Former President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Dragan Kalinić has called for the adoption of a new constitution that would restore the constitutional rights and powers originally recognized to Republika Srpska under the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Srna news agency’s podcast, Kalinić said the conditions were now in place to adopt a new constitution reflecting Republika Srpska’s original constitutional position.
“Everything that was recognized to us under the Dayton Agreement at the moment it was signed should once again be included in the new constitution,” Kalinić stated.
He argued that interventions by successive High Representatives had significantly altered the Constitution of Republika Srpska, leaving its current text substantially different from the original document adopted on February 28, 1992.
Kalinić proposes Banja Luka as capital and Pale as historic seat
Kalinić discussed an initiative by the Association of the Creators of Republika Srpska, of which he is a member, proposing that Banja Luka be formally designated as the capital city of Republika Srpska, while Pale would receive the status of a historic capital.
He said Banja Luka deserved recognition because of its importance as a major administrative and economic center.
Regarding Pale, Kalinić emphasized the municipality’s historical significance, noting that key political and military decisions concerning Republika Srpska were made there during the war.
“Pale deserves this because of its history and sacrifices. Why shouldn’t we have both a historic capital and a capital city, thereby demonstrating that we are a modern state?” Kalinić asked.
Reform of Council of Peoples needed to improve efficiency
Addressing the functioning of Republika Srpska’s institutions, Kalinić argued that the Council of Peoples frequently slows the adoption of legislation and other decisions.
He suggested that alternative models for organizing the institution should be considered to improve its efficiency.
However, he emphasized that protecting the vital national interests of the three constituent peoples must remain a central responsibility of the Council.
“What was established with the best intentions of protecting the interests of all three peoples has become an obstacle and something contrary to the interests of all three,” Kalinić said.
He called for a solution that would preserve constitutional protections while allowing institutions to make decisions more efficiently.
Stronger economic foundations and closer ties with Serbia
Kalinić described Republika Srpska as a free and democratic community with considerable human and material resources.
He argued that more effective use of those resources could strengthen economic self-sufficiency and create better conditions for future development.
“A state that exists only on paper, within certain constitutional forms, is not truly a state if it lacks economic strength,” Kalinić emphasized.
He also described his vision of Republika Srpska as a state of the Serb people aspiring toward eventual unification with Serbia, while acknowledging that the manner and circumstances of such a development remain uncertain.
Kalinić maintained that strengthening Republika Srpska was not directed against any people in BiH.
He said peaceful coexistence with the Federation of BiH was possible, while emphasizing that Republika Srpska should maintain and strengthen its relationship with Serbia, which he described as an important source of support.
“What we created was not intended to provide us with comfortable lives, but to serve our children and the generations who will continue living in this country and who should regard Republika Srpska as their own, as a legacy left to them by their fathers,” he said.
Younger generations should learn more about Republika Srpska’s history
Kalinić also called for greater attention to the historical circumstances surrounding the establishment of Republika Srpska within the education system.
He argued that younger generations should have a clearer understanding of its creation and subsequent institutional development.
“Our younger generation needs to know how all of this came into being and that it did not emerge from a rebellion by Serb insurgents in forests and fields, but as a powerful act of a politically mature people, aware of their strength and their desire for freedom and equality with other peoples in this region,” Kalinić concluded.
Source: RTRS
