The ski center Igrišta near Vlasenica, which opened at the end of August, was promoted as a significant contribution to tourism development in the region. However, part of the opposition criticized the investment of 36 million marks, viewing it as irrational spending of public funds. This was also the topic of RTRS’s show “Drugi ugao”.
The mayor of East Ilidža, Marinko Božović, stated during the show that it was “pure madness” to invest such a large amount of money in a location below 1,500 meters above sea level.
- “What interests me is whether a serious study and analysis were conducted before someone decided to invest this money, whether it proved that this was a justified investment, when it will pay off, and what effects it will have besides the manipulated ones,” emphasized Božović.
Elek’s response
The president of the Supervisory Board of the Olympic Center Jahorina, Nedeljko Elek, responded that there are 50 ski resorts in Italy and Austria at similar altitudes. He also pointed out that the investment did not involve budget funds but rather loans from foreign banks.
- “The government provided guarantees, and based on those guarantees, we approached commercial banks. Božović, commercial banks gave us this money. To obtain these loans, we had to present feasibility and justification studies. OC Jahorina and the Igrišta Ski Center were financed by foreign banks,” emphasized Elek.
Elek questioned why opposition leaders frequently visit Jahorina if they claim it is poorly managed.
- “According to the opposition, we allegedly stole 210 million out of 200 million invested, as you often hear in assembly debates. Yet, the mayor of Banja Luka, Draško Stanivuković, is already on Jahorina, and I often see Borislav Borenović and Igor Crnadak there. Why do you come if nothing is good?” asked Elek.
Economic competition with the Federation
Božović countered by highlighting that eastern Republika Srpska is losing economic ground compared to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- “We are losing the race with FBiH, and we feel it most in East Sarajevo. Our people go to work in federal Sarajevo because salaries there are twice as high as ours,” said Božović.
