The International Conference for flood relief confirmed solidarity with the country by collecting pledges of aid of 809.2 million euros. Do you think this money will be spent transparently?

Gorica Bukić,  Bihać

Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state has long been steeped in corruption and crime. Based on my previous experiences, I doubt that the money will find its way to the true victims, those who have literally lost everything in one day. If donors properly monitored the situation, then perhaps this could be avoided. However, I am afraid that once again most of the resources will be used for purposes which are shameful. We are witnessing protests by people from Željezno polje, and we see the hopelessness of the citizens of Maglaj, Doboj and many other towns. Municipal authorities are at a loss as to how to address the situation. Only on 13th of August did the FBiH government finally form a Board of Directors that is to take care of the funds collected for rehabilitation purposes. I think BiH needs radical change both politically and in terms of a change in the mind-sets of all its citizens.

Sabina Dolić,  Velika Kladuša

From past experience and knowing the character of the current and previous governments in BiH, I do not have the slightest confidence that the funds approved to repair the conse-quences of floods in BiH will be used transparently and objectively. The experiences we have from the time of reconstruction of destroyed houses during the war don’t give us reason for optimism. It is necessary to achieve more control in the allocation of resources, and before that, to precisely define the criteria and priorities in the allocation of funds. We have had countless examples of funds being allocated for political, family, or based on some other illegitimate criteria, and examples of direct corruption have not been rare. Things are not improving. Even today we have examples of returnees who have not received adequate as-sistance after returning to their homes.
The upcoming elections and the election campaign will make things worse. Non-transparent allocation and spending of funds will be influenced by political parties hoping thereby to garner votes and influence. Transparency can only be ensured by good regulations, precise criteria and public control over the spending of funds, as well as severe sanctions for any abuse.

Manja Husbašić Bilić, Sarajevo

I would like to believe that the money will be spent transparently. However, in order for this to happen, the money should be donated directly to the affected people and areas. If it goes through different funds which are run by the government then, in my opinion, transparency will not be ensured. The money will disappear like so many donations after the 1992-1995 war. In order for this not to happen, international monitoring is crucial. We also need independent volunteers in the field.

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