Letter to Konaković: Patria continues to write critically about everyone, it is our obligation to the public

Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Elmedin Dino Konaković has repeatedly shown in his public appearances that he does not like dissenters, especially media outlets that write critically about his work.

The Prime Minister's enormous ego and vanity flare up from time to time, and he deals with them in a very arrogant manner that does not befit a Prime Minister. Today, Konaković took issue with the Patria news agency.

In a debate with SBB delegate Zvonko Marić at the assembly podium, Konaković lashed out at the Patria agency's reporting on the establishment of a new illegal Tourist Board of KS, about which Marić had given statements to Patria. He even demanded an apology from Marić for his statements. And then Konaković said:

- We all know what NAP is and who owns NAP – Konaković stated.

Shouldn't a Prime Minister care about what is being written and address public accusations from assembly delegates, and critical commentary from journalists based on solid arguments, rather than who the owner is!? Is this perhaps a sign that the Prime Minister is also involved in police work and investigating journalists and media owners, instead of focusing on the substance?

We tell Prime Minister Konaković that the journalists of the Patria agency will continue to do their job conscientiously and responsibly and write the truth, which is something that, judging by his speech at the assembly podium today, which he abuses extensively, is clearly not in the interest of him or the current coalition. Writing the truth about events, people, politicians, and crime is our obligation to the citizens.

The poisonous arrows and pressure that he, as Prime Minister, has directed towards the journalists of the Patria agency will not stop our work, because the citizens of Sarajevo Canton, as well as all our readers, have the right to know everything that those from whose pockets they receive salaries are doing.

Konaković also talked about the owner of Patria, so we answer him through this medium:

- The owners of Patria are the journalists of this agency, which you can verify in the Business Entities Register, and when you do, you can send an apology to the employees, because such pressure on delegates and journalists has not been recorded before.

Is your message to the delegates that each of them, if they give an interview or statement to the Patria news agency, will face your condemnation and insults because they did not say what you want to hear and what pleases your ears, vanity, and ego?

Since you are asking and claiming to know what NAP is, the Editorial Board tells you that the delegates in the assembly also know, as a large number of their questions to the KS authorities are formed precisely on the basis of our reporting, so we ask you if that bothers you too.

If so, we are sorry, because your pressure on us will not yield the results you desire. We will continue, as we have done so far, to write and report truthfully on all topics and to criticize you and your work whenever we have solid arguments to do so.

Mr. Konaković, your threats and suspicious tones are not something new to you, as in the past, when one media outlet called you a "sultan," you responded with salvos of insults towards colleagues and even threatened journalists to be careful.

As someone who aspires to be politician of the year, you could refute what we write with counter-arguments, and we will publish your side of the story.

The truth clearly hurts you, you have no answers, and that is why you are deceiving the public with "neighborhood phrases" by abusing your position and the assembly podium, which is not the first time for you.

You also said at the podium that only "frivolous" portals take Patria's news, so you could explain to others, specifically the more than 500 of them in BiH and the region, including state media of neighboring countries, how many of them take NAP's news and why those media outlets are frivolous!?

Dear Prime Minister, you are frivolous in your work and your attitude towards the public and the media, because if you were worthy of the position you hold, you would behave more responsibly towards the delegates to whom you are accountable for your work, as well as towards the public and the media.

We ask you, what will you say at the assembly podium when you read one of Patria's upcoming investigative articles related to your activities, for example, about the time you were in the Košarkaški klub Bosna or about renting out bars in Zetra?