DODIK: FIRST CONSTITUTION OF REPUBLIKA SRPSKA - EXPRESSION OF RESPONSIBILITY AND STATE-BUILDING AWARENESS OF POLITICIANS AND PEOPLE

BANJA LUKA, FEBRUARY 27 /SRNA/ - SNSD president Milorad Dodik told SRNA that February 28, 1992, represents one of the most important dates in the institutional and political history of Republika Srpska, as it was the day when Serb politicians and the Serb people in BiH made a historic decision to translate their political will into the highest legal act - the Constitution of Republika Srpska.

"That act, taken at decisive and extremely challenging times for the Serb people in BiH, was an expression of responsibility, state-building awareness, and determination on the part of that generation of politicians and the Serb people to secure their survival in these areas, to determine their own destiny, and to provide a clear response to attempts at outvoting and imposing solutions without the consent of the Serb people," Dodik emphasized. Dodik explained in a statement to SRNA that the Constitution of Republika Srpska, in whose adoption he himself took part, clearly defined, for the first time, the constitutional and legal framework of Republika Srpska, and established its institutions, competencies, territorial organization, and political system. He emphasized that it was an act of political will of the Serb people to protect, through their own institutions, the right to self-organization, identity, and constitutional continuity. "The Constitution laid the foundations of Republika Srpska and is a guarantee of its existence as a constitutional category. The adoption of the Constitution was a response to the political processes in BiH at the time, to attempts at outvoting the Serb people and marginalizing them with the aim of turning Serbs from a constituent people into a national minority, and of transforming the then BiH into a Muslim state in the heart of Europe," emphasized the leader of the SNSD. He pointed out that the first Constitution of Republika Srpska was not just any document, but the highest legal act and a pledge that Serbs would decide their own destiny, defend their competencies, and never again allow others to govern their rights. "Republika Srpska was not created by a decree imposed by foreigners, nor as a political experiment. It was created by the will of the people and the responsibility of the political representatives of the time, who understood the seriousness of the moment; it was defended by the courage of Serb fighters and confirmed by the Dayton Peace Agreement. For that very reason, every attack on the Constitution of Republika Srpska, every challenge to its competencies, and every imposition of the will of foreigners represent a direct attack on the constitutional order and on the Dayton Peace Agreement," said Dodik. He pointed out that it is the duty of all responsible political actors to safeguard the Constitution as a sacred trust. "There is no stronger guarantee of the survival of Republika Srpska than its institutions, and there is no freedom without constitutional strength. That is why the past obliges us, for the sake of the future, to remain united in defending our competencies, resolute in protecting the Dayton Peace Agreement, and persistent in strengthening Republika Srpska as a stable and functional republic that decides its own path, without foreign interventionism," emphasized the leader of the SNSD. He recalled that ever since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, there have been ongoing attempts at the quiet stripping of powers from Republika Srpska, as well as continuous efforts toward centralization and the Islamization of BiH. "Under the guise of `reforms,` the `European path,` and various imposed decisions, there are attempts to undermine what the people created and what the Dayton Agreement confirmed. It is particularly dangerous when parts of the domestic political scene, for the sake of personal interests and the support of foreign mentors, participate in weakening their own Republic and its institutions. Those who today relativize the importance of the first Constitution of Republika Srpska will tomorrow relativize its very existence," warned the leader of the SNSD. Dodik stressed that the institutions of Republika Srpska are the only legitimate place where decisions are made about the Republic and its competencies, and that strong institutions are therefore the guarantee of a strong Republika Srpska. "Republika Srpska has its own Constitution, its own institutions, and its own political will. These are not subjects of negotiation or political bargaining. They are not to be tampered with, because doing so strikes at Republika Srpska itself. Political Sarajevo, together with a false High Representative and the former U.S. administration, attempted to attack our institutions and the Constitution, but we have shown that, despite all their assaults, Republika Srpska emerges from every difficult and delicate situation even stronger, prouder, and better," concluded the president of the SNSD and added that this will remain the case in the future as well, because the strength of Republika Srpska lies in its Constitution, its institutions, and the Serb people. The Assembly of the Serb People of BiH adopted the Constitution on February 28, 1992. It was unanimously adopted based on the Declaration on Establishment and guaranteed full equality and equal rights of the peoples and citizens of the Republic. The highest legal act of Republika Srpska, which, with certain amendments, remains in force today, was adopted before the outbreak of the tragic conflicts and the unilateral declaration of independence of BiH by Bosniak and Croat representatives following the March 1 referendum, in which Serbs did not participate.