Uk's Government is Slowly Filling the Central Prison, the Trio Can't Bring Anything Good to the Canton, Federation, or State

Interview by Delvin Kovač

The thesis that the Government of Sarajevo Canton (KS) is persistently fighting corruption, while we constantly witness the arrest of its ministers, is very interesting.

The Trio is a project that cannot bring anything good to the canton, the Federation, or the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, because it is composed of people interested in positions, offices, and power.

This was stated in an interview with the Patria News Agency (NAP) by SDA MP in the KS Assembly, Faruk Kapidžić.

Mr. Kapidžić, the saying is becoming increasingly popular among the people - Nihad Uk is forming the Government, and the prosecutor's office is dismantling it. Do you have anything to add to that?

Kapidžić: There's nothing to add, that's pretty much it. But one must admit that Uk has proven to be a persistent man. I expected him to give up long ago, to resign. But here he is, still fighting to fill the positions that the Prosecutor's Office removes, under the pretext of continuing the fight against corruption.

That thesis that the KS Government is persistently fighting corruption, while we constantly witness the arrest of its ministers, is very interesting, so I don't know what awaits us in the future and how he will manage to achieve anything at all.

In recent times, arrests of ministers in the KS Government have become frequent, and we have witnessed the arrest of Bojan Bošnjak from Our Party and Adna Mesihović from ZNG. What does this tell you about the composition of the current KS Government, led by Prime Minister Nihad Uk?

Kapidžić: As far as I have followed the political scene in Sarajevo Canton from the war to today, I don't recall any minister from the cantonal government being arrested. And now, for the first time, a team that came under the slogan of "transparency and fight against corruption" is experiencing two of its ministers being arrested within half a year.

Never before, as far as I know, has anyone been arrested, and now two from the same government have been arrested. Now, it could mean that they, if they want to look at it that way, have initiated a system that will fight corruption, and at the same time, they have proven to be a completely corrupt government.

Anyone normal in that prime ministerial position would have resigned, but how he, why, and for what reasons he remains and pushes forward... And of course, it is also a question for the citizens, after all, they gave them their votes in the last elections and they somehow managed to form this government, which is now slowly filling the central prison, which the charming spirit of Sarajevo has already nicknamed the nice city prison.

Uk says that the arrests of his ministers have certain consequences for the public perception of the KS Government's work. You are regularly in the field, talking to citizens, can you tell us what their perception is?

Kapidžić: In the last year, I really feel it so much in the city, at least I do, people constantly ask me - can you do anything to get this government replaced. I mean, of course, a normal poll by independent media would show the real situation on the ground. However, many local media outlets are dependent on this same Trio and on this project which has proven to be a complete failure.

And how do you comment on the work of the KS Government in the past slightly more than two years?

Kapidžić: I think I have commented on this Uk government countless times so far in almost all media. Constantly since that government in 2019, and *de facto* since 2021, when I became some kind of factor in the political world, I have been saying the same thing non-stop - the Trio is a project that cannot bring anything good to the canton, the Federation of BiH, or the state, because it is composed of people interested in positions, offices, power, personal wars, and all that used to be in SDA, SDP, all that kind of arrogant attitude towards citizens, the budget. That criminal milieu that is constantly circulating there.

Simply, it cannot produce anything good, it can only lead to the complete destruction of the system - which they have led to, to the destruction of democracy in a way, because we see that people who trade their positions are coming to the assembly benches. There are no political party programs, each person is actually a hand that costs so much. And in that way, they have completely broken the system, which used to function somehow, and have brought us to a state where it is impossible for that system to survive at all, and it will be very difficult for anyone to fix it.

We see that one by one, companies are literally shutting down. We have problems with KJKP "Vodovod i kanalizacija" (Water and Sewerage), then with KJKP "Rad" (Public Utility Company). We have a series of problems in companies that have literally arisen due to such management methods. Elmedin Konaković has brought the system to the brink of destruction. Due to trading people, persuading, meddling, lying to citizens, we have a situation that we don't know how to deal with until the elections. And it is especially questionable how the new structure that comes will manage in all of this.

Despite the fact that two ministers are on trial, Prime Minister Uk says he made no mistake when forming the KS Government. How do you comment on that?

Kapidžić: Well, look, those who brought Uk to that position made a mistake. And Uk as such - what will he say - "I am a mistake, but I'm not leaving". He is aware that he manages nothing, forms nothing, is asked nothing, can fix nothing, nor break anything. Simply, the Trio brought him there to vegetate so that individual ministries would have complete freedom to do whatever they want.

Does anyone think that Uk, as he is - a nice young man like from elementary school, could stand in Šteta's way and tell him - that cannot be done, that is not right, or that he could show Šteta's contracts that are harmful to this canton. Therefore, Uk was brought in as such a figure so that he could not influence the processes they planned to carry out in certain ministries.

And all of that will come to light one by one through the prosecutor's offices. Sooner or later, the dynamics don't matter. But most of the things that the same team has been doing since 2019, or will do until the elections - will end with indictments.

In your opinion, would it be moral for Prime Minister Uk to resign after everything that is happening to him in the KS Government?

Kapidžić: Well, frankly, it would have been moral if he hadn't even accepted that position. For someone in their thirties, with no work experience, to accept the position of Prime Minister of Sarajevo Canton, a canton with the largest budget, as their first job. During my schooling 30-40 years ago, it would have been unimaginable for someone to accept such a thing. But he accepted it. And now the question arises whether it is moral that he is not resigning.

It was neither moral nor realistic for him to accept that position at a time when Sarajevo Canton was in a very difficult situation. I have a feeling that even much more serious and capable people would have thought twice before accepting it, because it carries responsibility. However, he took it so lightly as if Sarajevo Canton were a toy, and if it breaks, parents will fix it.

The KS Assembly is expected to confirm Mladen Pandurević as the new Minister of Communal Economy, Infrastructure, Spatial Planning, Construction, and Environmental Protection at an urgent session tomorrow. What are your expectations?

Kapidžić: This is patching up the KS Government just so they can continue to pay salaries and prolong this agony. Because I think they have been an unconstitutional government since Monday, they cannot make any decisions. That's why they are acting like this now, which is also unconstitutional. I think it can also be challenged that a minister is appointed at an urgent session.

But in any case, they have been an unconstitutional government since Monday, and literally every decision they make constitutes a criminal offense. And that's why this minister is being appointed now. And when it comes to the position of the missing Minister of Science, Higher Education, and Youth of KS, we will have the same situation in two months, by which time they must also fill that position.

In the end, I don't know what else I can say to the citizens, but - you voted, now watch. And we'll see. Maybe they'll be smarter next time.