Pro-Bosnian parties and their tycoons are the biggest culprits for the state property issue!

By: Rasim Belko

In an article published last week by the German magazine Loyal, specializing in security and politics, concerning Bosnia and Herzegovina, three messages can be defined as key – Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a sovereign state without state property, there are no Euro-Atlantic integrations without central management of that property, and as long as BiH does not take control of its territory, it represents a potential threat to its own stability and that of Europe.

This is an issue that we at the Patria Agency have been addressing for a long time, but unfortunately, due to various factors, it is not a top priority for pro-state parties based in Sarajevo. There are two reasons for avoiding a more concrete resolution of this issue: the first is "Dodik and Čović won't allow it," and the second is "what do we do with the property stolen by our tycoons?"

Today, it is more than clear that there is no political will in the Sarajevo political sphere to fight for state property as the fundamental basis of Bosnia and Herzegovina's statehood. As a reminder, the presidents of all parliamentary pro-Bosnian parties signed a declaration in April 2023 stating that state property is a priority and the foundation of BiH's statehood, but since then, we have seen almost no effort to implement what was stated in the declaration.

On the contrary, instead of fighting for state property, we have seen many public statements and verbal conflicts on this issue with Serb-Croat politics, but no one has taken any concrete action. The reason is simple – all these parties have their tycoons, and tycoons have interests in further enriching themselves on cheap state land, which they sometimes steal in the shadows, and sometimes obtain through illegal concessions.

The state is not a priority for pro-Bosnian politicians when deciding between party tycoons and state property. They will always use the politics of Dodik and Čović as a shield against accusations and blame, who for their own benefit, their tycoons, and their hegemonic background, do not even think about the state, let alone state property.

Therefore, it is quite clear that any talk about the European Union and NATO alliance is in vain, because one thing is certain – these alliances do not need a state that is not in control of its territory.

The question that arises is: is it time to file criminal charges against all political elites for undermining the statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina? Because there is no difference between what Dodik did in attacking the constitutional order by destroying institutions and laws, and the fact that all policies in our country are destroying statehood and the constitutional order on the issue of state property.

I believe that such a process, if nothing else, would make certain political actors more serious about stopping the greed of their tycoons and starting to resolve the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina's sovereignty and its future.

Because what Loyal writes about the policy in the Republika Srpska entity not wanting to transfer military facilities like Kozara barracks to the state is one problem, and a completely different problem is that, contrary to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, pro-Bosnian parties that have governed in the Federation and cantons like KS, ZDK, USK, TK… grant concessions on state property without any consultation, let alone a decision from the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is clear, therefore, that the problem is not always in someone else's yard, and if we want to preserve Bosnia and Herzegovina as a sovereign state and its Euro-Atlantic path, then we must fight and win against the structures within our own ranks for whom the state means as much as it does to Dodik and Čović.

The international community is apparently aware of this problem, because without impetus from Sarajevo, no issue of our country's state-building will be resolved, and there can be no impetus from Sarajevo as long as tycoons are fighting to carve up state property, thereby directly helping Belgrade and Zagreb to carve up Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In this context, Loyal also warns the international community itself that Munich is a short flight away from Bosnia and Herzegovina and that, due to the unresolved issue of state property management and use, Russians could enter that zone.

Nevertheless, this issue concerns all of us patriots for whom Bosnia and Herzegovina is our only home and who will become global homeless people without Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, it is high time to demand from every politician from Sarajevo, individually, that the issue of state property be set as priority number 1, meaning that there should be no formation of government at the BiH and FBiH entity level without resolving the issue of state property.

Only in this way can we save the state and its path to the EU and NATO. Everything else is a path to disappearance!