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representative "democracy" in the spirit of Comte, Saint Simon, Pareto, and Nietze.... To: ANTINATO <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Bosnia's new colonial governor [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Date sent: Tue, 9 Jul 2002 01:47:52 -0700 (PDT) Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK > --------------------------- > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,751898,00.html > > Bosnia's new colonial governor > Paddy Ashdown is turning its elected leaders into his > ciphers > > David Chandler > Tuesday July 9, 2002 > The Guardian > > At the end of May, Paddy Ashdown assumed his new post > as Bosnia's international high representative. It is a > powerful job, very similar to that of a colonial > governor, with the authority to sack elected > presidents and prime ministers and to impose > legislation by decree. > > Ashdown is the fourth incumbent since the "temporary" > international protectorate was established at the end > of the war in 1995. No Bosnians were involved in the > selection process. The appointment was decided by a > group of western governments - our own lobbied for > Ashdown. Thus a British politician who never managed > to win power in his own country is now in charge of a > foreign state. He has little experience of government > responsibility and faces very different problems from > those he encountered as the MP for Yeovil. > > What Ashdown lacks in experience he makes up for in > passion. He has adopted a fresh, media-friendly > approach in his first month in office, and has been > widely seen as taking a new broom to the political > problems of the divided Bosnian state. In his > inaugural speech he stressed the theme of > "partnership": "I want the office of the high > representative to be open and accessible... So, > starting today, I will be spending more time out of > Sarajevo, meeting people from across the country, and > listening to their views." > > This is exactly what Ashdown has done, holding "town > hall" meetings around the country and spending hours > in discussions with local dignitaries. He argues that > "we need to do more to give citizens a real voice". > Ashdown doesn't want to be seen as a meddling > outsider, but as a true popular tribune. "I see myself > not just as a representative of the international > community," he says. "I am also a servant of Bosnia > and Herzegovina." > > But what is the role of Bosnia's democratically > elected politicians? Ashdown alluded to this at his > inauguration: "I have concluded that there are two > ways I can make my decisions. One is with a tape > measure, measuring the precise equidistant position > between three sides. The other is by doing what I > think is right for the country as a whole. I prefer > the second of these." > > Ashdown argues that while political parties represent > the interests of the ethnic groups, it is his job to > put forward the public interest, the interests of > "all" Bosnians. From Ashdown's perspective, Bosnian > politicians are a barrier to the pursuit of the public > interest because of their allegiances. He argues that > the problems of Bosnia are in large part down to there > being too many politicians and too much "politics". > Speaking at a press conference in Mostar recently he > stressed: "We need to worry less about constitu > tions... we need to spend less time talking to > politicians, and more time talking to teachers, > judges, businessmen and returnees." > > Certain that he is a better "listener" to the concerns > of the people and a better judge of their interests > than elected politicians, Ashdown has wasted little > time imposing himself. He sacked the deputy prime > minister of the Muslim-Croat Federation, Nikola > Grabovac, and forced the resignation of the Republika > Srpska finance minister, Milenko Vracar, leaving the > local media to speculate that more dismissals are to > come. > > The desire to impose the "public interest" is also > reflected in more direct forms of policy-making. > Ashdown's spokesperson, Oleg Milisik, described the > new legislative process: "The high representative > expects all responsible political parties to support > these proposals. He reminds the parliamentary assembly > that any attempt by deputies to dilute this > legislation's capacity... or to delay this legislation > needlessly is unacceptable." > > The narrow view of legitimate politics held by Ash > down and his office risks reducing Bosnian politicians > to the role of administrators of international policy > decrees. Bosnian institutions are being drained of > their political role because Bosnian officials are > judged to be representing and negotiating on behalf of > their particular ethnic constituencies, interests > which are defined as conflicting with the public > interest. Yet in this highly segmented society it is > inevitable that elected representatives will reflect > this social division. The international community is > calling for a Bosnian political class that is > apolitical and which therefore is disconnected from > Bosnian society. > > Politicians who have little representational > legitimacy are unlikely to build bridges within > society and lack the capacity to resolve conflicts. If > there is any lesson from six years of international > rule over Bosnia, it is that high-handed intervention > in the political sphere has done little to help > overcome insecurities and divisions, while undermining > collective political bodies in which Serb, Croat and > Muslim representatives can negotiate solutions. > > � Dr David Chandler is the author of Faking Democracy > after Dayton and From Kosovo to Kabul: Human Rights > and International Intervention (Pluto Press). > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Sign up for SBC Yahoo! 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