PARLIAMENTARY TIME-WASTING: Money for PR of the FBiH Government 'Quarrels' Prašović Gadžo, Kamber, and Mašić

(Patria) - Federal deputies in the continuation of today's session are discussing the Draft Budget of this entity for 2022 and accompanying laws. 

At the beginning of the debate, Adnan Efendić, President of the SDA Club, called for an increase in budget funds for organizations such as Merhamet and Caritas, and for funds to be found for the city pool in Mostar. He added that the smaller BiH entity, the RS, allocates more funds for Merhamet than the FBiH, and praised the draft budget. 

Marijan Klaić, President of the HDZ BiH Club, said he is convinced that the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy has slowed down. Klaić praised the work of the FBiH Government and the Ministry of Finance. 

“We believe that the budget, which is one percent higher in the revenue part compared to the previous year, is encouraging. On the expenditure side, I want to highlight several items of exceptional importance for the FBiH. Capital investments have been significantly increased, especially for Corridor 5c and expressways, which is very important for the faster development of the business sector. We also consider the planned funds for new rights of the population, such as veterans and maternity benefits, to be important. I hope that social rights will help the natalist policy, and I especially want to praise the allocation of grant funds to municipalities, cities, cantons, and health institutions in mitigating the consequences of the pandemic,” added Klaić. 

He concluded that the HDZ BiH Club will support the proposed budget, even though it is still in the draft phase. 

The President of the SBB Club, Sanela Prašović Gadžo, said that at first glance at the budget, she saw that one million KM is planned for the PR of the Government and the Prime Minister, and requested that this be redirected. She added that she had sought through an amendment to redirect those funds. 

“In that amendment to the Budget Proposal, I requested that 900 thousand KM from the Government's PR be redirected to associations of children with cancer. With this budget, the FBiH Government has also betrayed the returnee population. There are many other items in the draft that are contentious; there are many millions that could be organized and distributed differently, and I am sure that even the ministers who planned this budget know that. Their function is not just to make things good for some in the FBiH; it is our obligation to get the maximum so that citizens are better off,” stated Prašović Gadžo. 

Asim Kamber from the SDA replied, saying that he had already reacted to Prašović Gadžo's proposal earlier. 

“I support what she proposed, but I think it is not fair that she takes 90 percent of the million KM from the Government, leaving the FBiH Government with 100 thousand KM and saying that is a sufficient amount. I remind colleague Prašović Gadžo that she did this job of marketing and promotion for three times that amount. This Government is being reduced to spending 0.017 percent on promoting transparency. I cannot help but ask whether this means that the colleague charged much more, because even in her time, there could have been much less funds. I think the colleague should make an amendment that will allow the Government with the largest budget in the history of the FBiH to have the right to that promotion,” stated Kamber. 

Prašović Gadžo responded, telling Kamber that he was stating something that is not true and accurate. 

“As Sanela Prašović Gadžo, I was the executive director of a marketing agency, but that does not mean I took it, and everyone who owns companies knows that. That company never received the amounts you are talking about. All the amounts that company ever received were obtained through public calls; no one gave anything to anyone. One of those jobs was the promotion of Sanski Most, which we received from that Municipality; that is where I met you,” added Gadžo. 

She concluded that her show Interview 20 was the most watched in the region, and that Fadil Novalić requested the termination of the contract between her company and BH Telecom, which was headed by Mirsad Zaimović. 

Zaimović said that the contract expired and that he did not terminate it. 

Given that Kamber also mentioned SDP personnel as people who spent funds for the promotion of the FBiH Government, Damir Mašić, President of the SDP BiH Club, also replied to him, saying that Kamber spoke incoherently and disconnectedly and that it is not shameful to be silent when there is nothing to say. 

“You, colleague Kamber, have brought us into a situation where we have to talk about how insane it is to spend a million KM on promoting the Government. I believe that even the Prime Minister and the Government would tell you not to defend them. Do not burden us with nonsensical things. That is not 0.017 percent of the budget; that is a painful million KM for promoting the Government,” stated Mašić. 

Kamber responded with a reply to the replies, saying that Prašović Gadžo had previously tried to make him feel ashamed. 

“Neither the colleague nor the colleague have denied that they charged funds from the Government budget, neither the SDP spokesperson nor colleague Prašović Gadžo. I am not defending the Government here, but let us not devalue this Government. Now I am supposed to come across as unserious and be ashamed of the truth. I ask colleague Prašović Gadžo to change the amendment,” said Kamber. 

Prašović Gadžo responded, saying that she is one of the few, highly awarded journalists in BiH and the world. 

“You are extracting the total amount for all the campaigns we did for the Ministry of Health, then Agriculture… Do not manipulate and do not equate the company with me. I call on colleagues not to allow a million KM to go to promotion,” emphasized Prašović Gadžo. 

Mašić joined in again, saying that he does not know how to describe it other than a brutal lie, because no one who was a PR for the SDP ever had the contracts that Kamber is talking about. 

“Let someone come out and say where that million for the PR of the FBiH Government will be spent and whether the FBiH will have any benefit from it,” stated Mašić. 

Dževad Adžem from the DF added to everything, pointing out that if people are watching the session, it seems scandalous that Prime Minister Fadil Novalić is giving a million KM to present himself on social media. 

“You who were ministers know that the promotion of the Prime Minister and the Government is not paid for; the items of all ministries, advertisements, tenders are paid for… and you are presenting it here as if the Prime Minister is advertising on social media and thus fabricating the situation. Those funds are used by services for transparency; the Prime Minister surely does not have a talk show in the media,” stated Adžem.