OPPOSITION ACTING AGAINST JANUARY 9 - REPUBLIKA SRPSKA DAY

BANJA LUKA, JANUARY 9 /SRNA/ – The leaders of the SDS and PDP parties and their spokespersons from BN Television have once again proven that they are not an opposition to Milorad Dodik and the SNSD, but to Republika Srpska itself, the SNSD said in a statement.

"Draško Stanivuković arrives late to the ceremonial academy marking Republika Srpska Day, Branko Blanuša leaves it, and BN Television cuts the broadcast when Milorad Dodik speaks - at a time when he is hosting numerous guests from Serbia, the region, Europe, and the world," the SNSD states.

To eliminate any room for interpretation of these disgraceful actions, the statement adds, Stanivuković himself made sure by rejecting a request for city services to clean the area where the ceremonial parade marking Republika Srpska Day will be held, saying that he "has other priorities."

"Let's be clear - these are not gaffes, nor is this a coincidence. This is a clear political message. They do not want January 9 to be celebrated as Republika Srpska Day. Whether this comes from hatred toward Dodik or servility toward their mentor Christian Schmidt and the Sarajevo political establishment is does not even matter.

What matters are the facts, and citizens should be aware of them. The facts are that Stanivuković and Blanuša attempted to obstruct and strip meaning from the celebration of Republika Srpska Day, while BN Television sought to hide the fact that Milorad Dodik continues to celebrate the day of our Republic with his people, just as he has done so far," the SNSD stressed.

As the strongest political force in Republika Srpska, the SNSD called on all fellow citizens to jointly mark Republika Srpska Day in a manner befitting good hosts, and sent a message to Republika Srpska's political opponents - whether in Banja Luka or elsewhere in the world: "The hearth will live on, Republika Srpska will live on, and the Serb people will live on."