United Media Endeavor of the "Trojka" and HDZ: FTV to be Controlled by Those Who Don't Even Pay the RTV Fee!

(Patria) - The competition for the election of members of the Management Board of Radio-Television of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is underway. Political spoils since its inception. New government and our new fight to preserve independence. After the Federal Television survived financial blows, blackmail, signal shutdowns, and threats, a new attack on the television is now underway. The government wants to control this public broadcaster at all costs.

Politics and opportunities continue.

For over a decade, RTV Federation of BiH has been a tempting prize for the political elite. Primarily Dragan Čović and HDZ BiH. It is an open secret that they have long been trying to gain control of central programs, editorial policy, and leadership from behind the scenes. This is the only public broadcaster they have never managed to conquer. Neither they nor SNSD.

The stance heard since the beginning of the mandate in the Parliament hall:

"They absolutely want to bring the FTV Public Service under political control to have influence and to 'wash away their misdeeds'," states Mahir Mešalić, DF MP in the House of Representatives of the FBiH.

"Everything that is elected in Parliament has some political influence. If there should be no political influence on the election of the FTV Management Board, it would probably be elected by the Civil Service Agency," stated Dragan Mioković, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the FBiH (NS).

In the mathematics of iteration, in reality – a repetition of attempts from mandate to mandate. Whatever it takes. The methods have changed, and the stakes have risen. Fortunately, unsuccessfully. The competition for the Management Board of RTVFBiH is currently active. A full composition of four members for different mandate durations. Announced, they claim, according to the existing Law, which should be legal.

"In accordance with the Law on Public Service RTVFBiH, we have announced a public competition for the election of the Management Board. Of course, it is in accordance with the law, that is the law," stated Rasim Smajlović, NiP MP in the House of Representatives of the FBiH.

"We have not considered that law, we have not changed that law, I can assume that it is being done according to the old law which clearly stipulates how the members of the Management Board of RTVFBiH are elected. What I can say is that this is currently not being done according to the valid law," emphasized Sanel Kajan, Speaker of the Information Committee of the House of Representatives of the FBiH (DF).

The current law mentions the appointment of a full composition, but only for the first time. Otherwise, one member is elected annually, precisely to avoid political influence. However, there was haste, so there was no time for amendments to the Law. Cover was sought in international circles. They requested it from the Parliament in writing, and then the process began.

"We had a request from the OSCE, the OHR, who in January and February requested and strictly demanded that the House of Representatives and the House of Peoples of the Federation initiate the procedure. We knew that the opposition would behave as they are behaving, however, we received an answer that this process was never fully completed, that this is the second time for the first appointment," stated Smajlović.

"I had no objections to the first material. After some time, corrections to the public call came with the explanation that part of the working group, in consultation with the OHR's legal team, agreed and accepted the OHR's suggestion to incorporate certain provisions into the public call," emphasized Mirnes Bašić, delegate in the House of Peoples of the FBiH (SDA).

"I did not participate in that, but I have information that the people who participated consulted eminent lawyers and that this is the solution behind which this working group, and thus the Parliament, stands. The fact is that FTV has not had a Management Board for over ten years. That is simply unacceptable. Legally speaking, there is no politics involved. Secondly, the fact is that the general director of FTV has been out of mandate for years," says Mioković.

The general director is indeed out of mandate. The Management Board, it is true, has not been filled. Facts for which the FTV management is not to blame, but rather politics and laws. Amendments could have been made – they were not. The Management Board officially and legally existed, so the process was concluded then. Now, 17 applications for the competition, six applications rejected. The first allegations of abuse have also reached us. Rejections for documents that were not even requested by the competition. Coincidence or the first step towards electing suitable candidates?

"This is another in a series of illegal decisions that the 'Trojka' wants to implement to please the HDZ and to have Zoran Krešić, a known advocate of the third entity, and probably the third channel, appointed to the head of the FTV Management Board," warned Mešalić.

"Yes, I would not vote for him, but I don't know who has the authority to make a list of those who can or cannot, may or may not be nominated or elected. Our party will never support anyone's, let alone the HDZ's potential request to influence FTV's editorial policy in any way," said Mioković.

"On September 2nd, a session for information will be held. As the president of that working body, I will certainly clearly state my position. I believe that the Information Committee should pay close attention to who will sit on the Management Board of the public broadcaster RTVFBiH," emphasized Kajan.

We also want to believe that political interests are not at play. But coincidentally or not, from time to time, the ruling coalition convinces us otherwise. Because...

"We expect long-term solutions when people who act as the 'Trojka' policies demand of them sit in the management of both broadcasters – FTV and BHRT," stated NiP president Elmedin Konaković at one time.

"Now we need to select those who will lead the management bodies, management, and editorial staff. We are solving everything one by one," said HDZ BiH president Dragan Čović.

One by one, and Federal Television has faced a series of problems since the beginning of the year. From signal shutdowns to losing more than 5.6 million marks. Despite this, it operated positively and worked objectively and independently at all times.

The current competition for the Management Board has concluded, appeals and petitions are ready, and the epilogue of the complicated situation is expected, reports FTV.

Although it is known that even HDZ MPs do not pay the RTV fee, nor do residents in cantons with a Croatian majority, this does not prevent the "Trojka" parties from handing over FTV to non-payers.

HDZ cadres have publicly called for not paying the RTV fee for years because they do not consider Radio-Television of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be theirs, and now they are very interested in Federal Television when it comes to appointing the Management Board.

As is known, the RTV fee, which amounts to 7.5 KM, is paid exclusively in one part of the Federation of BiH, mainly paid by Bosniaks, and that is through the electricity bills of JP Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine (EPBiH). Where the federal company Elektroprivreda Hrvatske zajednice Herceg Bosne (EPHZHB) operates, RTV fee payment is not included in electricity bills, but rather those who wish contribute one KM for RTV Herceg-Bosne.