For the most politicians and officials from Republika Srpska March 1st is perceived as an unacceptable date for celebration. They all agree that for Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina this date meant over-voting conducted by the Bosniaks and Croats, which caused ethnic war i BiH.
,,There is no perception of this date as an important day in Bosnia and Herzegovina for us. This day will be celebrated by the Bosniaks, Croats – only if they had to, and ignored by the Serbs.” – said Republika Srpska President, Milorad Dodik.
Serb member of BiH Presidency Mladen Ivanic stressed that Republika Srpska and Serbs will never recognize March 1st, so called statehood day, because the referendum which was held at the time was against the will of Serbs, and brutally murder of Serbian wedding party on Bascarsija – were the introduction to the cruel war.
Republika Srpska Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said that March 1st is a sad and tragic date for the Serbian people in these parts and that the events that happened on that day – the holding of a referendum and the killing of a member of the Serbian wedding party in Bascarsija in Sarajevo – indicated the war in BiH.
Ivanic added that for him personally, this date means nothing and he feels like it doesn’t exist. ,,It’s deeply irritating for Republika Srpska and Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it’s celebration is insult for us.” said Ivanic.
It seems that Serbian politicians in RS and BiH institutions finally found the common ground – in national consensus about the perception of the past in BiH. Last time it happened for the Republika Srpska Day January 9, and today it seems that those are the only things they do not argue with each other at the present. Long story short, March 1 is highly non-eligible for the state holiday in multicultural society such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, and all those questions of celebrations and holidays will be prolonged, probably for the future generations of BiH leaders, to try to manage compromise and reconciliation about those, and many other questions which occurred to be unsolvable at the moment.
The Srpska Times