“Najprije bih napravio razliku između unutrašnje i vanjske politike, a na unutrašnjem planu smatram da su poplave prvi problem kojim bi se trebala baviti nova vlada. Drugi element koji bi trebao biti prioritet novoj vladi jeste ekonomska situacija u zemlji. Postoji hitna potreba da se vlasti u Bosni i Hercegovini pozabave ekonomskom situacijom i da stimulišu ekonomski rast.

Zaista želim da nova vlada bude u stanju da okupi sve nivoe vlasti i privatni sektor, te da uspostavi jasan ekonomski plan za zemlju koji bi identificirao sektore u Bosni i Hercegovini koji nude razvojni potencijal i da odrede uloge svih nivoa vlasti i drugih aktera u njihovoj podršci ovim sektorima razvoja. U posljednjih nekoliko sedmica smo u medijima čitali mnoge priče o malim i srednjim preduzećima u Bosni i Hercegovini koji su prilično uspješni u proizvodnji autodijelova za evropske kompanije ili o grupama koje pružaju IT podršku različitim start-up preduzećima ovdje u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama.

Smatram da vlada treba da se fokusira na ove sektore razvoja jer su oni budućnost, bilo kroz porezne poticaje, bilo ulaganjem u obrazovanje ili vodeći računa da obrazovni sistem može opskrbiti ove sektore razvoja kvalificiranom radnom snagom. Postoji mnogo stvari koje mogu učiniti svi nivoi vlasti kako bi stimulisali ekonomski rast u zemlji. Smatram da državna vlada ima vodeću ulogu kako da pokrene razvoj i da se putem donošenja odluka energično pozabavi ekonomskom situacijom u zemlji. Ovo su po mom mišljenju prva dva prioriteta koja trebaju da se nađu na programu rada nove vlade.

Mislim da su ljudi vidjeli dovoljno prepreka i političari su ove godine dobili jasan signal da se očekivanja javnosti sve više pooštravaju. Tako da je njihova odluka da li će govoriti o otcjepljenju od Bosne i Hercegovine, o stvaranju trećeg entiteta ili će pričati o stvarnim problemima i o ekonomskoj situaciji. Zaista se nadam da će postojati politička cijena koju će platiti stranke ili političari koji odbiju da se bave normalnim pitanjima vlasti kao što su ekonomija ili socijalni status građana Bosne i Hercegovine.

Politika se uvijek miješala u ekonomski razvoj. Ukoliko posmatramo situaciju ovdje u Washingtonu, na sposobnost Obamine administracije da se bavi obnovom u velikoj mjeri utječe pritisak od strane Rebulikanske stranke i pokreta Tea Party. Svaka zemlja prolazi kroz ovaj process, a politika je uvijek imala utjecaja na sposobnost vlade da upravlja ekonomskom politikom. Osim toga, uvijek postoji politička cijena koja se plaća.

Ono što me zabrinjava je to što uprkos demonstracijama ove godine biračko tijelo nije nametnulo visoku političku cijenu za ljude koji su bili na vlasti. Iskreno se nadam da će naredne četiri godine biti testna faza i da će građani imati više volje da vrše pritisak na Vladu i da je pozivaju na odgovornost.”

“I would make a distinction between domestic and foreign policy and on the domestic front I think the first issue that will have to be tackled by the new government relates to the floods. The second element which should be a priority of this government pertains to the economic situation of the country. There is an urgent need for the authorities in Bosnia to address the economic situation and to stimulate the economic growth.

I really wish that this new government would be able to convene all levels of government and the private sector and establish a clear economic plan for the country and this plan should identify which sectors in Bosnia offer potential for growth and should then delineate the roles of each level of government and of other actors to support these sectors of growth. We’ve read in the last few weeks in the media many stories about small and medium enterprises in Bosnia that are quite successful in producing and manufacturing auto parts for European companies or some groups who are providing IT support to IT start-ups here in the United States. I think the government has to focus on these sectors of growth because this is the future, either through tax incentives or by investing in education or making sure that the education system can supply skilled workers for these sectors of growth.

There are number of things that can be done by all levels of government in order to stimulate economic growth in the country. I think that the state level of government has a leadership position to assume that and through its convening power it should energetically address the economic situation in the country. For me these are the two first priorities that should be on the agenda of the new government.

I think people have seen enough obstacles and politicians got a very clear signal this year that the expectation of the public are pressing and that they are getting more and more pressing. So it is a choice that they make to either talk about the secession from Bosnia or the creation of the third entity or to talk about the real problems and to talk about the economic conditions. I really hope that there will be a political price to be paid by parties or politicians who refuse to tackle normal subjects of governance like the economy or the social conditions of the people in Bosnia.

Politics is always interfering with economic policy. If you look at the situation here in Washington, the Obama administration’s capacity to tackle the recovery here is very much influenced by the pressure put on the administration by the Republican Party and the Tea Party. So every country goes through this and politics always had an impact on the ability of governments to manage economic policy. That being said, there is always a political price to be paid.

What I find worrying is that despite the demonstration this year that the electorate doesn’t seem to have imposed a high political price on people who were in power. I really hope that the next four years will be a test phase for politicians and that people will be increasingly willing to put the pressure on the government and to hold them accountable.”