The guest of today’s edition of Rezime was Damir Mašić, representative of the SDP in the House of Representatives of the Federal Parliament.
Regarding today’s meeting of the heads of the clubs of the Eight parties, he says that it was announced last week.
“Colleague Čavalić and colleague Durić, as heads of the SBiH and NES clubs, invited the other club heads and representatives of the Eight parties to discuss the adopted conclusion that they proposed, which we also supported in the Parliament at the last session, and which concerns the task of the FBiH Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs to consider and prepare an initiative, i.e. a specific proposal to amend the Constitution, which could avoid these blockages, i.e. delays in the formation of the executive power in the FBiH. Several things are interesting. The process of amending laws is complex, and the Constitution in particular. It is indeed a complex and not so easy and fast procedure, but it is important to start from something. The last changes to the FBiH Constitution were more than 20 years ago, when the then high representative imposed amendments to both the Constitution of the Federation and the The Constitution of the RS. It’s good to start, to start, but it will be a process that will certainly take time.”
He states that we have two groups in the Parliament of the Federation.
“One is the Eight plus the HDZ, with the fact that we and the HDZ obviously do not see the same way in which the amendment of the Constitution of the Federation should go. It is quite logical that these meetings were separated by them. The other group is currently in the opposition in the Parliament of the Federation, no and in power because there is still a current Government of the Federation led by SDA with DF, so they decided to invite them to a meeting tomorrow and hear their thoughts. This is a complex process because it requires a two-thirds majority in the PFBiH, the House of Representatives and a qualified majority in clubs of the people and in the House of People in general.”
Mašić emphasizes that the least important thing is what the HDZ or any other political entity wants.
“What is important here is what the citizens need. The biggest problem is that we have an absolutely sluggish, dysfunctional system. We, as SDP, want to see Bosnia and Herzegovina without entities, without cantons, one man, one vote, etc. However, on the other hand, we have to ask the question d but in today’s political circumstances it is a realistic proposition. It is realistic for us, but can it see the light of day in some tentative time ahead of us which is short-term, difficult. We are always fighting between what is unfortunately the lesser evil in this country. We as SDP will be constructive in this process, we will try our best to make the future solution an improvement over the current situation. Unfortunately, we are witnessing that even the proposals coming from the international community like Mr. Schmidt and his imposition of constitutional amendments and changes to the Electoral Law on election night, it was absolutely not in favor of improving conditions and relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Instead of leading us into the 21st century and the EU, his proposal takes us back to the Middle Ages.”
He says that when the high representative imposes something, whatever it is, whether we like it or not, we cannot influence it.
“There is no political entity that has not accepted the reality called the bad amendments imposed by Mr. Schmidt. The alternative is for us all to withdraw. We did not sit down and talk because we obviously have a diametrically opposed view of the processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The High Representative can at any time impose whatever he wants. The biggest damage to the FBiH is for Mr. Novalić and his truncated Government to remain for the next four years. This can be solved in two ways – for Lendo to recognize the parliamentary majority as existing and for the one who complicated and uncomplicated all this, and that is Schmidt. We all thought he was helping the HDZ, but in the end he protected the SDA. As far as we’re concerned, it would be best if he just withdrew the segment of political changes and returned to the state of the election night.”
Mašić believes that in the FBiH there is currently a classic struggle for bare survival in power.
“At least when it comes to the block led by the SDA. Let’s wait and see what happens. Schmidt is so unpredictable that I don’t think any person in BiH can say with certainty if, when and what he will impose.”
