Bosnia and Herzegovina Faces Bankruptcy
Transparency International B&H started the implementation of a new project, a media campaing “Responsibility and Transparency in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Srdjan Blagovcanin, the Spokesperson of TI B&H talked to OneWorld about the reasons for the country’s fall from 70th to 82nd place on the Global Corruption Perception Study.
Having in mind the way government representatives treat the problems this country faces, the fall on the Global Index was more than expected. The slow implementation of the reforms contributed to a situation in which B&H is increasingly associated with those regions in the world with rampant corruption and prominent organized crime problem. That is the TI’s conclusion, shared by some other institutions and organizations. Which were the reasons behind that fall? The continuing absence of vision and strategy in the fight against the corruption, together with the strong bond between the governing structures and the organized crime, then the huge administrative system with an outdated organization scheme are just some causes of this situation. Even more concerning is the prevailing apathy with the citizens, demonstrated in the last year’s elections, when just sligtly over 50% of the citizens decided that they should get out and vote. What consequences, related to the growth of corruption, may face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the nearest future? At the beginning of 2006, Bosnia and Herzegovina will face bankruptcy, caused by the huge percentage of public funds (approximately 70%) spent to support the public administration and by spending in excess of the defined Budget lines. This fear is corroborated by the numerous public sector audit reports. Add here the rise of corruption and organized in the country, and the bond between the governing structures and the organized crime that we already mentioned. In addition, we shouldn’t expect any significant influx of foreign investments in the country, having in mind that the foreign investors base their decisions to invest in a country on the basis of the corruption and organize crime surveys. Also, it is a notorious fact that the poverty levels increase proportionally to the corruption levels, so that we could draw a conclusion that the poverty in B&H will also register an increase. In your opinion, will this awareness raising media campaign that TI started will help in eradication of corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina? Our estimate is that the campaign should contribute to better understanding of the scope of corruption situation in the country, as well as the opportunities to fight the corruption. In our opinion, the media, in cooperation with the NGO sector, can apply great pressure on the government representatives, in terms of their more transparent and responsible work. They can also play the crucial role in the positioning of the problem, which is the first step in the process of finding a solution. Furthermore, emphasis will be placed on the more transparent work of the state bodies and public institutions. The experience of the developed democracies show that the more transparent is the work of state institutions, the smaller is the space for abuse and illegal actions. |
Printable version
Back to top
