KOZIĆ: NEW GENERATIONS SHOULD PRESERVE WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, FEBRUARY 23 /SRNA/ - Dušan Kozić, a member of the Assembly of the Creators of Republika Srpska Association, told SRNA that the adoption of the first Constitution of Republika Srpska 34 years ago served the purpose of protecting the survival of the Serbs, and expressed hope that today's generations will know how to preserve what has been achieved.

Kozić said that the adoption of the Constitution of Republika Srpska on February 28, 1992, was a response to the resurgent ambitions of fascism and Ustasha ideology, which could be felt in the air from the 1990s of the last century and the introduction of multi-party politics in BiH. He reminded that after the formation of Republika Srpska, the Constitution was adopted and all state institutions were established, something that had to be done so that the Serb people could survive on their own land and function normally. Kozić said that in that pre-war period, all Serb personnel sensed impending misfortune - the war and the ambitions of the political opponents at the time, but that everyone, as one, stood in the same column to defend the Serb people and territory, which resulted in a high level of quality in the first convocations of the National Assembly and the Government. "That is why we inherit, as a serious state, what we see and have today. God willing, today’s youth will recognize this and continue along that path and preserve what has been achieved," Kozić said. He emphasized that the adoption of the Constitution was a forced decision made by the SDS, along with all Serbs who shared the party's views at that time, including academics. As a result, this significant state act was adopted with input from highly qualified experts. Kozić, who served as Prime Minister of Republika Srpska from August 1994 to October 1995, noted that the SDS sought to resolve all past disagreements in BiH through democratic means, in the interest of a peaceful future, but that this did not succeed. "As time went on, fascist ambitions grew and culminated, and it became clear in which direction everything was heading. We could not allow mass suffering of Serbs like that which occurred in 1941, and our response was our own state and our own territory, to protect the people and the land. That is how the Serb Republic of BiH was formed, and then events carried us further," Kozić stated. The Assembly of the Serb People of BiH adopted the Constitution on February 28, 1992. It was unanimously adopted, based on the Declaration of 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 to this day, was adopted before the outbreak of the tragic conflicts, as well as before the unilateral declaration of independence of BiH by Bosniaks and Croats following the referendum held on March 1, in which Serbs did not participate.