In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the government has recently changed at almost all levels. Politicians who now have positionsused to announce changes from the opposition benches. However, considering that they have been in those benches for too long, it seems that they have not yet become well acquainted with the function and responsibilities of the government.
No matter how strange it sounds to a logically thinking brain, the ruling party in BiH, namely its vice-president Benjamina Karic, organized large protests in Sarajevo. Against whom are they organizing protests? Declaratively – against violence, but fundamentally – against themselves, because the point of the protest is for society to rebel against the situation in the country. The government’s function in this can only be to work to change that situation.
Those who can solve at least part of the problems we have in BiH and which are repeated again and again, on Monday stood at the head of the protest march. Member of the BiH Presidency Denis Becirovic, Federal Minister of Police Ramo Isak, Mayor of Sarajevo Benjamina Karic. These are all people who have the power to make change, even in a party, and change is not a walk around town.
Instead of calling for responsibility, did any of those present in their party clearly fight against violence and advocate responsibility in their ranks? Have they proposed laws aimed at improving workers’ rights? Did they initiate the inclusion of femicide in the criminal law in the parliament? Where are the traffic regulations that would make Sarajevo a safer city for pedestrians and drivers? Where are the police body cameras?
A few days ago, Minister Ramo Isak announced the fight against criminals and what delighted many – he announced the prosecution of people who supported the murderer. However, a few days later, out of all that, we received only one false news that there were arrests, but there were no visible steps. On social networks, you will still see a lot of criminals who become role models in society, a lot of cyberbullying that the victims cannot stop on their own, drawing targets on their foreheads, and bullying individuals. The job of the Federal Police Administration is to take care of all that.
The government that used to announce changes from the opposition bench now has to work intensively on them – on a healthier society, better laws, protection of the most vulnerable, and strengthening of the police that will not be afraid of criminals.
Unfortunately, we didn’t see any of that either on Monday or in previous years. If politicians do not know how to start with changes, given that they are using methods that are reserved for the opposition, here is one suggestion to begin with.
The draft law on protection against domestic violence is a quality solution that is currently in the parliamentary procedure, but the will of the coalition partners is needed for adoption. The pressure that this solution, which would improve the system of protection against domestic violence, can also be made by those who walked at the protests on Monday.
