Nema dana da ne naiđem na izjave političara i političkih analitičara koji insistiraju na tome da je Bosna i Hercegovina kolonija, okupirana zemlja, gdje su nesretni lokalci na milosti stranih podkraljeva i prokonzula koji čine ili premalo ili previše. Kroz đavolski mudar sistem ‘podijeli i vladaj’, nazvan ‘Dejton’, ti međunarodni administratori potiskuju svaku inicijativu: po ovom rezonovanju u Bosni se ništa ne kreće bez saglasnosti ili tih kolonizacionih snaga.

To je besmislica. Ustvari, mnogo je projekata koje Bosanci mogu poduzeti bez provjeravanja ispisa prvo DMS-a, dovoljno izazova koje mogu potaći ne čekajući sljedeći izvještaj EU o napretku. Mnogo toga treba uraditi s malo novca iz nacionalnih trezora i bez uključenja, pomoći ili odobravanja OHR-a, EU, UN, NATO-a, EUFOR-a, OSCE-a, USAID-a, Vijeća Evrope, CIS-a, RCC-a, IFC-a, IMF-a, Svjetske banke, EIB-a, EBRD-a i 50 rezidentnih ambasadora.

Mogu li predložiti tri tačke za Nacionalnu listu Uradimo to sami?

Every now and then I come across statements by politicians and political analysts who insist that Bosnia-Herzegovina is a colony, a conquered land where hapless locals are at the mercy of foreign viceroys and pro-consuls, who do either too little or too much. Through a devilishly clever system of ‘divide et impera’, called ‘Dayton’, these international administrators suppress all initiative: in this line of reasoning nothing moves in Bosnia without the consent or these colonizing powers.

That’s nonsense. In fact, there are many projects Bosnians can undertake without checking the fine print of the DPA first, enough challenges they can tackle without waiting for the next EU Progress Report. There is plenty to do with a little money from national coffers and without the involvement, assistance or approval of the OHR, EU, the UN, NATO, EUFOR, OSCE, USAID, the Council of Europe, CIS, RCC, IFC, IMF, World Bank, EIB, EBRD and 50 resident ambassadors.

May I suggest three items for the National We Do It Ourselves List?

Tačka 1: POVEZATI – nova krilatica u euro-krugovima, možda ste primijetili, je ‘povezivanje’. Inače to podrazumijeva mega projekte, kao što su transportni koridori, gasovodi i električna mreža, ali i Internet, stipendije i vize za slobodno putovanje. Ali to je daleko suptilnije: mladi ljudi u novim državama članicama EU daju visoke ocjene osjećaju povezanosti sa savremenicima svuda u Uniji. Pripadati, ne zaostajati iza drugih, više se ne osjećati izolovanim – to im vrijedi više od sigurne hrane i slobodnog protoka kapitala.

Bosanske vlasti mogu dati tom ‘povezivanju’ stvaran podstrek ako urade nešto jednostavno: da se oslobode uskog grla u Brodu. Prošlog mjeseca, jedne nedjelje ujutro, čekao sam dva sata i petnaest minuta, zajedno sa stotinama Hrvata, Slovenaca, Austrijanaca, Nijemaca i Talijana i – da, desetinama građana ove zemlje. Niz kamiona i automobila protezao se od rafinerije do rijeke. Ništa se nije micalo. Kamiondžije i vozači koji su stajali pored svojih vozila na vrelom suncu podsjetili su me na prizore koje sam vidio kad sam s rancem na leđima i autostopom prolazio kroz zemlje istočnog bloka u 70-im. Isti spoj rezigniranosti i razdražljivosti na licu istog spoja nesposobnosti i ravnodušnosti.

Mislim da je kineska uzrečica: ‘posljednji dojam je trajni dojam’. Ako je to tačno, strani putnici koji napuštaju Bosnu preko Broda – najkraći put od glavnog grada do autocesta u Hrvatskoj – ponijeće sa sobom dojam o državi nesposobnoj da upravlja nečim jednostavnim kao što je granični prelaz. Susjedi na drugoj obali Save otvorili su pet traka, čak žrtvujući jednu od svojih izlaznih traka, da bi regulisali saobraćaj iz Bosne. Oni nisu problem. Problem je na bosanskoj obali.

Jer izgleda da tamo ne shvataju da je transportni sektor dokazani ‘faktor’ za ekonomski rast i prelaz. Stoga, ako možete naći 28 miliona KM za poslovnu zgradu u Istočnom Sarajevu i ako ima dovoljno novca da se svakom ministru u ovoj zemli obezbijedi Audi ili dva Passata puna tjelohranitelja, onda možete pogurati par miliona maraka da se otvori to usko grlo: širi most i još jedna kabina za graničnu policiju i za carinu mogli bi učiniti čuda za ‘povezivanje’. Nemojte to odgađati dok se ne materijalizira TEN-T projekt mosta u Svilaju, jer je to nešto što Bosanci mogu da urade sada i bez saglasnosti prokonzula i bez pomoći japanskih ili norveških poreznih obveznika.

Item One: CONNECT – the new buzz word in Euro-circles, you may have noticed, is ‘connectivity’. Usually, this means mega projects, like transport corridors, pipelines and electricity grids, but also broadband internet, scholarships and visa free travel. But it is more subtle than that: young people in new EU member states give high marks to the feeling of being connected with their contemporaries elsewhere in the Union. Belonging, not being left behind, not feeling isolated any longer, matters to them more than food safety and the free flow of capital.

Bosnian authorities can give that ‘connectivity’ a real boost by doing something simple: get rid of the Bottleneck at Brod. On a Sunday afternoon last month, I waited for two hours and fifteen minutes, together with hundreds of Croats, Slovenes, Austrians, Germans and Italians and - yes, dozens of citizens of this country. The line of trucks and cars stretched from the refinery to the river. Nothing stirred. The truckers and drivers standing near their vehicles under a blazing sun reminded me of scenes I saw while backpacking and hitch hiking through the countries of the Eastern Bloc in the 70’s. The same mix of resignation and irritation in the face of the same mix of incompetence and indifference.

It is the Chinese, I think, who say: ‘the last impression is the lasting impression’. If that is true, foreign travelers leaving Bosnia through Brod - the shortest way from the capital to the relief of the motorways of Croatia - will take with them the impression of a state incapable of managing something simple as a border crossing. The neighbours at the far side of the Sava had opened five lanes, even sacrificing one of their own exit lanes, to handle the traffic from Bosnia. They are not the problem. The problem is on the Bosnian bank.

Because there they don’t seem to realize that the transport sector is a proven ‘enabler’ for economic growth and transition. So, if you can find 28 million KM for an office building in East-Sarajevo and if there is enough money to provide each minister in this country with an Audi and two Passats full of bodyguards, one can hustle up a couple of million Marks to open that bottleneck: a wider bridge and one more booth for the border police and for the customs could do wonders for ‘connectivity’. Don’t put it off until the TEN-T Bridge Project at Svilaj materializes, because this is something Bosnians can do now, and without the consent of the pro-consuls and without the help of Japanese or Norwegian taxpayers.

Tačka 2: POČISTITI – Istinski vjerujem u budućnost Bosne i Hercegovine kao centar umješnosti u lakoj proizvodnji, izvrsnoj tehničkoj podršci i hortikulturi. Stoga sam veoma zainteresiran za seminare i konferencije o ekonomskom potencijalu ove zemlje. Trudim se da im prisustvujem koliko mogu. I obavezno se, tokom tih sastanaka, spominje o izgledu Bosne kao velike turističke atrakcije – što znači i kao faktora rasta.

BiH je blizu velikim tržištima, gdje ljubitelji putovanja i imućni turisti, koji su bili svuda, čekaju da budu potaknuti da posjete Bosnu, ‘posljednju granicu Evrope’. Svako priznaje da se ne može mnogo ponuditi ljubiteljima plaža i kupanja, ali za izletnika, biciklistu, botaničara, splavara i planinara Bosna je raj koji čeka da bude otkriven: snijegom pokriveni visovi, skrivene doline, bistri planinski potoci i visoravni prepune rijetkog cvijeća. Plus: dobra hrana i gostoprimljivi i ljubazni domaćini.

Svi klimaju. Ali mnogi znaju da je u konferencijskoj sali čudovište. Vidimo ga, ali ne volimo da govorimo o tome. Ne želimo da pokvarimo pozitivnu atmosferu te se jednostavno pretvaramo da nije tu. A čudovište se zove: smeće. Na obalama predivnih rijeka u Bosni ružičaste plastične kese obilježavaju proljetnu plimu, prazne boce od sode poigravaju na kristalno bistrim vodama ispod vodopada. Iza stijena na pošljunčanim obalama gdje se Rakitnica spaja s Neretvom, društva splavara ostavljaju kese sa smećem divljim životinjama.

Zaista sjajan prizor. Ali Bosna mora da se takmiči na tržištu za euro turiste sa susjednim zemljama i da ponudi, visove, doline, rijeke i polja s divljim cvijećem. Oni tamo od iskona. Kao što priroda i treba da bude. To je ono što izletnik, biciklista, planinar i botaničar žele – i voljni su da za to plate. Ako nemate plaže ili velike svjetske gradove – pokušajte da brendirate glavni grad gdje se nalazi nacionalni muzej - pobrinite se za ono što imate: Prirodu. I učite o njenoj važnosti, kao o izvoru prihoda. Privlačenje novih turista i ugađanje posjetiocima koji se vraćaju može učiniti čuda za vaš platni bilans. Isto tako, zna se i da je hotelijerstvo izvor radnih mjesta i nudi obilje poslova za nekvalifikovanu snagu, sektor koji vrijedi podržati, s obzirom na zastrašujuću cifru od 60 posto nezaposlenih među mladima u ovoj zemlji. Stoga, počistite još nedovoljno razvijen izvor ekonomskog rasta, prirodnu ljepotu Bosne. I nije vam potreban mehanizam koordinacije EU da to uradite. Očistiti izletnička mjesta je mogućnost, čak i bez MAP statusa ili savjeta Venecijanske komisije. Stoga, očistite prirodu i pokrenite kampanju svijesti kao prioritet br 2 na Nacionalnoj listi Uradimo to sami.

Item Nr. Two: CLEAN UP – I am a true believer in a future for Bosnia-Herzegovina as a centre of excellence in light manufacturing, out-sourced IT-support and horticulture. That’s why seminars and conferences on the economic potential of this country have my keen interest. I make it a point to attend as many as I can. Invariably, during these meetings Bosnia’s prospect as a major tourist attraction - and thus a factor of growth - is mentioned.

BiH is close to huge markets, where travel-mad and well-heeled tourists, who have been everywhere, are waiting to be enticed to visit Bosnia, ‘Europe’s Last Frontier’. It may not have much to offer to the beach comber and the beach bunny, everyone admits, but for the hiker, the mountain biker, the botanist, the rafter and the rock-climber, Bosnia is a paradise waiting to be discovered: snow-capped peaks, mysterious valleys, clean mountain streams and high plains full of rare flowers. Plus: great food and welcoming, easy-going hosts.

Everybody nods. But many know there is a monster in the conference room. We see it, but we don’t like to talk about it. We don’t want to spoil the positive atmosphere, so we simply pretend it is not there. The monster is called: litter. On the banks of Bosnia’s beautiful rivers pink plastic bags mark last spring’s high tide, empty soda bottles are dancing in the crystal clear waters beneath the waterfalls. Behind the rocks on the pebbled beach, where the Rakatnica meets the Neretva, rafting companies have left garbage bags to the wild animals.

Great outdoors indeed. But Bosnia has to compete in the market for the tourist Euro with neighbouring countries that offer, peaks, valleys, streams and fields of wild flowers too. The difference is that there they are pristine. As nature should be. That is what the hiker, the biker, the climber and the botanist want - and are willing to pay for. If you have no beaches to speak of, or no truly world class cities - try to city brand a capital where the national museum is boarded up - , take care of what you do have: Nature. And teach about its importance, also as a source of income. Attracting new tourists and pampering repeat visitors can do wonders for your balance of payments. Equally, the hospitality industry is known for being labour intensive and generates an abundance of low-skilled jobs, a sector worth supporting, given the appalling figure of 60% unemployment among the young in this country. Therefore, clean up a still underdeveloped source of economic growth, Bosnia’s natural beauty. And you don’t need an EU Coordinating Mechanism to do it. Tidy picnic spots are a possibility, even without MAP status or an advice of the Venice Commission. So, make cleaning up nature and an awareness campaign Priority Nr 2 on the National We Do It Ourselves List.

Prioritet br. 3: OBILJEŽITI ZAJEDNO – U potpunosti sam svjestan osjetljivosti i složenosti svega ovoga. Ipak, osjećam da ove godine Bosanci mogu, i trebaju, da učine mali napredak na polju pomirenja. Tu je posjeta pape Sarajevu. Jedna od papinih titula je ‘Summus Pontifex’, ,Veliki graditelj mostova’. Ne treba da budete katolik ili čak poštovatelj organizirane religije, da biste priznali da je ovaj Sveti otac prilično dobar u gradnji mostova, u nalaženju novih načina kako da dopre do ljudi drugih religija, razočaranih i marginalizovanih, kao i onih koji ne vjeruju. Ako papa Franjo može učiniti da tvrdokorni komunista kao Raul Castro porazmisli o svom ateizmu, mislim da je vrijedno poslušati šta ovaj Pontifex ima da kaže: o povezivanju s drugima koji misle ili djeluju drukčije od nas u političkim, socijalnim i vjerskim pitanjima, o novim pristupima postkonfliktnom pomirenju i o traganju za zajedničkim tlom na kome će se graditi budućnost.

Ove godine, mnogi u međunarodnoj zajednici – a nadam se i u bosanskom društvu – moraju ohrabriti nagovještaji iz Predsjedništva da su u toku napori da se otvore novi horizonti kako bi se mogla obilježiti patnja svih Bosanaca u 1990-im: s puno poštovanja, sve tri strane. Nažalost, više se ništa ne čuje o ovim naporima. To je žalosno. Uostalom, ove godine oči svijeta biće upravljene na Bosnu i Hercegovinu 6. juna, 11. jula i u novembru kad će biti obilježeno potpisivanje Dejtonskog mirovnog sporazuma. Mnogi prijatelji koje Bosna još ima svuda u svijetu biće sretni da vide da su se, poslije 20 godina, međuetnički odnosi poboljšali i da je godina 2015. posebna godina. Možda ne kao godina velikog iznenadnog uvjerenja kakvo zahtijeva istinsko pomirenje. Ali barem kao godina napretka učinjenog u prevazilaženju starih mržnji. Na primjer, zajedničkom odlukom da se suzdrži od dočeka osuđenih ratnih zločinaca, čineći zajednički napor da se obilježe stradanja hiljada i hiljada građana ove zemlje koji su izgubili život prije 20 godina, gdje god je to moguće. Za ovo, Bosancima nije potreban novi stand-by aranžman MMF-a, niti međunarodni promatrači ODIHR-a, niti nova rezolucija Evropskog parlamenta.

Ubjeđenje ‘uradimo to sami’ treba da bude dovoljno.

Priority Nr Three: COMMEMORATE TOGETHER – I am fully aware of the sensitivity and complexity of it all. Yet, I feel that this year Bosnians can, and should, make a little progress in the reconciliation department. Soon there will be a Papal visit to Sarajevo. One of the Pope’s titles is ‘Summus Pontifex’, The ‘Great Builder Of Bridges’. You don’t have to be a Catholic, or even a fan of organized religion, to admit that this Holy Father is rather good at building bridges, at finding new ways of reaching out to people of other faiths, to disillusioned and marginalized people and to non-believers. If Pope Francis can make a die-hard communist like Raul Castro reconsider his atheism, I think it is worth listening to what this Pontifex has to say: about connecting with others who think or act differently from us in political, social and religious matters, about new approaches to post-conflict reconciliation and about the search for common ground to build a future on.

This year, many in the international community - and I hope also in Bosnian society - have felt encouraged by hints from the Presidency that efforts were underway to open up new horizons in the way the suffering of all Bosnians in the 1990’s could be commemorated: respectful, tri-partisan, inclusive. Unfortunately, nothing more was heard of these efforts. That is a pity. After all, this year the eyes of the world will be on Bosnia-Herzegovina, on June 6th, on 11 July and in November, when the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement will be marked. The many friends that Bosnia still has all around the world would be delighted to see that, after 20 years, inter-ethnic relations have improved and that the year 2015 is special. Maybe not as the year of that Great Leap of Faith that true reconciliation requires. But at least as the year progress was made in overcoming old hatreds. For example, by a joint decision to stay away from coming-home parties for convicted war criminals, by making a joint effort to commemorate the thousands and thousands of citizens of this country who have lost their lives 20 years ago, wherever possible together. For this, Bosnians don’t need a new Stand-By Arrangement from the IMF, no international observers from ODIHR, no new resolution from the European Parliament.

The conviction ‘we can do this ourselves’ should be enough.