"Democracy and Human Rights in Multiethnic Societies"
9-13, July, 2007
Konjic, B&H
Mister Mayor,
Ladies and gentlemen, participants and organizers of the international seminar
Democracy and human rights in multiethnic societies are the centre of attention, not just for these societies, but also in communities which did not have historical chances or possibilities to develop as multiethnic communities. Experiences shared in different ways in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 pertaining to the respect of human rights and freedoms show that the idea of a border is always the centre of our interest and that within this, the idea of transborder links of same or similar communities. It is noticeable that in Europe and the world, there is a tendency for Southeast Europe to be treated as an isolated, closed community, despite all internal differences. It is a fact that toward the end of 20th century a large number of barricades was erected, by “both sides”, barricades made out of the same material as the Berlin Wall, this fact is becoming a thorn in the eye of everyone, including direct participants in the region and almost all peace and other type mediators from all over the world, for whom the Western Balkans became an area for confirmation of universal values, often lacking in the countries they come from. This is the reason why any attempt to determine the perspective for the next 20 years for this area is surrounded by global projects of European and Euro-Atlantic integrations and interests, while at the same time suitable program of trans-border cooperation has not been achieved nor the self-confrontation with challenges of close and distant neighbours.
That is why the issues of multiethnic society and ethnic communities are approached by trying to open the process of re-identification of identity through historical perspective and stereotypes due to which the terms democracy and human rights were often excluded and in the name of “the holly past”.
Most commonly mentioned term in discussion to follow during our seminar is Balkans, which is the centre of interest and re-discovery, both by its inhabitants and by international explorers. This Euro-Mediterranean community of ours is stuck in the post-war period between the protection of universal human rights and freedoms and pragmatic interests of local authorities and world’s contact group who often seem to forget that they each represent, in their different ways, the same human community.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is founded on multi-cultural structure of BH society and therefore it is necessary to open the issue in our country, as well as in neighbouring countries of what is the possible free choice of a citizen in the building of the civil society and modern communities, when there isn’t a clear position of the citizen compared to the local legislative, executive and judicial authority, nor there is one between the citizen and the international authority in BiH. The only clear thing in both cases is the weakness of the citizens and civil society, except in cases when different organizations of civil society are in the function of misleading the citizens through programs which equalize all the actors on the political and public scene in BiH and in the interest of local or international sponsors.
Especially when the constitutions in significant number of countries in our neighbourhood were written and adopted under the circumstances in which in the communities themselves others and different are not allowed, but own ethnic group is favoured, and other communities are recognized only under pressure of European standards of civil societies. In the region, the right of minority nor the right of civic community are accepted rights, best example of which is the politics of local and international authorities called “minority return”, as well as totally legally undetermined and practice usable rights of the minority representatives.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not give their opinion in any form on the Annex 4 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, titled The Constitution of BiH. So, beside the fact that citizens of BiH were not in Dayton, nor in Paris and that their civic rights ere suspended in accordance with good intentions to stop the war and control the peace and “organize democracy” and reduce human rights and freedoms in the interest of regional stability, the conspiracy of silence continues until the last cry of the citizen.
This is where the abstinence of citizens during the elections comes from as well as giving up on the active action in the country where the rule of law can not exist as majority of these laws were passed by the decision of the High Representative during the last decade, and the beginning of the new millennium and 10 months time after the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a guarantee for readiness for reforms and giving a chance to civic alternative.
Parliamentary democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not set up in a way that it makes it possible to talk about the responsibility of legislative or any other authority. In our, BH case, process of finding truth and acquiring justice, still do not mean that we have created the foundation for building trust and reconciliation in providing for social peace, stability and security of citizens, as truth and justice are interpreted within own ethnic communities in a way it suits political elite who maintain status quo and their “respectable” families in prosperity of government and citizens in misery. Hence, in typically European and Mediterranean country as it is Bosnia and Herzegovina the civic issue is not an issue of origin but of way of life. Experience teaches us that mutual understanding is possible in the place where diversity is recognized, where different interpretations and communications as well as mutual appreciation have the open approach through so needed dialog, and that is the main base for civic position acting and for civic oppositions. Nowadays, for this reason it is hard to define what is the civic position and what is political opposition at BiH political stage, just because of the fact that ones who doesn’t want any changes actually have the political and ethnical maps in their hands.
The idea of civic Bosnia and Herzegovina leads to abolition of those prejudices which prevent coexistence. Thereby, it is essentially important to make a new Constitution for a civic BiH, which will create conditions for the legal community of the free and equal society members. It is impossible to continue with the talk about democracy and human rights in the country in which the Constitution has implemented discrimination. Debate on constitution modification is possible only if the there is a acceptance of the fact that BiH Parliament guarantees public contentions about constitution reforms, in which all interested citizens, political parties, scholar institutions as well as the whole interested publicity take their part in this debate, in order to not just accept the rights of all citizens, nations and representatives of national minorities on new constitution creating, but to create a motivation for participation in political, social and public life, which would guarantees a new, modern and mobile society, and which institutions are democratic and which governance leads a society in behalf of citizens for their best interests.
Hence it is necessary to find a civic alternative for the new life atmosphere in open and modern societies and countries, which will specially take care about society needs at local level, having in mind that 50 years ago, on the first conference of local authorities in Council of Europe was accentuated the role of local society in accomplishing the central interests of citizens.
In behalf of International centre for Peace I would like to express my pleasure to have a chance to welcome all participants of the International seminar, who will give their best to answer on questions of development, and always having in mind the fact that no one of us live in ideal conditions and countries, and that on different levels the civil rights are stricken.
It is an art to be an actor of conflict prevention through intercultural and inter religious dialog and it is an art solving the conflicts as well as it is an art to live in post conflict societies.
Ibrahim Spahić