Imprisoning activists

Even though I firmly believe that words lead to thoughts, thoughts into actions, I have yet to meet a person who should be imprisoned for speaking. Having said that, I have met many that I would have followed by ‘special forces of intellectuals’, after all, hate speech is a way to identify the good from the bad. Engaging in a conversation with the ‘bad’ is far more important than with the good, or the people that you do agree with. When you put the ‘bad’ in prison, very often the prison is like a platform. That’s not what I would do. ‘Haters’ should not be given a platform, they should be given their own medicine; talk! However, this talking isn’t quite so simple, or it is too simple for real intellectuals to handle. Intellectuals often go into rational arguments, hoping that one story shows the point, whereas ‘haters’ are often much more simple, they know the masses are better at understanding the tone of voice and short, simple sentences. This lack of intellectualism is something they use to their advantage, because they know they just need to appear smart. Real smart should be able to beat this very easily, however it does take some practice. It is kind of like a mathematician is less likely to make a mistake on a complex calculation and more likely to make a mistake on a simple calculation. I.e. pay attention to the little, simple points and reply equally simply.

Brexit – ‘austerity measures will be imposed on the UK’ – reply should be in short, simple sentences, delivered confidently, and in this order: 1. Something about the statement (correct, correct to some extent, incorrect, lie, fabricated), 2. The most powerful reason (simple, short, honest), 3. Statement that there are many other reasons, if that is true, 4. What should be known about the ‘austerity’, again short, simple sentences.  What we did get were long speeches that left me wondering ‘am I sure I know what austerity means’. As a result, masses believe the statement. Now this is not exactly a statement of ‘haters’, but it fits the profile.

Let’s take for example: ‘Until Muslims came to my country (UK) we didn’t have such problems like FGM, forced marriages…’ Possible response might be: ‘That is a very hateful statement. Has domestic violence, abuse of human rights and abuse of women started only when Muslims came? I’m sure people know that these problems existed and exist in every country. Problems like this are not connected to religion or culture, they are on individual basis. As such, in the name of justice, we must persecute individuals. Punishing a whole group makes us unjust.’ Others will probably come up with an even more simple, yet powerful and educational response, but I’m only trying to show that it can be done, that the method used by ‘haters’ to get the attention of the masses, can be used by ‘intellectuals’ to also get the attention of the masses, and at least teach the ‘right way’ rather than inspire hate.

Let’s take the example of Turkey. I am honestly very confused by what is going on there. Military coup, in my opinion, is something very, very bad; I mean ‘hate’ multiplied by a million. I can also understand imprisoning all those who took direct part. However, those who inspired such a move, those who now praise the individuals that carried out the crime, in my opinion (and I might be wrong) should be free to speak, free to act just as they wish, but should be followed and argued with every step of the way. I have no doubt that this can be done. One of the most insane arguments that I have heard from Turkey is that the president himself organised the coup. I’m sorry, but that is so stupid on so many levels, a smart person would claim it only after a judge went through all the evidence and told them they have a case. Even then, I honestly think I would question the judge and ask for a second opinion before making such a claim public. However, they have made this claim and some people actually think this is a claim that deserves attention. Why? Well, I happen to believe it is because Turkish authorities do not consider it a claim worth their time (I believe this because I’ve spoken to a number of Turks and their reply was just laughter, brush-off, and such). I think this is wrong. Also, the mass imprisonment means that chances are that many innocent people will face charges they do not deserve to face. The guilty will be hiding behind those who are innocent. The simple fact is, the coup did happen, for a coup to happen it takes a lot of people, but justice cannot be achieved by mass persecutions. Much more wisdom is needed. I happen to think that Turkish authorities might be making some things worse just because they are not communicating with the masses in a way that those who organised the coup are.

I have reason to believe that people, generally speaking, really want justice, peace and truth. Some years ago I took part in smallest campaign ever. I call it: ‘just wait’. It was to do with mass media all over the world publishing articles about mass graves discovered in Bosnia and claiming that it was a mass graves of ‘Serbs killed during the war’. The ‘Just wait’ campaign was about asking the mass medina all over the world to wait for DNA analysis before they publish ‘who’ was discovered in the mass grave. The reason was that very often they publish this information too soon, then we get the results and it turns out they were all wrong, but the information had already gone out there. I think there were about 10 of us claiming that the mass media should wait, and about 10,000 claiming that everyone should just publish it was ‘Serbs’; or at least that’s how it felt. The fact is, it could be Serbs, but the chances that it is not Serbs is much greater, and we really feel, for the sake of justice, peace and equality, we should just wait for the DNA results. I was sure this message reached no one. However, recently another mass grave was discovered in Bosnia, and to my great astonishment, the mass media around the world did not claim that it was Serbs found in the mass grave. We seem to be waiting for the DNA results. Now, I don’t know if this has anything to do with our little, almost non-existent campaign, but we are pleased to see the change and we have at least a tiny reason to believe that perhaps we had something little to do with this, and it helps set the record straight. Now, if we assume that the ‘just wait’ campaign had something to do with the change, then it shows that when you have a simple, straightforward point, even a small number of people can get the message across and stop disinformation.

I know, for a fact, that there are many very smart, good people out there. I think the only thing they lack is knowing how to speak to the masses, yet we really need them to understand and learn this.

A bit of creativity 1

The most important relationship of all

Knowing me, knowing you

"Don't talk to yourself" they said. I wouldn't if the voices in my head would go silent. And I mean voices, plural. I have a Bosnian and a British girl living inside of me. I think Bosnian is the dominant one, but that's not to say that the British girl is oppressed. In fact, it seems that when someone does something stupid that makes me very angry, if the British girl gets a word in in the first 10 seconds, chances are she will calm the tempest that is the Bosnian girl and I might just deal with the situation calmly. However, if the British girl falls asleep and doesn't react in the first 10 seconds, chances are the Bosnian girl will act the only way she knows how - objects flying across the room, no sense of fear or even consequences. Then there are times when the British girl says to the Bosnian girl inside of me "You know what, you take this one." That's when I'm at my most dangerous. The Bosnian girl is like grateful for the trust that the British girl has show her, so she keeps the cool, but there is no sense of fear or consequences, and due to clarity of mind, she can argue her way to Judgement Day. 

Then, of course, there is the little girl. She comes to life at a sight of anything that takes me back to my childhood - "Oh my goodness, look! A seesaw!" And there is me, trying to fight off the excitement, hoping, praying it isn't visible. How would I explain it to anyone? She also has a habit of judging me after I've done something "Check you out telling that big dude off. He could have punched your lights out." I can hear her. She is loud. But can I talk back? Oh no! That would be talking to myself. Yet I really want to tell her "What do you mean 'he could have punched YOUR lights out'? You are me. He punches me, he punches you." Oh, well, now that I have said this to her, she's laughing and saying "Yeah, but it don't hurt me." She's right. It wouldn't hurt her, it would hurt me. So unfair. So many voices I carry inside, listening to them all day long, yet they don't feel the pain I feel. Clearly, though they are part of me, they are not me. They are not the whole of me. What is whole of me? Who 'is' me? 

Me is not a voice. Me is a feeling making it's way through all the other voices. Me is the source and life of the other voices. They get shaped by what I am feeling, and what I feel is a product of my experiences. I was hurt, so I grew... I was humbled, so I developed... I was rejected, so I created...

My voices are the part of me that lets me know that I have done better than survived, I have evolved. Sometimes they make no sense. Sometimes they are annoying. But they are always loyal. They are always honest. How could I not love me, when I have created voices of loyalty and honesty, to fight the battles of this life that we all face? While I battle with me, battles of life do not seem so bad. And isn’t that what life is all about? To be loyal and honest with yourself, to have courage when needed, to be patient otherwise, and to enjoy life, lough at yourself, make fun as if you were still a child.

Grenfell Tower protest 19.07.2017.

Protests for Grenfell tower 19th July 2017, 18:00h to 20:00h

Kensington and Chelsey Town Hall, London

Examining the Citizen Action

I got there about 10 minutes before 6PM. A crowd of a couple of hundred people had already gathered. Before I even joined the protest I was approached by two different groups: Socialist Party and Socialist Worker. I bought a newspaper from both groups, costing £1 each. I will write a separate blog on the comparison between the two, plus another newspaper that I also purchased at the protest, also £1, this one by Revolutionary Communist. In this blog, I want to talk about just the protest. 

The official programme started as promised at 6PM. We were told that the council will meet to talk about Grenfell Tower at 6:30PM. 

Various Trade Union leaders gave a speech and the crowd showed particular support to: ‘No Justice, No Peace’ and ‘Social Murder’. Other popular ideas included the rights and standard of living of the working class and government cuts.

Before too long, the programme was interrupted by voices from another group, gathered only meters away, same message, but different style – I’d say that the second group was a little bit more aggressive in their tone. The groups were clearly divided. On my observation, I’d say the second group was less organised; however, initially it seemed to have more supporters. The second group, as I will learn from the people, wanted an open mic and they had rappers, who wore masks.

The second group seemed to dissolve, while the first group continued with their programme. It seemed to be related to ‘survivors’ going into the Town Hall for the meeting. While I stood observing this movement, I was approached by woman representing Movement for Justice. No newspaper, but a little, free leaflet with basic information – will do a blog on the leaflets as well. It took some time for the whole second group to move and join the first group, but they eventually did, even the rappers performed at the first group’s mic. I couldn’t say with any certainty, but this move might have had something to do with media presence. From the very beginning, cameras were just everywhere. However, I doubt that anyone in that crowd did not spot the presence of Jon Snow from Channel 4 News. I didn’t see that Mr Snow paid much attention to the second group, I’d say he was quite clear on who he wanted to speak to and it was the first group. From what I had observed, I’d say the first group were the official organisers, while the second group kind of high jacked the meeting – I might be wrong, but this is how it seemed to me, and I was very pleased when the groups merged. 

The meeting in the Town Hall started and a big screen for live transmission was already in place in the square. Initially, the voices of the people at the protest and those at the Town Hall were merged and interfering with one another, and the group had once again been split – one part went to listen to the transmission of the Town Hall meeting, while the other remained listening to the ‘protestor’s mic’, which had gained a characteristics of ‘venting’, something I believe is vital when it comes to issues like the Grenfell Tower. 

The messages from the meeting in Town Hall were clear: Change is a must. Crowds unreservedly cheered the speaker in the Town Hall meeting. Messages he brought forward included: Divide between the rich and the poor must be worked on; does this council know what it is doing; new leader, old regime cannot bring changes; are the survivors being heard; we must change the way this borough operates; and, for me the most surprising message: Population of the borough is falling, we are exporting the poor to other boroughs, this ‘social cleansing’ must stop. 

Contrary to the wish of the people, Elizabeth was re-elected as the ‘leader of the council’. People were not pleased. However, if she keeps 50% of what she promised in her speech, I think people might get over it. First, I’d like to say that from my point of view, looking at her speech, she knew, without a doubt, that she’ll be re-elected – the speech was exceptionally prepared, but even more than that, she was prepared. 

She made it very clear that she was speaking to the people. In her speech, she asked for a chance. I remember watching her, trying to figure out if I admire her or detest her – her ‘lust for challenge’ is something great and we don’t get to see it very often, on the other hand her determination to remain in power was quite pathetic. She promised that there will be no if’s or but’s; survivors will get practical and personal support; demands of the people will be heard (I thought this was quite ironic coming from a woman that people clearly rejected, but let’s see); she will not hold back spending the reserves of the borough (which are, it seems, not all that great, since she will need the support of great many people and it will take at least five years); nothing will be built on the site of the Tower without the consent of the survivors; the culture of the borough will change “…so that you are also residents” – what kind of culture is currently present in the borough when there is a need for a change so that residents become residents? Over all, I’d say the main point she tried to bring across was that the borough will be less pompous and more inclusive – suddenly, five years is nowhere near enough time to bring this kind of change, but I wish her all the best and would certainly love to help in any way I can. She recognised the work of the community groups that ‘went above and beyond’, she spoke about working with the people, nurturing links, and she said ‘if you have humanity, you deserve respect’ – for me, this meant that many of the rich in the borough will lose respect now, but I doubt she meant that. 

In short, or in summary: 

1. Organisers need to do more on working together. I know this is a great challenge, but trust me, many are accomplishing it in much harder circumstances, so I believe you can accomplish it also. 

2. Organisers need to prioritise the needs of the ‘problem’ – I’ve seen big gatherings fall apart because the messages were mixed. ‘Grenfell Tower Disaster’ is the main message. Everything connected to that is priority. Since every gathering is different, there isn’t much that I can say in terms of advice for the future, you have to think about it yourself. But, yesterday, I think it would have been much better if both groups worked together, if there was an open mic (moderated: a volunteer or two collecting names of those who wish to speak, limiting time each person gets, and cutting off those who go off topic or speak for too long), if the programme was organised so that it took into account the meeting taking place at the Town Hall, and if there were not quite so many movements officially advertising themselves – I know unofficially cannot be prevented, but there is a big difference between official and unofficial advertisement at a protest. 

3. Politicians and various representatives of the people need to accept that social issues are not a means for a war between parties. Social issues need solutions not a war of wits between leaders of different persuasions. Lie I told one of the protestors: Elizabeth has been re-elected, that’s something we have to accept. If anyone told you it would be easy, they lied. Get over it! That is a fact for now. People can sense sincerity. Your devotion should be to the solution not to your party or some other belief. If, despite you honest and unadulterated sincerity you find that a solution can not be reached with the current set up, then you will find much greater support for changing the ‘set up’. In fact, I’ve found that common denominator in social movements across Britain is ‘sincerity’. People are longing for it. I.e. when it comes to this idea of common denominator, I will write more about it. It is just an idea at this time, but research so far shows that it might help greatly. 

4. The media and their role cannot be ignored. Yes, we have social media. Yes, we can spread our messages now better than ever. Yes, very often we find that information we get through unofficial media outlets is clearer and truer than the official media, but the presence of Jon Snow left an impact. The number of gatherings I have attended where one such person can just bring a new light into the meeting without saying a word makes me believe that the media must do more to recognise their role. 

5. Working with people! People working with people! Politicians understanding that they are people. People understanding that politicians are people… That’s what democracy is all about. We’ve become too busy, too annoyed, too this, too that to work with people. In some countries, Voluntary Sector is known as the Civil Society Sector (not that I support one name more than the other, but all the names combined help us further our understanding of the sector) which means that it is about the people. I do know what the sector is a ‘loose and baggy monster’, but I also know that we, the people, created it and therefore we must be able to understand it – it is OUR creation! It didn’t fall from the sky. I appreciate that many are looking for solutions in changing the system, I think we already have a good system, we just need to figure out a way to make all the elements work better. 

In the end, I wish the survivors all the best. I do know something about losing everything, even after escaping a war, struggling to build a new life, making a step forward, and then being take right back to zero. It is horrific. But, you will rebuild your life, rest assured that you will. The pain and fear you are facing now, will pass; I’m not saying you will forget it, you won’t, but going through that will make you stronger, you will find that you don’t scare quite so easily, and that will help you take bigger steps in life, some that you will cherish and some that you will regret. Isn’t that what life is all about? Your job now is to stay calm through this storm. Keep a clear head, or as clear as you can manage. 

And thanks to the police officers at the protest. Again a group that just cannot be ignored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeOKCzZix3E&feature=youtu.be&ac=

Remembering Srebrenica 11.07.2017. in London

11^th July 2017

London, Guildhall, event to mark the 22^nd anniversary since the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I’d like to thank Remembering Srebrenica organisation for their hard work and great humanity that they have shown. I consider myself very lucky to have ended up in the UK when we escaped the war in Bosnia and had nowhere to go, when we waited for fate to bring us to safety.

The event was very well organised in a beautiful venue. I will not mention all of the speakers, though I am extremely grateful to each and every one of them. It was an honour and a mark of respect for humanity that people such as Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth and Rt Hon. Nicola Stugeon attended this event in person.

Chair of Remembering Srebrenica, Dr Waqar Azmi reminded that we must celebrate diversity and always find new ways to value our differences. I agree with the sentiment wholeheartedly. It is only in diversity that we learn new ways of life, which lead us forward. I do understand that tolerance is sometimes a challenge, but I consider that a small price to pay for the rewards and joy that diversity brings.

...

Angelina Jolie sent a recorded message for the event. I believe I found her message the most heartfelt message I’ve heard in a long time. Those of you who know me, know that I have not always been complimentary of Angelina’s work, but that evening her message was flawless. It was just beautiful. Simple, from the heart, honest.

...

Bakira Hasecic, a survivor from Visegrad, president of Zene Zrtve Rata (Women Victims of War) spoke about supporting women survivors who were raped and tortured and who refuse to speak about their ordeal due to the way society will perceive them. She spoke about the importance of societies coming together to support such victims and not judge them, since rape is used as a weapon during a war. In the age when an American public figure openly says “They can’t prevent it, so they should just enjoy it” about rape, it is vital that every person stands up against rape. Enjoying it would be like suggesting that if we can’t avoid being hit on the head with a bat, we should just try to enjoy it. The idea is so pathetic and ridiculous that it is shocking anyone would say such a blasphemy publically. I am pleased that Rt Hon. Nicola Stugeon recognised that the work done by Bakira and her organisation is important for all women all over the world.

Munira Subasic, president of Majke Srebrenice (Mothers of Srebrenica) spoke about how justice has not been served, how the current Mayor of Srebrenica is refusing to accept that there was a genocide in Srebrenica. He even tried to organise an event praising Ratko Mladic as a national hero, same Ratko Mladic who is currently in the Hague War Crimes Tribunal charged with the genocide in Srebrenica among many other crimes against humanity. Munira spoke about her son and how she has so far found only two of his bones. The bones were discovered in two different mass graves which are 25km apart. She considers herself lucky to have found any bones at all, since there are many mothers who have died waiting for a confirmation that their child is dead. Munira said that Serbs in that part of Bosnia know where the mass graves are located but they refuse to share that knowledge even though it would bring much deserved peace to the survivors. We must look hard at why is that. Why would they refuse to share that information now?

From Bosnia, only Elmedin Konakovic came. Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina in London did not attend or even send a message to the gathering. I was horrifically embarrassed and ashamed. I wished I could scram that people of Bosnia are not like that; we do not expect that people of the UK should do all the work, while we just sit back and do nothing at all. I’d like to think that at least some of those who worked so hard know that we, people of Bosnia, are not like that. Bosnia is facing great problems and we are working so hard, but it’s just not enough. It is also for this reason that I wish to send deepest gratitude to friends in foreign lands who selflessly fight for justice. Speaking for the dead is not an easy task, yet one that must be done. And in Bosnia, we have so many dead, and then so many current issues, the living are struggling to just make ends meet, so our friends outside of Bosnia are vital to us, they are our lifeline. So THANK YOU!

In the end, I’d like to wish Remembering Srebrenica all the best in the future. I hope it goes without saying that anything we can do to help, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Is it time for our leaders to learn to follow?

Syrian vote! We’ll be doing some killing again. Cannot be avoided, apparently. Or perhaps it could have been avoided, but the politicians of today couldn’t avoid it; miss out on the opportunity, sort of speak? ‘Politics is a ‘brutal’ business’ we’re told. I guess we should admire them? Aren’t they special? Here we are, ordinary mortals, objecting to murdering innocent people, but they, the politicians, are ‘strong’ enough to get on with it; in fact, they can get on with it with smiles and laughter. It is really a frightening sight. I’m all for stiffer-upper-lip, but to have a stiffer-upper-lip you have to feel something. They look as if they feel nothing at all. What’s worse, it seems they’re looking down on anything that makes humans human and not just animal.

As an activist, involved in community, chatting to ordinary people a lot, I’ve noticed that generally people are increasingly valuing ‘human’ qualities. Just recently there was a German advert about family and Christmas, a normal advert about an old man who just wants to see his children and he plays a rather cruel move to get them to come. People all over Europe loved it. Made them cry. I can see why? I’ve seen how much they miss their own parents. I’ve seen parents long for their children. But hey, so long as the department for statistics is showing that we are happier than ever before, that’s really all that matters.

So, era of wars and people longing for a ‘human touch’ – that’s how I would define our world which I am increasingly ashamed of; I hate the thought of what we’ll leave to our children, especially if things get worse. At the same time politicians are almost proud to be brutal. Can we see a connection? Surely it is not hard to connect the dots, see how this came about, and what needs to change if we don’t want to F up completely – I’m thinking with the weapons we have today, it’ll be a frigging nightmare.

Anybody still remembers Princess Diana? Gosh, we liked her, didn’t we? Could it be the ‘human touch’? Surely we haven’t been trying to get our politicians to see the ‘Importance of being human’ for so long, yet they completely missed it? How could that be? Has the world of politics become a world of its own and nothing to do with us except for the charade called ‘the pre-elections campaign’?

If there is another war in Bosnia EU is to blame

Why is this title true?

In short, the title is true because they refuse to act while peace is holding on by the fingertips and everyone can tell.

Peace in Bosnia was brought by Dayton Peace Accord (Dayton); i.e. 1992-95 war ended when Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia signed this ridiculous document. Any sane person should have laughed at Dayton. The document doesn’t know if it wants to go left or right, sit or stand. It guarantees soverginity, territorial integrity and political independence to Bosnia, but trust it to people who carried out ethnic cleansing in attempt to destroy Bosnia. It believes that safety of Bosnia is ensured if we equalise all armies: The legitimate army of Bosnia, dedicated (like every other army of any country) to defend Bosnia, and two gorilla forces one acting on behalf of and under the command of Croatia, the other on behalf of and under the command of Serbia – this is why signature of Serbia and Croatia could stop a war in Bosnia. So, equalising legitimate armed forces with illegitimate armed force acting to destroy the country become one armed force. This armed force is sort of doing okay, but as soon as politicians decide to ‘make a move’ what can a rational person expect from this armed force?

Timing of Dayton was also very interesting. Three years of mass killing, politicians met and accomplished nothing at all. During these three years Bosnian legitimate army faced arms embargo. Forces acting on behalf of Serbia and Croatia had their supply of weapons from Serbia and Croatia. It is also worth noting that at the beginning of the war, many people in Bosnia thought that it made no difference if they join the Army of Bosnia or the Croat forces since they had mutual enemy – ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’; no it is not! This ‘friendship’ changed in 1993 when politics in Croatia changed. So, at the beginning Bosnian army fought mainly with weapons they stole from their enemy.

Come 1995, soon after the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnian army becomes strong enough to put up a fair fight. Suddenly Dayton emerges! The war is stopped, or at least paused. Political war carried on and people of Bosnia have been suffering it for 20 years. The psychological torment they face cannot be explained.

Bosnia is a country of four million people, fourteen governments, plus over 140 municipalities. It has three presidents, each one has to be chosen by a particular group of people: one for Bosniaks, one for Croats and one for Serbs. In the last elections which were held in 2014 the three presidents combined couldn’t scrape up 20% of the votes of the voting body in Bosnia. But apparently, we have democracy and these guys are ‘legitimate’ representatives of Bosnia – of course they are, they made the Elections Act to make sure they can’t lose, however, European politicians refuse to take this into consideration. They refuse to accept that our ‘legitimate’ representatives were chosen by their friends, family and employees – oh yeah, Bosnian government in the biggest employer in Bosnia. Plus, they buy votes.

These three presidents are yet to agree on anything, and of course not, two of them want Bosnia deleted off the map and they use it to help neighbouring countries, the third is there just to see if he can scrape up something for himself. Evidence of this also lies in the fact that they have allowed ‘entities’ to get more power – Bosnia has two entities, one is Serbian, the ethnically cleansed part, and the other is federation of Bosniaks and Croats (yes, in Bosnia, if you kill innocent people on mass scale you will be rewarded). In fact, Bosnia has 13 ministers for most things, such as healthcare. For something to happen in favour of healthcare in Bosnia, all 13 have to agree. Bosnia doesn’t have a strategy for healthcare simply because Serbian entity refuses to have one. No other reason. And then, these smart politicians in EU tell us how we can act on politicians at ‘local’ level – they mean entities and cantons (entity of Federation is divided into 10 cantons). This is such a ridiculous idea, that I’m lost for words, but we tried it anyway just to please the ‘heads’. One year of chasing a piece of paper from one door to the next made me want to scream. And this was just to get our government to employ a designated vet to sort out the stray dogs. We failed. The only time citizen activism has any chance in Bosnia is when a group in that local area who have the right to vote in that area raises a question and we ALL support them. End even then it is not a guarantee. Why? Because the government in Bosnia has power in numbers! Plus power in money, they own the labour market, they own the courts of law, they even own the local communities. What we have in Bosnia is not democracy but something between feudalism and dictatorship.

EU turns a blind eye! You might wonder, why should EU get involved? Because someone was smart enough to add OHR to Dayton. While EU politicians praise themselves on Annex 7 which states that refugees must be permitted to return to their place of origin (women who were gang raped multiple times and on regular basis in concentration camps in 1992, met their rapists on the streets when they returned to Prijedor after the war and had to endure being laughed at by the same rapists, and if that wasn’t enough, those who have returned to this day do not have basic human rights), the real good part is Annex ten about the High Representative who has more power in Bosnia than the government of Bosnia, I guess because there was at least one reasonable person at the table when Dayton was written of they left this ‘life boat’ in case the iceberg that is Dayton, sunk a country that is Titanic. But, instead of getting involved, EU has decided they are not going to. According to Dayton, they are there to ensure fair and democratic elections in Bosnia – they failed MISERABLY!!!

Citizens of Bosnia do not want to be divided. Large majority can tell that the situation is leading to a war. After the floods last year citizens realised that we do not have a government. So, citizens do not want to be divided, but Dayton is made so that those in power cannot stay in power unless citizens are divided. Of course, they push for divisions. They push to get people to hate one another. Bosnia, like every country in the world, has extremists and lunatics. In other countries governments make sure that those people do not have power. In Bosnia, politicians of those same countries have inflicted a system that drives divisions and gives power to the ‘lunatics and fascists’. Now, they refuse to act even though they have the right and responsibility.

We keep being told that citizens must do more. More of what?! What should we do? Tells us exactly what we should do because we are at the stage where we regret letting international community into Bosnia in the 1990s. The war would have been our deal, we would have dealt with it, they just made things worse.

We are being told that this is our problem? Oh really, funny that Dayton is in English and only English. If it were something we chose, surely it would be a document that people of Bosnia could at least read let alone understand?

What should be done? It is a country of 4 million people. Activists in Bosnia have a joke: We don’t need a president, we need a major. For now, one government democratically elected (one person one vote), municipalities and an Act of Treason. Five years from now we’ll come back to the table to see what else we could do to make it even better. But for now, stop dilly-dallying! You are putting our lives at risk! People of Bosnia have tolerated Dayton for 20 years, they can tolerate anything and survive anything but a war. And it seems the EU is hell-bent on causing another war in Bosnia. Why?! To help our politicians escape justice for all that they have done? Are you part of what they have done?

Please act!!! There is no need for bloodshed when pen can fix this.

Identity of a Refugee

I often wonder what would happen if someone said ‘Refugees all over the world, unite!’, and they did. Would we have another country? Would they be another nation? What kind of nation would they be?

I have 23 years of experience of being a refugee. The country I ended up in, and I mean ended up – we barely made it out of war-torn Bosnia into Croatia, we stayed in Croatia in a refugee camp for three months, taking each day as it came since Croatia was also still in a war, but it was a ‘mild’ war, and to be frank, we’ weren’t welcome; some months on Croatia and Bosnia will also go into a war on Bosnian territory. Anyway, we couldn’t stay and we had nowhere to go. Eventually, someone came and said ‘Do you want to go to Britain, the flight leaves in an hour?’ So, we ended up in Britain. We arrived on a small private jet, four mothers and 21 children. The flight that normally lasts two hours, lasted seven hours. In other words, first time I took a flight anywhere, was in a small private jet, we sat on the floor, evenly space out as we needed to keep the balance otherwise the plain couldn’t fly. I remember it was very cold. I don’t know where we landed, but when we did, as we all got up to make our way to the exit, the plain tilted on its tail. Outside we were greeted by reporters. I was one of the first to get out since I sat close to the door. When the plain tilted I was already on the steps. This was also the first time I saw reporters, multiple flashes of many cameras, and questions. We didn’t speak English so we had no idea what they were asking.

We were lead onto a bus. Some of the reporters joined us on the bus and my mother spoke to them in German – she studied German in school. Two hours on the bus, my mother asked what time we would arrive. The reporter replied ‘at about twelve’. My mother said “Alright, so in about three hours.” The reporter said “No, tomorrow at twelve in the afternoon.” As my mother told the other mothers this, they began crying, asking out loud ‘Where are they taking us?” My mother tried to calm them down, telling them that Britain is a nice country, but in truth, she had no idea and later she told me that she was also terrified.

I wish someone told me that this was the moment I got a new identity. I wish someone said that I will forever be a refugee. Nothing can change that. But, no one did. We didn’t know ‘them’ and ‘they’ didn’t know about us. Oh well, we live and learn.

Comparing that with what’s going on today, I’m pleased ‘the new refugees’ are better informed. Information could be the difference between spending many nights crying hopelessly in fear, or not crying but having a reason to hope that everything will be alright. Plus, they can keep in touch with their loved ones. God Almighty, I will never forget the hours we spent dialling a mile long number over some satellite to get through to our family just so that we know they’re alive, especially at times when we’d hear about some attack on the news.

When we left Bosnia, we were convinced we’d be back in a month or so. When we came to the UK, we thought we’d be there a year, two at the most. 23 years on, we are coming to terms with the ‘two country’ life. It might sound lovely to some, but imagine your heart being ripped and in two places at once. Travelling is one thing, this kind of life is something quite the opposite. I’m not complaining though; I was extremely lucky to ‘end up’ in the UK, a country that treated me with utmost humanity. I’ve graduated economics, completed a masters in Voluntary Action Management, and I’m determined to figure out the ‘third’ sector. I’ve even figured out a way to make myself useful for both countries (or at least I hope that will be the result of my labours) since I owe to both, I belong to both, I’m a citizen, a responsible citizen of both. No matter how hard it is to be a responsible citizen of one country, I believe I can accomplish to be a responsible citizen of two countries.

And this brings me back to my question: What kind of nation would refugees make? From my experience, and bear in mind that refugees and migrants are to very distinct groups of people, refugees are the most peace loving ‘nation’ you can ever hope for. No one appreciates peace and life more than those who have tasted war and death, or at least had a close call with death. There are also, in my opinion, at least three groups of refugee: 1. Refugees of ethnic cleansing – life at risk: 100%, 2. Refugees of war – life at risk: 80-90% 3. Refugee of persecution – this one is on individual basis and life at risk could range from 10-90%. ‘Life at risk’ basically means how likely they were to die if they hadn’t escaped.

Another characteristic I would point out about refugees is that they are grateful. People are generally grateful to those who save their life.

And, refugees long to return. There is something about being told to leave. Migrants choose to leave, refugees do not have this choice. They always long to return. Nostalgia has nothing to balance it out. Migrants, when they feel nostalgic remind themselves of the reasons they moved in the first place. Refugees do not have any reasons, all they have is nostalgia and it can be very painful. This is the only mistake I think UK made towards us; they never understood the importance of going back ‘home’ to face some hard truths and be the ones responsible to bring the country back to its feet. None of us cared much about the burned buildings, we were all prepared to face that, that can be fixed. But the way people change, hence the country, nothing can prepare you for that. All my education… I needed years to learn how to apply what I know in Bosnia. And the real problem is that I always planned to learn how to apply my knowledge in Bosnia, so that I can return to the UK and say: Right, if you want the Voluntary Sector to be of significant value to the UK, Charity Commission needs to become ‘this’. And I think this is the future of ‘Global village’, I think this is how the lessons learned in ‘chaos’ can help prevent chaos in another part of the world. And, shouldn’t that be our primary objective?

If I had a say, I wouldn’t turn anyway anyone. ‘When someone knocks on your door asking for help, you should give them the help you can.’ There are rules on how much one country can interfere in another. Why do we invade another country with our armies and not with our brains? Why is it okay to send troops and not politicians? I firmly believe that we can help migrants better in their own home. Why don’t we? Of course, refugees we’d have to take in, but I think they should be taught and encouraged to lead their own countries when the armed conflicts are over. If they choose not to go back, fair enough. But I sure some will choose to go back. Among them there might be future leaders who will bring the country back to life and make it a valuable member of our world. And who knows how much we all might benefit from that?