, but their professional status, i.e., where they would be employed, needed to be resolved.

The friction lasted for months until an agreement was reached between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of RS and the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH. Mirsad Vilić, director of the Directorate, remained steadfast in respecting the law. He decisively sent notifications to the Service for Joint Affairs of BiH Institutions stating that, apart from the Directorate's officers, no other armed persons could be part of Dodik's escort.

And so, the end of the year came, and two topics were in focus: the RS flag and security. January was approaching, specifically the 9th.

The Constitutional Court of BiH ruled on November 26, 2015, that January 9th as the day of RS is unconstitutional, and the Commission for the Implementation of the Referendum held a referendum on January 9th on September 25, 2016, although the Constitutional Court of BiH banned its holding and subsequently annulled the results of the citizens' vote.

Dodik went a step further, announcing that the chairman of the BiH Presidency would request the command of the Third Infantry (RS) Regiment of the Armed Forces of BiH to have more than half of the regiment dressed in the uniforms of the former Army of RS at the next commemoration, because it is their day!

Dodik was also identified as the main obstacle to forming the government by declaring the decision of one of his predecessors, Nebojša Radmanović, invalid and outdated. This concerns the Annual National Programme ("Annual National Programme"), which is a prerequisite for the path to NATO. SNSD's partners do not want to talk about forming a government until the ANP is adopted, and they are ready for possible changes to it.

Milorad Dodik was also involved in diplomatic scandals. He refused to host the German ambassador. The reason - she was working against the Serb people!

From the position of chairman of the Presidency, Dodik advocated for the RS police to have a reserve police force due to the importance of the fight against terrorism. Under pressure from foreigners, it is clear that the authorities backed down, but debates were held for months.

Citizens of BiH, including all nationalities, have gained no benefit from Dodik's policies, and blockades remain in place. Thanks to SNSD, the BiH Parliament also does not function because they refuse to submit the names of members for permanent commissions, without which Parliament cannot operate.