Elections: Leadership and moderation please

I recently visited Srebrenica with a group of visitors as part of a UK Government-funded project which aims to learn the lessons of Europe’s only genocide since the Second World War, and to apply them to improving relationships between diverse communities in the UK.

During the visit, I met a number of mothers who had lost husbands, sons and wider family members in the massacre. I expected to be moved by their stories of bereavement, and I was. But what shocked me most was to hear that, even today, nearly 20 years later, they continue to live in fear.

The week before, the new Orthodox Church had opened on a hill close to the Potočari Memorial Centre. On the day of the opening, a small group of young men paraded loudly through Srebrenica wearing Četnik insignia and carrying pictures of Mladić and Karadžić. The mothers were too scared to come out of their houses. There is nothing manly or heroic about intimidating elderly ladies who live alone.

But what frightens them more than the crass behaviour of this youth is the political language which is being used by some politicians in this pre-election period. Instead of presenting a positive and constructive vision for the future of BiH, too many politicians speak only of division and mistrust, using ethno-nationalist rhetoric that is all too familiar from the early 1990s. Often simply to cover for their own failures. With such language back in circulation, is it any wonder that people are concerned about the appearance of electoral slogans focusing on unity, strength and victory. Victory against whom, exactly?

Some of the nationalist parties from all the main ethnic groups appear at times hardly to have moved on at all since the war. As a new arrival in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but with experience from a number of less developed parts of the world, I have never before seen such immaturity in politics. It is clear from the polls what the electorate wants: economic growth, secure jobs, better education and health. And yet some parties barely touch on these issues, preferring instead to instil a culture of fear that shores up their vote, while stultifying political, economic and social development. And with it the future of those they claim to represent.

My point in writing this blog is not to tell people in this country who to vote for. That’s entirely their decision, and the British Government will respect the results. We stand ready to support anyone who is prepared to work constructively after the election to deliver the reforms this country needs. But at the moment, with the debate deliberately clouded by embarrassing, cheap political tricks – particularly those that misuse religious symbols or institutions – it is frankly difficult to see where this new leadership and new ideas will come from.

At the very least, I would like to feel that Bosnian citizens – Bosniak, Croat, Serb or others – are putting pressure on their political representatives to moderate their language and behaviour. It is disastrous for the country’s international image, deterring investors and alienating potential allies. But most of all, there are many vulnerable people in this country – returnees from all ethnic groups. As human beings, politicians should be going out of their way to make them feel comfortable and secure. That would be an act of true political leadership. It is unacceptable that today’s political debate is intimidating once again those people who suffered so much 20 years ago.