Why the law does not apply to them: Konaković and the Sarajevo Canton Government massively increased fees for Health Insurance Fund Board members!

Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Elmedin Konaković skillfully manipulates the public with populist statements, best illustrated by the 'application' of the Law on Salaries and Fees for members of management bodies and other institutions of the Sarajevo Canton, cantonal public enterprises and public institutions founded by the Sarajevo Canton, which Konaković assessed as a reform move and a crackdown on those who have learned to live richly by spending citizens' money, writes the Patria news agency.

Thus, at the end of February this year, when this law was adopted, Konaković said that 'the law is reformist not only economically but in terms of raising awareness among people in positions who are not aware of the difficult conditions in which BiH citizens live.' According to Article 12 of the Law on Salaries and Fees for members of management bodies and other institutions of the Sarajevo Canton, the monthly fee for the chairman of the Board of Directors of a public institution can be at most 50 percent of the average net salary paid in the Federation of BiH in the last three months, and for members at most 40 percent.

However, only a few months after the law began to be applied, Konaković and the Sarajevo Canton Government adopted a Decision that is completely contrary to the adopted Law, published in the Official Gazette on July 21, 2016.

According to this Decision supplementing the decision on the amount of monthly fees for the work of the chairman and members of the Boards of Directors of public health institutions founded by the Sarajevo Canton, the fee for the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sarajevo Canton Health Insurance Fund was set at 720 KM per month, and for members 600 KM! Konaković did not boast about this shameful decision on social media.

The disputed decision published in the Official Gazette of the Sarajevo Canton

The average salary in the Federation of BiH for the last three months is around 830 KM, and Konaković and the ministers in the Sarajevo Canton Government forgot that the Sarajevo Canton Health Insurance Fund was founded by the canton, and that this law also applies to this public institution, and that 720 is not fifty percent of 830!?

In April 2016, the Sarajevo Canton Government appointed acting chairmen and members of the Board of Directors of the Sarajevo Canton Health Insurance Fund until the completion of the public call procedure and final appointment, for a maximum period of three months.

Hamid Milak was appointed acting chairman of the Board of Directors of the Health Insurance Fund, and the following were appointed as acting members of this board: Zlatko Kravić, Meho Dapčević, Ejub Bašić, Muamer Efendić, Hazim Bahtanović, Aida Haverić, Emina Kasumagić Halilović and Esad Hrvačić. These days, the competition procedure for the selection of the chairman and members of the Board of Directors of the Sarajevo Canton Health Insurance Fund is being finalized.

As Patria learns, some of these acting members did not apply for the competition for board members who, according to the new decision, will be well paid.

At the beginning of July, the Sarajevo Canton Government appointed a Commission for the selection of the chairman and members of the Board of Directors of the Sarajevo Canton Health Insurance Fund, as well as for the nomination/appointment of members of the management and supervisory boards of public health institutions, but to date no members have been elected.

Fees have been increased, now it only remains for suitable party cadres to be officially appointed. Let Prime Minister Konaković now answer to the public why he violated the Law and made such a decision.