The Three Gave, SNSD and HDZ Took: Who Can Take Back the Levers of Power Now?

By: A. Čorbo-Zećo

It is questionable whether the BiH Council of Ministers session will even be held, reports Istraga.ba. According to them, Defense Minister Zukan Helez openly disapproves because the Civil Service Agency of BiH, led by HDZ cadre Anita Markić, has been refusing to announce competitions for positions where Bosniak cadres should be appointed for months.

A heated debate is taking place between Chairperson Borjana Krišto and Minister Helez at the Council of Ministers collegium because of this. However, the real question is, isn't it too late now?

The political arrangement of the Three over the past three years has led to almost all key positions in state institutions, from the energy sector to the judiciary and civil service, being placed under the control of SNSD and HDZ. And the position held by Markić was easily handed over!?

When decisions were made about the distribution of positions, the Three, without much resistance, handed over the most important portfolios to their partners, justifying it with the “European path of BiH” and the “agreement for stability”.

Today, when it becomes evident that Bosniak cadres are being systematically bypassed, and key competitions are being blocked by institutions, the question arises whether Helez's disapproval is just a belated reaction to what has long been clear?

Because, it is no longer about an individual competition or a personnel solution. It is about an entire system that, through conscious political decisions, has been placed in the hands of those for whom blocking institutions and discriminating against national quotas is a political interest.

In such a context, any objection sounds more like a political alibi than a genuine fight for equality.

If silence was kept for three years while the key levers of power were handed over to SNSD and HDZ, what does disapproval mean now – other than an admission that the political price has already been paid?