The President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik said that giving up January 9, when Republic Day is celebrated, would mean renouncing oneself and one’s history, that is, accepting readiness to listen to the dictates of Muslims and foreigners.
“That is not possible. On January 9, 1992, the Serbs made a historic decision in Pale, just as 99 percent of them confirmed that decision in the referendum that this date is Republic Day,” Dodik told reporters in Banjaluka.
He stressed that at that time it was not the intention for the Republic Day to be on the religious holiday of St. Stephen, but it was a moment of political necessity at a time when there were joint activities of the SDA and the HDZ to break BiH and get it out of Yugoslavia.
“Later, Muslims and foreign judges /of the BiH Constitutional Court/ characterized that it offends someone. It doesn’t offend anyone! March 1 and November 25 also offend us. At the session of ZAVNOBiH on November 25, 1943, Serbs were dominant. Then /Vojislav/ Đedo Kecmanović was the chairman, he had his own street in Sarajevo, and then upstarts who abolished it came, and advocated for ZAVNOBiH. This shows their intentions,” emphasized Dodik.
The President of Republika Srpska said that there is no force that could prohibit the celebration of January 9, and emphasized that he is proud of the Serb people who gather around that holiday.
“Someone from the outside cannot come and say what we will celebrate. It is the same as if someone came and said that January 7 is not Christmas but some other day. Republic Day is January 9 and it cannot be any other date!”, Dodik underlined.
Republika Srpska will celebrate Republic Day and 32 years of existence on January 9.
January 9 is being marked as the Day of Republika Srpska because on that date in 1992, the original name of the Republika Srpska BiH was established.
It was founded by Serb deputies in the then Assembly of BiH after they were outvoted in key questions about the survival of Yugoslavia, and members of the other two nations started secession against the will of the Serbs who had the status of a constituent nation.
Source: srna.rs