The head of Tuzla's NBL Edim Kadić: We are exclusively focused on citizens

TUZLA, (Patria) - A movement of independent people is emerging in Tuzla these days, ready to think independently and make decisions that will satisfy citizens' needs for a better life. The movement called the Independent Bosnian-Herzegovinian List (NBL) intends to preserve, establish, and protect the story of independence on the principles of humanitarian politics and elevate it above the populism that is currently the dominant ideology in Tuzla and its canton, says the head of Tuzla's NBL, Edim Kadić.

"The Independent Bosnian-Herzegovinian List officially started operating in the City of Tuzla in February of this year, when I was elected president of the City Board. For those who have no idea about NBL, I will briefly say that it is not a classic party but a political concept and movement around which independent mayors, chiefs, councilors, businessmen, and a whole spectrum of quality people, backed by work and success achieved in the most difficult circumstances, have gathered," Kadić said.

He states that new members are joining them daily, local committees are being formed, and they are trying to spend as much time as possible in the field among the people and hear their problems.

"This is the 21st century, and some local communities still haven't solved their water supply, asphalt, sewage, and lighting issues... So, we are not going into the next election cycle in a showy manner, but systematically. I can boast that we already have very high-quality personnel of all profiles. Given that I am of a military type, I strive to ensure that everything functions organizationally as well as possible and that we don't waste time. We already have a finalized list of members who will participate in the NBL congress in Sarajevo in September," said Kadić, noting that a new office will soon be opened in Tuzla.

He explains that the mission of NBL is to gather capable, independent, and politically innovative leaders and offer them to Tuzla.

"We have no shortage of role models, starting with the president of NBL, Ibrahim Hadžibajrić, who is officially the best mayor in Europe over the past ten years. From this and similar examples, we know what NBL members should be like. Most of us in the leadership have secured our livelihoods and proven ourselves in the jobs we have done. We are not burdened by empty nationalist and leftist phrases and are profiling a new political center movement – focused on ourselves and the citizens. We reject the provocation of any divisions and hatred among citizens, and this hatred and division stem from the existential ideologies of most parties.

Kadić was once a member of BOSS, from which he resigned, and according to him, an attempt to discredit him and his family followed.

"The discrediting of me and my family did not succeed, and the story about BOSS is long behind me. In the court's epilogue, it will not be difficult to prove who did what with budget money, how funds were justified, and to whom they were given. I have already received a court verdict for slander in which the president (Mirnes Ajanović, editor's note) was convicted and must pay for the lies he spread through the media.

Kadić has been an independent councilor in the Tuzla City Council for two years, and he says he often doesn't get answers to his questions.

"I am not given answers about employees in many public companies and institutions, about various contracts concluded in the past period, about the justification of money allocated from the budget, the biographies of directors of public companies and institutions, members of supervisory boards and city council committees, etc. But I persist in seeking answers, even at the cost of filing lawsuits, because I was elected by the people and cannot allow such data to be hidden," Kadić explains.

The head of Tuzla's NBL has held various management positions – in the former JNA and Army of BiH, with the UN, in the American company Brown and Root, he was the assistant head of Tuzla's BIZ, commercial director of Omega, and assistant director for commercial affairs at JZU Gradska apoteka Tuzla.

"I am particularly proud that I was among the first officers of the former JNA to make myself available for the defense of Tuzla and BiH. Also, I helped with employment for many family members of fallen soldiers, disabled war veterans, and demobilized soldiers who had the hardest time after the war," says Kadić.

Although many said at the beginning of the NBL story that nothing would come of it, he remained consistent and says there will be no giving up.

"I patiently listened to them all and then replied that we, like a true sports team, with a lot of work and a good coach at the helm, will always go for victory. No matter how strong the opponent on the other side of the field is, there is no lost game for us. Therefore, I invite all our citizens with a similar attitude, who desire change and a better life, to join us and become part of the winning team," concluded Kadić.