OPEN LETTER TO MIROSLAV LAJCAK, HIGH REPRESENTATIV IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

National Congress of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina ONLINE NEWSLETTER - International No. 486 September 4, 2007 http://republic-bosnia-herzegovina.com/ CONTENT 1. Office of High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina does not inform Bosnian people about developments regarding Police Reform ──────────── ──────────── 1. High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina does not inform Bosnian people about developments regarding Police Reform Dear Mr. Lajcak, I am writing this request on behalf of the National Congress of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an organization of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the United States. I am writing to request the public release of the details of your proposal for police reform that has been presented to the leaders of the political parties. As all citizens of BiH, we are directly affected by this crucial issue, and are concerned by the lack of information that is available on the current state of the process. The secrecy is undemocratic, and it actually retards progress, because it allows the politicians to push their personal agendas, which are often in discord with the public desire to move forward constructively. The recent headlines detailing the refusal by Mr. Tihic and Mr. Silajdzic to accept Mr. Lajcak's proposal illustrate our point. Mr. Tihic and Mr. Silajdzic publicly stated that the proposal preserves the current police structure, and represents a complete reversal of all three principles put forth by the Venice Commission, and the European Commission. This accusation that OHR's proposals are the opposite of your stated good intentions is a challenge to the credibility of your office, and thus impacts your duties and effectiveness adversely in the short and long term. On the other hand, your own public response to Mr. Tihic and Mr. Silajdzic does not represent a proper defense against these specific accusations, because it does not specify the mechanisms within the proposal which uphold the three principles. Keeping the proposal secret creates such problems and ferments distrust for the process of reform, and for the OHR. Making the proposal available for public inspection would provide transparency that is needed to restore trust, and to make the politicians answerable for their stance on this issue. The people have shown a willingness to move forward through compromise, but without full information, they are susceptible to manipulation and fear-mongering from their politicians. Information would reverse the roles - it would enable the people to decide on the issue, and force the politicians to respond accordingly. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for the OHR to release the details of the proposal to the public, both in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Europe. The OHR can do this through its official media channels, or directly to citizens' groups such as ours. Sincerely, Muhamed Borogovac