Great gesture of Mayor and citizens of Kakanj to give up on their New Year’s Eve celebrations for the sake of treatment of little boy Evelin touched many people. However, many did not know that this is the way of decision-making in this municipality. Well known in many ways!
“What we have done in the municipality is very symbolic. Many people did much more, including children from Kakanj who gathered some money in schools, volunteers, particularly businessmen, not to forget everyone else. Most payments arrived from Sarajevo,” revealed Mayor Mandra.
“This is our usual model of decision making,” explained the Mayor. Local authorities often ask citizens through social networks about changes that they are planning to do.
And the changes are permanent and visible. Ciro train was passing through this city once. Now there is park. The building of Kakanj municipality is the best maintained in the country. The Culture Center was not here 5 years ago. Now it is the building that Kakanj is most proud of.
“We have the desire and the need to contribute to the development of culture and to show what Kakanj was in the past and what we want for it to be in the future,” said Aldin Sljivo, the Director of Cultural and Sports Centre Kakanj.
Local businessmen are helping most of the projects. The municipality has enabled the purchase of land for 1 BAM, return rates, and incentives for young people to start a business. From 38,000 citizens, only 7, 000 citizens have no job.
“As you can see behind us is the construction of one of the factories that have been started through incentives of the municipality in the construction of new production capacity and new work places,” said Edin Bjelopoljak, secretary of the Association of Employers of Kakanj.
However, not only large projects are important. Citizens also appreciate those small, visible changes, such as the underground garbage cans that no other city in BiH possess, or the security cameras that are placed on each more frequently used intersection, in front of schools, hospitals and religious buildings.
Citizens are satisfied, but they expect even more.
After their humane gesture, citizens of Kakanj will not stay without the New Year’s Eve celebration if they want, said Mayor. Citizens will have enabled transport to Sarajevo. Thus, they will support the capital of BiH and send a message that they believe that our capital is safer than many other European cities.
(Source: N1)
