In an April 7 opinion article published in Dnevi Avaz and Nezavisne Novine, the High Representative has begun the public phase of his campaigning in the upcoming election (as is well known, his interventions are not limited to “public” actions).
Defender of Sovereignty
As usual, his primary target is the elected leadership of Republika Srpska. His first charge is that these leaders fail to respect the sovereignty of BiH. It is the height of irony for a High Representative (HR) to pose as defender of BiH sovereignty. HRs have imposed legislation, deposing the Parliamentary Assembly; punished BiH citizens, without benefit of law, judge, or legal process; and preempted decision-making by democratically elected governments. Such acts are continuing violations of BiH sovereignty and of citizens’ civil and political rights which truly sovereign states are bound to prevent.
Cheap Tricks
“… The time of the cheap tricks designed to raise tensions and divert attention from the real challenges facing the country is over,” proclaims the HR’s article. Regarding “cheap tricks,” one is immediately reminded of HR Inzko’s own very public embrace of protesters in Sarajevo as they set fire to government buildings and blocked traffic for days.
In contrast, during the past months, the government in Banja Luka has raised wages and pensions, and taken serious legislative and regulatory actions to increase foreign and domestic investment to accelerate economic growth. These facts are never mentioned in the HR’s tirades.
To compound hypocrisy, the high rep pledges to defend the Constitution of BiH. Such a pledge is ludicrous from the head of the office which for two decades has violated the human, civil and political rights of BiH citizens by: imposing laws and new institutions, in violation of the legislative authority in the Constitution; intervening in judicial proceedings, in violation of the right to an independent judiciary; and arbitrarily firing elected officials, civil servants and university professors, in violation of their human rights, legally protected by the Constitution.
Perhaps the HR could tell BiH voters where he finds authority in the Constitution for his personal participation in this year’s election campaign. We wonder if his participation goes beyond public campaigning and includes providing funds to support the campaigns of his favorite candidates. These are questions worth asking, but questions the HR is not likely to answer. His insistence upon accountability (or transparency) has never included the Office of the High Representative.
His article concludes with praise for the “talent, good will and energy” of the BiH people. His admiration, however, does not seem to include their choices at the ballot box. Apparently he feels the need to instruct them as to how to cast their votes.
