Puhalo: Dodik does want a deal but on his terms

Following the inauguration of new BiH Presidency members, the analysts forecast 4 years of political stalling and filibustering. They predict Dodik's continued attempts to impose his own policy that is according to the analysts 'anti-Constitution and anti-Dayton', which will be facing resistance, primarily by Komsic.  

- The fact that I'm elected member of the Presidency doesn't mean that my politics will change, I'm staying with the Republika Srpska... I'm just off to get an important job done for the RS, said Dodik on Monday during the inauguration ceremony at the People's Assembly of the RS. 'I've been elected as the Serb member of the Presidency and I'm not going to take any position that is in any way superior to the RS, on the contrary, it is subordinate to the RS', added Dodik in his speech, taking the opportunity yet again to express his negative views about presence of the international community in BiH.  

The publicist and analyst Srdjan Puhalo from Banja Luka thinks that Dodik's politics is currently focused on creating an ambiance in such way that any of his potentially constructive moves in the Presidency, as well as any possible filibusters, are perceived in the RS as his victory.

Puhalo says that Dodik keeps on pointing out the great importance of achieving an agreement in BiH, but what he doesn't say is that the agreement has to be according to his criteria.  

- Can you build a state by ignoring it? Puhalo poses a hypothetical question during our talk. 'Dodik wants to prove it to us that he will be the one setting the rules of the game. In the case something works well, he will say that he set the rules. If it doesn't work, he will say that Bosnia and Herzegovina is impossible. Therefore, whatever may happen, he will say that the RS benefits, thinks Puhalo, explaining why it is so important to Dodik to control the media in the RS which broadcast his statements without any criticism.

Puhalo further explains that 'according to Dodik, it is always somebody else's fault'.

- He is the only one with the right reasoning, the only one with the right interpretation of the Dayton Peace Accord, the only one who is helpful, everybody else are destructive... He holds speeches to the citizens of the RS all the time, while creating an alibi for himself for any kind of outcome, concludes Puhalo, emphasizing that Dodik is likely to continue with such politics in the Presidency BiH.

Dr Adnan Huskic thinks that Dodik doesn't even respect the Constitution of the Republika Srpska, so any significant distancing from his usual politics at other levels of power should not be expected. Although, as Dr Huskic says, it is difficult to predict which way the situation in BiH will actually turn.

- Just look at the debt of the Republika Srpska, it has long surpassed the threshold set by the Constitution, said Huskic.