Mr. Kojović, what is the attitude of Our Party (Naša Stranka) regarding the referendum in Republika Srpska?
PredragKojović: The institution of referendum is entirely legal and democratic, but the question that this referendum poses is unconstitutional and contrary to legal practice of democratic countries because the question set by this referendum has already been answered by the Constitutional Court of BiH. Therefore, referendum on that question in the RS is unconstitutional and represents gross violation of the legal order. Apart from that, although that is not something that we as a party advocate for, our system contains mechanisms for protection of vital interests that are supposed to prevent ethnic majority from imposing decisions that violate certain collective rights of other ethnic groups. Referendum does not acknowledge that kind of protection and introduction of a referendum as a way to bypass these mechanisms is contrary to the principles of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
How would you comment on the reaction by the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) to this referendum?
Predrag Kojović: That party is a constant in the state leadership and government and thereby it is the most responsible actor for current political and economic situation in the country. In this concrete case, their reaction is absurd and if BiH were not a fragile, post-war country it would be tragicomical, because precisely SDA is the party that refuses to implement some very important decisions by this same court whose decision the RS is violating. Hence, SDA behaves just like Dodik wherever it can. Some of those decisions are very important, for example the one that refers to the constituency of all nations in FBiH. They refuse to appoint people of other nationalities as co-chairmen of some cantonal assemblies although delegates from that ethnic group are occupying delegate seats and that situation has been going on since the adjudication by the Constitutional Court in 2000. That is just one example out of many examples of unexecuted verdicts in FBiH and such behavior of FBiH authorities has significantly contributed to the derogation of the institution of the Constitutional Court of BiH. I will not even speak about the damage that the SDA causes in the judiciary system when they appoint their chosen delegate as the Judge of the Constitutional Court.
There are some indications that Bakir Izetbegović and Milorad Dodik have already agreed upon the outcome of the referendum, all with the aim of raising tensions prior to elections. What do you think about this?
Predrag Kojović: I have no proof of something like that. Although, when you ask yourself a simple question: who are the people to whom this dark and threatening atmosphere suits, this atmosphere that leads to ethnic corraling just before the local elections, three names come up to your mind: Dodik, Izetbegović and Čović. If this is all staged, they are the only ones who have a motive to do something like this.
Do you think that the sequence of events regarding the referendum in the RS is just a pre-election game?
Predrag Kojović: That is irrelevant, whether it is a game play or not. Consequences for mental state of the citizens of BiH are same in both cases. There is no good nationalism. That kind of thinking always leads towards the same goal. People first separate according to ethnic or religious principles, then the other ones are dehumanized in the media, and then they are being persecuted and killed. In the simplest terms, nationalism is the industry of hate.
Interview by Zejna SY
