The academic community, students, veterans, and local authorities in East Sarajevo are ready to go to the referendum and loudly declare that they are the masters of their own destiny, and not allow Christian Schmidt, the unconstitutional BiH judiciary, or the Central Election Commission to decide on the future of Republika Srpska. They are waiting for the National Assembly to make a decision on the referendum and define the referendum question. There is no doubt that the citizens of the Sarajevo-Romanija region will turn out in large numbers to support the institutions of the Republic.
Even during its creation, in its defense with great sacrifices, and later in the most difficult moments of the Dayton exodus, Sarajevo Serbs stood by Republika Srpska. Today, they have no doubt that in the upcoming referendum they must say NO to the foreign protector and the distorted BiH judiciary, both of which are targeting the institution of the president of the Republic.
“We know the price our people paid for Republika Srpska, and if our voice is the measure—through the referendum—we will do it. The institution of the president of Republika Srpska was created here, and we know how much it is worth,” said the mayor of East Sarajevo, Ljubiša Ćosić.
Demobilized veterans of East New Sarajevo say that “the line has been crossed.” United, Christian Schmidt, the unconstitutional Court and Prosecutor’s Office of BiH, and the Central Election Commission are devaluing the will of the Serb majority and removing the president of the Republic from the political scene. The referendum is the opportunity to clearly say: “Enough, we will not accept this.”
“We expect the National Assembly to decide whether there will be a referendum or not. Talking to ordinary people, to demobilized fighters, the prevailing opinion is that we should go to the referendum and give our support. That is also my personal opinion, even though the Veterans’ Organization of East New Sarajevo has not yet discussed it,” said Dragiša Tuševljak, president of the local veterans’ organization.
The academic community in East Sarajevo is aware that Republika Srpska has not faced a more difficult situation since the end of the war, due to Schmidt’s open attacks on its survival. Students, as the segment of society that will take responsibility for Srpska in the future, say that by going to the referendum, they are sending the message that they want to decide about their own destiny.
“When it comes to the announced referendum, I believe that all of us in Republika Srpska—all who love it—must respond and participate, to support Srpska and its institutions. What this so-called official is doing is questioning the very survival of Republika Srpska. It is the duty of everyone in Republika Srpska, and the academic community will give its maximum contribution to preserving Srpska,” said Milan Kulić, rector of the University of East Sarajevo.
Milan Savić, a student at the Faculty of Economics of the University of East Sarajevo and vice president of the Union of Students of Republika Srpska, called on his colleagues, students, young people, and all citizens of Republika Srpska to respond to the referendum that will be called by the National Assembly.
“Our stance on this issue is clear. We want to choose our own representatives, and we must not allow anyone from outside to determine the destiny of Serbs in Republika Srpska,” Savić emphasized.
East Sarajevo is an open city full of tourists, where many foreign workers live, as well as citizens from the Federation’s Sarajevo, who often have a much better opinion of Republika Srpska than Bosniak politicians and certain diplomats.
“I come to Republika Srpska, it’s good, good people, good guys, Dodik is good, he works properly for this country, a good president,” said Tarik Hasanpašić, a resident of Sarajevo.
These are the days when the fate of the Serbs and Republika Srpska for decades to come is being decided—the moments when we show that we are worthy of those who created Srpska and sacrificed themselves for it, was the message from East Sarajevo ahead of the announced referendum.
Source: RTRS
