ĐOKIĆ BLAMES FOREIGN MEDDLING FOR RTRS CRISIS

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 27 /SRNA/ - The problems facing Radio-Television of Republika Srpska are the result of years of interference by international actors in BiH's internal political and institutional affairs, which must be stopped, Socialist Party /SP/ leader Petar Đokić told SRNA.

"When a public broadcaster is put in a position where it cannot pay its employees' salaries, it is entirely fair to ask what the policy of international tutelage over BiH has actually achieved," Đokić said.

Đokić noted that RTRS employees and their families are the ones going without pay today, while those who spent years designing and imposing such solutions face no such problems.

"Once again, the highest price is being paid by ordinary people, who bear no responsibility whatsoever for the political and institutional processes that led to this situation," Đokić stressed.

Đokić said that situations in which workers, their families and all citizens pay the price for political experiments can only be avoided by returning responsibility to domestic institutions and the people's democratically elected representatives.

He reminded that for years citizens had been told that the interventions of High Representatives and the reforms carried out under their auspices were supposedly aimed at stabilizing BiH and building more efficient institutions.

"Today we see the result of that policy. Instead of stability, we have a system that produces disputes, blockades and financial blows, and puts the livelihoods of hundreds of families at risk," Đokić said.

According to him, Republika Srpska has warned for years that no solution that is not the result of agreement among domestic political representatives can be lasting, stable and sustainable.

He believes a solution must be found that protects employees, ensures the smooth functioning of institutions important to Republika Srpska, and prevents the burden of political and legal disputes from once again falling on workers' shoulders.

Radio-Television of Republika Srpska's accounts have been frozen, and more than 600 employees have gone without pay. The consequences of court rulings in Republika Srpska against RTRS and in favor of BHRT are being felt not only by the staff of Srpska's public broadcaster, but are also putting program production at risk.