Here, anything is possible, as long as the golden hands come together!

Written by: Muamer Bandić

The current Trojka soap opera with Dodik and Čović lays bare the essence of this kleptocratic system, where the repressive state apparatus and laws exist only for the poor and are applied exclusively to them, while the bosses and bigwigs do whatever they want, however they want, without any consequences. My generation has lived through different political and ideological systems, survived both war and the post-war period, but it is hard to find a moment in history when we lived in a more unjust society than today's.

And since the focus today is on what Dodik is doing to us, and they are supposedly not letting him, the public misses Dodik's matrix of kleptocracy, the rape of regulations, and legal uncertainty happening in the Sarajevo Canton. Everything is the same as at the state level, only without Dodik and Čović for the local bigwigs to launder themselves through. Political corruption, bid-rigging, and party-based employment flourish, while cantonal infrastructure and public services rapidly deteriorate. Political corruption has also destroyed and rendered meaningless the role of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly as a check on the executive branch.

The legislative branch is the backbone of the institutional system – its task is to improve social relations, respond to the needs of citizens, and keep pace with the dynamics of societal development through the adoption of laws and normative acts. The Assembly's work program, as the basic planning document, should serve as a guideline for all legislative processes and a guarantee of transparency, efficiency, and legality.

When the Assembly does not respect its own general acts, when it does not adhere to the procedures and deadlines for adopting laws and strategies, its fundamental function collapses. The lack of alignment between the Assembly's work and its adopted work program for 2025, as well as delays in adopting key legislative acts, demonstrates a complete inability to plan and organize work within the ruling majority. And this is precisely the clearest indicator of the destructive, extra-institutional actions of this imposed, kleptomaniac government.

Although the Work Program foresaw the adoption of key laws and strategies and precisely set deadlines, the Assembly neglected these obligations and did not consider or adopt the following laws and strategies within the prescribed deadlines:
1. Amendments to the Constitution of Sarajevo Canton – deadline: April
2. Law on the Government of Sarajevo Canton (Draft) – deadline: April
3. Law on Communal Police (Proposal) – deadline: March
4. Law on the Procurement, Possession, and Carrying of Weapons and Ammunition in Sarajevo Canton (Draft) – deadline: April
5. Law on Misdemeanors against Public Order and Peace in Sarajevo Canton (Draft) – deadline: April
6. Law on Preschool Education and Upbringing (Draft) – deadline: April
7. Law on Dual Education (Draft) – deadline: April
8. Law on Amendments to the Law on Scientific Research Activity (Proposal) – deadline: April
9. Law on Amendments to the Law on Higher Education (Draft) – deadline: March
10. Youth Strategy for the Period 2024–2030 (Proposal) – deadline: April
11. Higher Education Development Strategy (Draft) – deadline: April

The problem is that the kleptomaniac coalition in power does not use the majority mechanism to improve the standard of living for citizens, but to ensure political dominance and control over institutions, and to satisfy its narrow circle of party leaders, their relatives, and chosen friends. In this process, laws are not passed, strategies are not adopted, and promised reforms remain mere platitudes from election campaigns. And what is adopted is not adopted based on development programs or the needs of citizens, but to complete the affairs of narrow interest groups tied to party oligarchies.

The failure of the current authorities in Sarajevo Canton to fulfill program goals is not a mere administrative oversight, but a glaring example and mirror of the past work and political actions of the Trojka parties. It is entirely irrelevant whether it is the state, entity, or cantonal level; this political clique of kleptomaniacs continues the practice of violating legal norms defined by laws and other legal acts, abusing the mechanism of majority decision-making.

The rule of law rests on respect for the laws and programs that are adopted. And that is the most significant European standard, which is why the European Union is what it is today. And that is precisely thanks to the legal certainty that such a political culture provides to society, which develops unhindered within such a framework.

In the case of Sarajevo Canton, written rules remain only dead letters on paper the moment that, through various personal melting pots and fusions, 18 golden hands are found that will, in accordance with party directives, trample all written regulations, and even make decisions contrary to laws and adopted programs. So, here, anything is possible, as long as the golden hands come together!

The majority of 18 representatives, with the consent of party leaders, thus become an instrument for legal violence against the entire society, in which normative acts adopted in the Work Program are simply ignored without any consequences. This is not just a violation of the political agreement with the citizens who placed their trust in them, but a fundamental destruction of the foundations of the rule of law, the destruction of institutions, and the destruction of the very essence of the modern political community.

In a society where it is enough to find 18 paid hands to make a decision contrary to legal norms, legal certainty becomes an illusion. In such a society, citizens are left without guarantees that the laws regulating their rights and obligations will be adopted and applied on time. And the only logical consequence and product of such a system and way of working are obscure political mafiosi like Milorad Dodik and Dragan Čović.

When it becomes possible to trample laws simply by buying hands in the cantonal Assembly, it is no longer a democratic order but a mockery of democracy. Legal uncertainty, lack of accountability, and disrespect for one's own program obligations directly undermine trust in institutions, creating chaos and hopelessness among citizens.

And here we should stop asking how it is possible that Milorad Dodik does what he does, when an identical process is taking place in the institutions of Sarajevo Canton. The principles are the same, only the melters are different and have a bit more trouble agreeing on the distribution of the melt.

And when the government does not respect its own plans, citizens should have no illusion that it will respect their rights or address their needs. Today, this is clear to everyone living in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is one of the key reasons why people are leaving here.

A completely logical consequence of this kleptomaniac way of working today is the Government of Sarajevo Canton compromised by criminal proceedings against ministers and directors of public companies. Citizens expected a fight against corruption, more efficient administration, and accelerated development, but they got ruined institutions and scandals that paralyzed the work of both the executive and legislative branches at all levels.

It turned out that they were "sold" a cheap and low-quality product, but with strong American marketing. So do not be surprised that our standard of living today is in line with the quality of the product you bought at the elections. Next time, choose more wisely!