Nermin Nikšić's Message Ahead of SDP's Internal Elections

(Patria) - Internal elections for the president of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be held on Sunday. The candidates are Svetozar Pudarić, a long-time member of the SDP, Edin Delić, the mayor of Lukavac municipality, and the current SDP president, Nermin Nikšić.

We are transmitting Nermin Nikšić's message, which he sent to the members of the SDP a few days before the elections, in its entirety:

Dear SDP members,

I am sure you are already aware that on Sunday, May 26th, you have the right to elect the president of the SDP. It is very important that as members of the SDP, you have the opportunity to choose, and I urge you to exercise it. 

If you are active on social media, in addition to what you can see through the media, it seems that the issue of electing the SDP president has become a key political issue in our country. They are not concerned that there is no Council of Ministers, no federal or even some cantonal governments, that the legislative power is not functioning; what matters is who will be the president of the SDP, what will happen at the Congress of the SDP BiH. 

And it is important, but it is an issue that, fortunately, only you, the members of the SDP BiH, decide upon.

THE SDP IS A BIG FAMILY TO ME

Unfortunately, it seems that some of our people have succumbed and are publicly supporting individual candidates through social media, which is the absolute right of every SDP member. However, I would also like to take this opportunity to ask that we do not engage in a heated campaign, that we do not insult those who think differently, that we do not spread falsehoods, and that we do not create divisions among us. I wonder if the position I hold is so "valuable" that some are willing to do anything, even to harm the SDP in that way.

I have decided not to name any of my opponents, nor any of the people supporting them, during the campaign. This will remain the case until the end of the campaign, although it is sometimes difficult to resist responding to the obvious falsehoods being spread. In my opinion, none of us candidates can win through public defamation, arguments, and lies, without the SDP ultimately paying the price. In this way, the public is given the impression that we are no different from our political opponents from other parties, that we are willing to do to each other what we are willing to do when it comes to positions. And we are not, or at least we should not be the same. 
And that is the only reason why I did not respond to the invitation for a talk show.

The SDP is, regardless of everything, a big family to me. In every family, there can be disagreements and different views, there can even be open arguments. Just like in any family, this exists in the SDP as well. 

Just as I will never give up on my family, I will never give up on the SDP. Just as I would protect and cherish my family, I will protect and cherish the SDP BiH.

For a party to be considered a political party, the basic condition is to be politically independent and sovereign. Therefore, lately, I have been bothered by the excessive interference of some parties in our internal party elections and Congress. We do not interfere in anyone else's internal party matters, and therefore we do not allow anyone to interfere in ours. We don't want what's theirs, and we don't give up what's ours!

WE HAVE STRIVED TO UNITE THE LEFT

I don't like talking about myself, and I especially don't like taking too much credit. But it is indicative that these days I am probably the most attacked politician in BiH, especially in the media controlled by SDA. 

A frequent accusation relates to the consolidation of the left. For four full years, we have strived to ensure the consolidation, and even unification, of the left on the political scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina. First for the local elections in 2016, and then for the general elections in 2018. Unfortunately, for the local elections, everything fell apart when DF demanded that we cede the candidacies for the position of mayor in Tuzla, and for the positions of mayor in Gradačac and Gračanica. It turned out that we were right because we increased the number of mayoral seats, but that number would certainly have been even higher if we had run together. Later, we signed an agreement on joint preparation for the general elections, after which Željko Komšić, contrary to the agreement, independently announced his candidacy. After my proposal to have three candidates for the Presidency members as a civic bloc, one of whom would be Mr. Komšić, I was declared a traitor who was thus helping Čović's and Dodik's candidacies. Despite this, and after these elections, we initiated the formation of the BH bloc, which, in addition to SDP, initially included DF and NS. DF withdrew from the BH bloc by entering into a coalition with SDA. Nevertheless, the BH bloc will very soon take formal shape and open up space for other political entities to join us.

It seems that the mother of all our mistakes is when we think that SDA wants to change. Their calls for allegedly opposing SNSD and HDZ took on their true dimension when they, with their votes, ensured complete control of the House of Peoples for that very SNSD and HDZ. We did not lie to the voters. We chose the harder, but more dignified path. 

LET'S CONTINUE BUILDING A BETTER SDP TOGETHER

Thank you to everyone who placed their trust in me in 2015 with their vote and honored me with the opportunity to lead the SDP BiH during a very difficult time. We have gone through a tough period. In the past four years, we have made significant progress, but the job is not yet finished, it has only just begun. We have strived to ensure that every member of the party feels at home in our SDP, regardless of who they are or where they come from. 

We have democratized the party, established a modern membership registration model, and enabled every member to participate on equal terms in decision-making on the most important internal party issues. We have given everyone the opportunity to have their voice heard, to elect and be elected at all levels. 

It is precisely such a policy, based on defending defined principles rather than trading them, that resulted in an increase in support in the last General Elections greater than any other party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We had the highest quality candidate for the Presidency member of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who received the support of both party members and citizens. Denis is not a member of the BiH Presidency today solely due to electoral theft. We did not win the elections, but we stood up, recovered, and showed that we can and know how to preserve and build our party as an indispensable factor in building and preserving our state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Comrades, I would like us to continue building our party together.

Together, with all our differences and through our example, we have inspired hope and awakened the awareness that we are all part of one, unified network of reciprocity, woven together by a common thread, our Bosnian-Herzegovinian belonging. 

We face a struggle in which we must never again allow the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be drawn into political cooperation and complicity in quasi-patriotic projects for the sake of a few positions and temporary benefits that last one term, and whose long-term consequences are harmful and immeasurable for both the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Social Democratic Party. 

SOLIDARITY, ABOVE ALL

I must take this opportunity to also address the issue of the party's financial situation. Political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina can be financed by budget revenues, income generated from their own activities, and donations. After the catastrophic election results in 2014, we lost significant budget revenues, donations remained at approximately the same level as in the previous period, and income from our own activities decreased with the federal government vacating our building and the loss of rental income. According to our norms and standards, we faced the need to terminate employment contracts with 37 employees who did not meet the standards and norms.

We, in the party's top leadership, did not think like corporate managers, but like party comrades. We did not accept replacing solidarity with capitalist economy. Simply, we did not have the strength or cold-bloodedness to send most of these people to unemployment bureaus, but we tried to find a solution while retaining employees. It is now clear that such a situation is unsustainable in the long run, despite our best intentions, and it is our task to find a solution in the coming period, which we will certainly do, without harmful consequences for the political action and functioning of the party. We have not been discouraged or stopped by much bigger problems and challenges, so this one will not either. 

Once again, I want to invite and ask you to maintain dignity during the campaign. I also invite you to exercise your right to vote in the internal party elections. 

And finally, I invite you to give me your support with your vote in the elections for the president of the Social Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina, so that we can continue to build and strengthen our party together as a common good for all of us, all its members, a party of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian future.

Your Nermin Nikšić Someone