Bosnian and Herzegovinian (BiH) bureaucracy, or the cumbersome state apparatus at all levels of government, has been fertile ground for political trading, nepotism, and corruption for years. It’s a condition that needs addressing in the process of joining the European Union (EU). However, in the Una-Sana Canton (USC), the opposite is happening. The Assembly has passed a law allowing each of the nine ministers to have an unlimited number of advisors.
The initial idea of dividing the existing nine ministries in this canton and supplementing them with three more was abandoned with the arrival of a new government with new needs. And new needs mean a new law: ministers in the USC now have the right to an unlimited number of advisors.
This idea has met strong opposition from the ranks of the opposition. According to Nisvet Jusic, a representative of the SBiH party in the USC Assembly, the government could pay a high price for such decisions. The end justifies the means, and in this case, it’s around five thousand BAM per month – per advisor.
“There is absolutely no need for this – neither in terms of work, nor functionally, nor politically. We believe that the aim is to stabilize the existing majority by providing lucrative jobs to all those dissatisfied individuals who feel they should hold certain political positions but are actually unlikely to do anything,” says Jusic.
However, the government’s position is that trusted individuals are needed, and there’s no room for speculation about cronyism.
“There is a need to be able to hire people who will be trusted and supportive – both in terms of expertise and any other assistance. The fact that nobody has been appointed up to this point shows that it’s not about the parliamentary majority wanting to engage in cronyism or place a column of people in those ministries,” says Jasmin Music, a representative of the SDA party in the USC Assembly.
Photo: illustration
