Which patriotism is better – left or right?

By: Armin Aljovic

A part of BH leftists, or at least those who claim to be so, are presently the bearers of some sort of political relativism which maintains that fighting for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and fighting for its dissolution are quite identical.

For inexplicable reasons, the exclusive right to patriotism in Bosnia and Herzegovina is handed over to the national parties, even though we have witnessed that any story about patriotism in the former Yugoslavia in the context of national parties is a story about destructive nationalism that has well stretched out the borders of patriotism. And patriotism as such kills 'others' and 'different'.  

The history of Bosnia and Herzegovina reminds us that this country was first built by the left and not the right patriots, from Avdo Humo to Rodoljub Colakovic. Miro Lazovic recently said that the question of survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war largely depended on the social democrats joining the government with Izetbegovic, as 'the Americans wanted to support only multiethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina'.

Notwithstanding rather open political intentions by our neighbors to divide BiH, as well as unhidden separatism in the country, most of left parties in BiH say here and now, especially in Sarajevo, that the call to save BiH and its social values is false patriotism and cheap demagogy reserved only for national parties. Truth be told, the fight for the country's interests is seen by the public as lip service mainly because of notorious criminals who try to hide their bad deeds behind patriotism. It is, therefore, no wonder that BH citizens roll their eyes at mere mention of the term. They have become utterly frustrated by injustice that the national elites have brought to the point of perfection.

Having said that, does it mean that the left parties here and today should accept that it is out of fashion speaking that the entire BH society is in danger and it ought to be defended? There's a big group of politicians, analysts and intellectuals with such rhetoric, who brutally label all those who dare speak about danger that BiH is in. They deliver the patriotism to the rightists. Therefore, according to them, to be a patriot and to strive to save the country is a nationalistic and rightist model of government.

President Macron's warning that 'nationalism is betrayal of patriotism' is probably the best answer to the question if patriotism is better coming from the left or right.