Zagreb, (IKA) – It is a moral obligation for citizen voters originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure voting rights for themselves, register to vote, become acquainted with the human qualities and professional abilities of the candidates, go to the polls and vote for those candidates who want to and can make the situation in that country better, and make the position of the Croatian nation equal before the law to that of the other two nations, according to the appeal prepared regarding the general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Justice and Peace Commissions of the Croatian Conference of Bishops and the Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was presented at the Secretariat of the Croatian Conference of Bishops in Zagreb on July 2. The participants in the presentation were the representatives of the two Justice and Peace Commissions, Bishop Vlado Košić of Sisak and Auxiliary Bishop Pero Sudar of Sarajevo, and the secretaries of the two commissions, Dr. Gordan Črpić and Dr. Darko Tomašević.
The appeal was presented by Dr. Črpić, who stated at the beginning that a silent drama is taking place for the survival of the Croatian nation as a political subject, which could have far-reaching consequences not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina but also for Croats in Croatia and for other nations in this part of Europe. If Croatian political subjectivity in Bosnia and Herzegovina is lost, that country will not be able to survive. Since little people and powerless nations are being used to further the interests of the great and powerful, there is little likelihood that the collapse of this country could occur peacefully, without warfare, states the appeal. Therefore, the two commissions urge Croats originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina who have left their homeland for any reason whatsoever to register to vote in the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They also urge all who could help them in this undertaking to do so, including the state institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the Republic of Croatia via associations of citizens that gather Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Church institutions and parishes in which there are Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the first part of the document, there is an analysis of the political and social situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the second part, the commissions suggest some “necessary steps that individual institutions, as well as the people themselves, Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina who live in Croatia and other countries outside Bosnia and Herzegovina, should undertake in order to achieve the political awakening of the Croatian nation and the survival of Croatian political and national subjectivity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” In the analysis of the situation, it is particularly emphasized that the Croatian political scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina is tragically fragmented and undermined by partisanship as well as the promotion of self-interests by individuals as opposed to the common good of the citizens and nation. However, despite dangers, the appeal urges Croats to contribute to responsible decision-making concerning their fate, since otherwise they risk having others decide about them without their participation. Furthermore, the appeal criticizes the Dayton Agreement, stating that it “requires superhuman efforts from the people and nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina to maintain that which is unsustainable, and actually makes natural dialogue and finding good rational solutions for the nations and concrete people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and from Bosnia and Herzegovina impossible.” Therefore, a change in it is sought, in order to achieve “equality under the law of all the constituent nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the highest standards of human rights.” The appeal also points out that the Croatian state institutions have adopted a series of legislative acts, such as the Act on the Permanent and Temporary Residence of Citizens or the newest amendments to the Constitution, in which Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina who also have Croatian citizenship are actually relegated to second-class citizenship by the Croatian state, which is humiliating and confusing for ordinary people who cannot help but feel fear and discomfort. The appeal also notes the lack of any kind of policy, least of all a clear one, by the Croatian political elite toward Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the continuation of the document, particular note is made of the exceptionally complex administrative-ethnic divisions and voting procedures in Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially regarding voting by refugees from B&H. In this connection, the observation is made in the appeal that the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina should make it possible for these people to feel welcome in their homeland by allowing them to obtain certificates of citizenship, identity cards and passports in as simple a manner as possible, and not in a complicated manner, without interfering with their acquired rights in other countries. The analysis of the situation concludes with the observation that the international community and European political, diplomatic and economic structures want a positive atmosphere to be created for the actual involvement by Croats in the political life of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This should be used for the good of not only the Croatian nation in Bosnia and Herzegovina but also for the good of all the three constituent nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as for the surrounding countries, according to the document.
In the second part of the document, the two commissions urge all individuals, institutions and NGOs, especially clubs and associations of Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, to become involved in and contribute to achieving the highest possible voter turnout in the elections. Citizens with the right to vote in Bosnia and Herzegovina who live outside the borders of their native country are reminded that they can vote by mail. The Croatian authorities in the Republic of Croatia are urged to provide a clear and unambiguous guarantee at all levels to the Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina that their registering to vote in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as their legitimately acquired documentation from Bosnia and Herzegovina, will not have negative repercussions for them, that their acquired rights in the Republic of Croatia will not be revoked and that they will not be subjected to any injustices or illegalities in Croatia due to their dual citizenship. Pastors, especially those whose parishes include many Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, are urged to provide all possible assistance to these people, in order for them to register for voting in the elections. The commissions also call citizens’ associations that assemble Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina to action, asking its members to volunteer in spreading information and collecting the documents necessary for registering to vote. At the end of the appeal, public figures from Bosnia and Herzegovina are urged not to conceal their original homeland but instead to set a public example that they are prepared to stand up responsibly for a better and more just system and advancement of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are inseparable from the survival of Croatian political and national subjectivity in that country.
Bosnia and Herzegovina can and must become a country of all its citizens and nations. It will be if and when each of us does what can and must be done. The elections are a beginning and an opportunity but also an obligation that each responsible person must assume, according to the Appeal to Prepare for the General Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina presented at the Secretariat of the CCB in Zagreb.