Threat of Blocking State Institutions Due to Revision of the Verdict Against Serbia is a Criminal Offence

Written by: Dr. Goran Kovčević 

It is not the first time that politicians and their "appointees" in various legislative bodies block the work of the state and behave in a manner unbecoming of the function they perform in the name of the people and for the people, that is, in the name of the voters who gave them their trust.  One in a series of situations is this one regarding the announced crisis of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the case of the revision of the BiH verdict against Serbia before the International Court of Justice.

The crisis has been announced, a crisis is being threatened, which, in my opinion, is a criminal offence. All those who sit in various legislative bodies, especially those individuals or groups – state parliamentarians – have committed themselves to work, not to non-work. Boycotting the work of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH implies neglecting one's work obligations, and certainly implies certain sanctions that each individual should bear if they behave in the aforementioned manner.

I accept that individuals disagree with or oppose the reopening of the proceedings, but I do not accept that this is an alibi for inaction. Politics is not just about taking money from the state, but also has a dimension of political struggle that implies active work precisely in the institutions whose boycott and blockade are being announced. There is a series of both political and legal mechanisms through which a certain position can be expressed and operationalized. One issue cannot be an obstacle to resolving others, unrelated to the disputed situation, which seems to have become a practice – political blackmail on all grounds.

In this specific case, representatives of the Serbian people in the BiH Parliament should and must act institutionally – legally if they believe that a certain issue has been resolved through non-institutional means. What we see are ill-considered media statements, primarily aimed at strengthening a cheap image and destabilizing inter-ethnic relations in our country.

There are many examples of incoherent political behaviour, from when official representatives of the authorities of the Republic of Croatia exerted pressure on the authorities in BiH, to this latest one when domestic representatives of the authorities exert pressure within domestic institutions on behalf of another state.

It is clear to all of us that the country is going through a specific historical phase, that there is a set of problems that have been present on the political scene for a long time and represent a stumbling block to progress. However, the failure to resolve these problems has paralyzed the international activity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and led to a situation where others discuss us, while we are forced to watch from the sidelines and accept the role assigned to us based on views generated outside this country.  The solution lies in agreement and respect for the legal framework established in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, the lack of will for compromises and positive political moves prevents us from overcoming political difficulties.

The revision can by no means be the spark that will start a new conflict, because it is precisely the path foreseen in peacetime for resolving interstate relations and establishing trust among peoples that peace is a state in which resources should be invested, not war.