The SDA State is Being Created Here

VREME: Of the five presidency members who distanced themselves from religious manipulation of the army, two have left the country. Everything has calmed down, but the question remains whether they achieved anything?

TOKIC: "The public in Sarajevo and most opposition organizations which have been coordinating their activities as of recently and are more organized. have forced out a reaction from some presidency members who expressed their disagreement with ideological indoctrination of the Bosnia-Herzegovina army and police and the instrumentalization of religion. I didn't expect them to choose principled political fighting with an uncertain outcome over functions and privileges. What is significant is that an effect has been achieved which will allow the domestic and foreign public to clearly differentiate between the civil political concept and SDA policies, and support for a wholesome Bosnia-Herzegovina and support for the ruling SDA and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) structures."

VREME: What can the opposition do or achieve in a situation when the state is identified with the ruling party?

TOKIC: " An anti-war mood is gaining strength in all of Bosnia-Herzegovina, no matter who controls the territory. People on all sides feel cheated and manipulated. It's becoming obvious that many leadership members of the (once in coalition) SDA, Serb Democratic Party (SDS) and HDZ have used the war to get rich. The people who are leading the war, as a rule, have no family members among the troops. Their children are safely studying, working or getting rich abroad while their generation is bleeding and starving. If they are still in the country then they have been earmarked for safe, attractive leadership positions. That's the cause of the overall dissatisfaction and the opposition has the historic task of articulating that mood in a way that will enable peace as soon as possible as well as tolerance among nations, and turning the citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina from destruction towards European trends of economic prosperity and democracy."

VREME: It seems inter-party agreements are being finalized on the fate of divided Sarajevo. Despite the international protectorate, even some opposition parties are exhilarated about the possible formation of Croat local councils. Is that the end of multi-ethnic Sarajevo?

TOKIC: "Sarajevo was not accidentally chosen as the target of siege and slow killing. As the symbol of multi-confessionality and multi-national tolerance, like Vukovar or Mostar before it. Sarajevans have paid and are paying a high price for not agreeing to national exclusivity and some forms of fascism. Besides that, the city personifies Bosnia's statehood and as such it bothers nationalists and opponents of the wholesome Bosnia-Herzegovina who are trying to destroy and divide it. The SDS did it with hundreds of thousands of missiles, the SDA brought in rural populations and provincialized the city and the HDZ openly wants a division. It's sad that they have the support of the Liberal party in their demand, whose leadership excluded itself from the opposition coordination and seems to have decided to change its policies. What is important is that the need of the population to oppose these attacks seems still to be stronger than their agreement."