The real culprits for the poisoning of Sarajevo children must be held accountable

The Cantonal Organisation of SDP BiH Sarajevo strongly condemns the silence and negligence of the Government and Assembly of Sarajevo Canton regarding recent events and the poisoning of 200 children in the public institution „Djeca Sarajeva“, reports the Patria news agency.

It is unacceptable that two months after this incident, none of the responsible authorities have taken any measures to tighten food control in kindergartens. Moreover, the company that supplied the contaminated food was only fined. This gives our public the right to express a well-founded suspicion that the company “Gold Mignon” enjoys political protection from the ruling coalition in Sarajevo Canton.

The „care“ for Sarajevo children began 20 years ago when the then (and current) authorities gave a number of kindergartens for long-term use to foreign diplomatic missions. Subsequently, the neglect and carelessness of the management structures appointed by the same authorities contributed to the ruination and deterioration of the remaining capacities available to this institution.

Recently, we have witnessed the fact that the authorities, after the February protests in 2014, achieved savings only through measures reducing maternity benefits in Sarajevo Canton. The new-old authorities in 2015 also announced austerity measures through the closure of a number of primary schools. We remind that a 2010 ruling by the Constitutional Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, among other things, returned preschool and primary education to the jurisdiction of local self-government units.

In this way, we openly ask the ruling SDA and their coalition partners what message they want to send to the citizens of Sarajevo Canton, whose support they received in the elections, with these measures? Does the SDA consider these actions to be in line with the populist platform on which its ideology is based, which places family and family values in a very high position? Can the DF and SDA achieve savings in other areas that do not involve denying rights to mothers and children of preschool and primary school age? We publicly call on the Prosecutor's Office of Sarajevo Canton to issue a statement on this case and to remove doubts that the failure to adopt the report of the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office in the Assembly of Sarajevo Canton is related to pressures concerning this specific case?

And finally, let them explain how it is possible that a company that does not even have a permit for the trade of food of animal origin receives tenders year after year to supply a number of institutions in Sarajevo Canton?

The resignation of the current director Mirjana Jovanović-Halilović represents a moral act worthy of respect, but not an assumption of responsibility for the (in)actions taken against the new generations in Sarajevo Canton. This policy must be stopped because no one has the right to put personal, party, family or any other interests above the well-being of Sarajevo's children.

SDP BiH will strongly fight to eradicate such occurrences in society, because the children and citizens of Sarajevo Canton do not deserve this, regardless of the political legitimacy of those who implement it, it was announced from the Sarajevo Cantonal Organisation.