The political campaign is in full swing and therefore elected and appointed political officials are ready to use their political power to convince citizens that they are working for their interests. An example of the allocation of one-time aid to the most endangered in Republika Srpska (RS) is the populism we have been watching for years, analysts say. It is devastating that they still manage to buy votes, which is more expensive this year due to inflation, so they are bidding with 100, and not 20, 30, or 50 BAM as in previous years.
Namely, the election campaign cannot pass without election promises. That is how Milorad Dodik was among the first to go on the offensive. He promises one-time help to young people, fighters, and pensioners. From firewood, and winter clothes to school supplies, until the end of the year. He will provide a one-time aid for fighters and young people, which will cost RS 50 million BAM of budget money. Thus, citizens are rewarded with their own money. Earlier they got 30 or 50 BAM, this year it is 100 BAM.
“The explanation for all this is to provide pensioners and fighters with the ability to solve problems related to winter preserves and payment of certain bills, and young people since they are aged 18 to 30, that those who study can fully purchase new textbooks for next school year, “ noted SNSD President Milorad Dodik.
According to analysts, all this is a populism that we have been used to for years. All with a dose of cynicism. First of all, because taxpayers’ money is offered by a man who is not in a position, that is, the executive branch, to decide on it.
“Cynicism is also through the fact that the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have been under great pressure of inflationary shock, price increase, we have seen that the political elites have done nothing, and now, on the eve of the elections, they are being offered their money and it should be seen as one a kind of reward or political gift, “ stressed political analyst Tanja Topic.
And that is the set line along which the political campaign will take place, is the position of the analysts. It all came down to the buying and selling relationship between political parties and voters, and that is exactly the picture of the level of consciousness in BiH. A good part of the citizens will applaud the politicians for their moves and see it as a gift, and not their money which they gave through taxes. That is why it has been a practice for years that a vote is worth 100 BAM, but also much less.
And everything would be different if the citizens were not hungry, disempowered, and impoverished, sociologists said. In the stat, as it is, despite the manipulations, the citizens cannot become aware and understand that the only thing that matters to politicians is buying votes. As they say is civilizational devastating that it has become a domestic practice, but they point out that for many citizens, those 100 BAM are the straw of salvation.
“It is not accidental, that is, politics does not do it intelligently, they are not smart people, but they are immoral and instinctive, they reflexively do just that, they starve them to lower the price of their vote and that is why they will buy for 100 BAM, and this amount of 100 BAM is used because of inflation, “ toldsociologist Esad Bajtal.
The political campaign is in full swing, so in the upcoming period, we can expect other similar ideas, under the slogan of helping citizens. And we can only hope that the citizens will use their vote in the best way, at least the part that cannot be bought if it remains inside the BiH border until the elections.
