About Schmidt’s imposition of changes to the Electoral Law, why we still don’t have a law on the construction of the gas pipeline South Interconnection of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Croatia – these are just some of the questions answered in an interview by Jasmin Duvnjak, president of the Bosniak Caucus in the House of Peoples of the Federation Parliament (SDA).
The South interconnection is an important strategic project that would enable us to free ourselves from total gas dependence on Russia, Duvnjak pointed out.
”Initially, it was not clear to me why my colleagues from HDZ BiH did not want it to be on the agenda of the House of Peoples. I am getting information that in the meantime they have submitted amendments to that law in front of the Caucus of Delegates of the Croatian People. These amendments are pending in the Government of the Federation of BiH (FBiH). Their essence is to enable the formation of a public company in the FBiH that would be a counterpart to BH-gas. As we now have Croatian Post, Croatian Telecommunications, Elektroprivreda Herceg-Bosna, etc., they want the transport system operator to be a ‘Croatian’ BH-gas in addition to BH-gas. This is unacceptable because it means new divisions,” Duvnjak explains.
Duvnjak also spoke about why the report on the work and operations of the Radio-Television of the FBiH (RTVFBiH) for 2018 and 2019 was not passed at the last session of the House of Peoples.
He states that the business of RTVFBiH has an upward trajectory, despite the circumstances in which this company operates and the problems faced by public broadcasters in BiH.
”On the other hand, there is an attempt by certain BiH political factors to influence something that is inappropriate in a democratic world, namely influence on editorial policy. That day, we heard from certain colleagues in the House of Peoples that they were not satisfied with the editorial policy. However, we are politicians and we should be ready for criticism and aware that public broadcasters and media do not exist because of us, but because of the interests of the public. You are there in the first place to protect the interests of citizens and the public in the FBiH,” Duvnjak states.
He emphasizes that behind this, as well as for the stories about the gas pipeline, there is clearly an intention to cover a certain area with the HZHB (eng. Croatian Association of Herzeg-Bosna) stamp.
”In the end, they didn’t even hide it anymore, they said that they had the intention of the possibilities and some coalition partners would allow it, to create television Herceg-Bosna and for it to be a third public broadcaster. I told them that – while we from the SDA have impact, and I hope also from the pro-Bosnian forces – there will be no Herceg-Bosna television, just as, after all, there will be nothing from the third entity either,” Duvnjak adds.
