NUB BiH employees: Authorities see the library as a danger, Schmidt could solve the financing problem with one move

(Patria) - On November 7, it will be a month since the employees of the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (NUBBiH) were forced to close it to the public, but the ruling structures have not been touched by this, as before the elections.

From August 25 to 26, after a series of warning protests, the employees of NUBBiH locked the doors, closed the library to the public, and then reopened it in less than 24 hours, after a "progressive" meeting with the Federal Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić and the Federal Minister of Education and Science Jasna Duraković, who are now not making any statements, writes Faktor.

The Federal Ministry of Education and Science (FMON) shifted responsibility to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, which declared itself incompetent because the issue of culture is within the competence of the entities according to the Constitution.

The Minister of Civil Affairs prepared a solution for NUBBiH to be under the jurisdiction of the Federation of BiH, however, Republika Srpska is obstructing and does not want to put it on the agenda.

Their only hope was the OHR and the High Representative Christian Schmidt, but they have not received concrete solutions from them yet. Schmidt visited them, emphasized that they are an institution of state importance, mentioned them in his report to the UN, and that's where the story ended for now.

Of course, nothing can be done overnight, but it is important to emphasize that the problem of NUBBiH, as well as the other six institutions of state importance (National Museum of BiH, Historical Museum of BiH, Art Gallery of BiH, Museum of Literature and Theater Arts of BiH, Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired of BiH, Kinoteka BiH), has not existed since August, but for the last three decades, since they have not had a resolved legal status, due to which they have survived on alms given to them by ministries at the federal and cantonal levels. To clarify, the state founded them, and now no one wants them, or responsibility is constantly being shifted from one to another.

- We all hope that a solution will be found, but as time goes by, hope slowly dies. I am sorry to say this, but it seems likely that we will be the first country in Europe to be without its state, mother, and central library.

We are already in the third month without salaries, we no longer have hot meals or travel allowances. Politicians will not agree, they see the library as a danger, they are used to ruling over an uneducated people, so they see the library and knowledge as a danger.

Schmidt, if he wanted to, could resolve all seven institutions in one day with a special law at the state level - said Aldin Huskić, president of the Employees' Council of NUBBiH.