Stambolić and the Troika Majority in Ilidža Municipal Council Protect the Employment of VRS Members in Canton Sarajevo Institutions, Refuse to Vote on SBiH Resolution

(Patria) - The Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina Club in the Ilidža Municipal Council submitted a draft resolution expressing concern over the marginalization of former members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) in cantonal institutions. The resolution, which the SBiH Club called the "Declaration on the Position and Status of Former Members of the ARBiH in the Sarajevo Canton," demands urgent action by the Government, Assembly, and other bodies of the Sarajevo Canton to ensure rights and employment advantages for demobilized soldiers, and to prevent the appointment of former members of the Army of Republika Srpska to positions in institutions.

The Chairman of the Ilidža Municipal Council, Tarik Stambolić, together with the current majority consisting of councilors from the troika parties (NiP, SDP, NS), refused to put the resolution to a vote.

In his introductory address, the President of the SBiH Club, Nedžad Tinjak, emphasized that the current Minister of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Spatial Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection, Mladen Pandurević, appointed as his advisor a person who was a member of the Army of Republika Srpska during the aggression against BiH.

“This so-called army is responsible for genocide and the greatest anti-civilization crimes on European soil since the end of World War II, and for the siege of the capital of BiH,” Tinjak stated.

He pointed out that the Municipal Council has a moral and patriotic obligation to raise its voice against such appointments, and that soldiers who defended the state are often prosecuted, while those who destroyed BiH are appointed to institutions of the system they fought against in the uniform of a criminal army.

“This declaration is above local politics, above parties, above the ruling and opposition. It is our message to decision-makers that we are not sleeping, that we have not forgotten, and that we will teach and remind our children and grandchildren who was on the right side and who on the wrong side of history,” the message read.

The resolution, among other things, demands:

- Cessation of the practice of appointing former members of the VRS or the MUP of the RS to key functions in institutions of the Sarajevo Canton;

- Thorough verification of the wartime past of employees and appointees;

- Employment priority for former members of the ARBiH;

- Revision of current personnel solutions;

- Special support and integration programs for demobilized soldiers;

- Prevention of institutional discrimination against members of the ARBiH.

The refusal to put the resolution to a vote drew criticism from councilors, who believe that such proposals represent a necessary step in affirming the rights of soldiers and preserving historical truth in the Sarajevo Canton. However, it is evident that the current majority in the Ilidža Municipal Council, as well as in the Sarajevo Canton, cares more about its reputation with parties from the RS than about those who defended and protected the institutions of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.