Police, Politics, and Patriotism: Where is the Real Duty?

By: Amina Čorbo-Zećo

While columns of people walk towards Potočari in silence, a debate is underway in Sarajevo about whether police officers of the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH should participate in the March of Peace, and whether they should be paid for it. In a country where the concept of patriotism has been diluted beyond recognition for years, it is now being attempted to be introduced as a “paid obligation”.

At this moment, from some offices, the decision of the Directorate's director Enes Karić that the March of Peace will not be an official duty for police officers is being loudly criticized. However, these are not ordinary office voices, but precisely those who in previous months sought political protection and benefits that do not legally belong to them. And then, as now, the state was a tool for them, not a responsibility.

The police did not march when they should have. Unfortunately, BiH police agencies did not show strength when it mattered most, at the moment when the execution of the order to arrest Milorad Dodik failed. And that exposed the essence. Not in Potočari, not in Nezuk, but at the doors of institutions that had to function, and did not.

The March of Peace is not an opportunity to “get the job done” and settle scores through the media. It is not an opportunity for daily allowances, command vehicles, and paid hours. It is a personal matter of conscience. A walk for those who can no longer walk. A walk for those who were killed because they believed in their homeland. Finally, there is annual leave for such things!

Patriotism is being where you should be, and that is Potočari, providing security for the funeral and commemoration at a time when the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies is short of police officers. True patriotism is not a matter of official duty, but an awareness of the importance of the moment and responsibility towards the victims and the community.

It is pathetic that even this day, the most important in the collective memory of this country, is being used for internal political calculations and self-promotion. And it is even more pathetic that all of this is being attempted to be wrapped in patriotism.

Patriotism is not hedonism. And it never will be.