Legitimate Serbian political representatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina declared the Republika Srpska on this day 32 years ago, in response to Muslims’ and Croats’ decision to seek recognition from the European Community without their consent, despite being a constituent people.
Delegates from the Serbian assembly, elected in legitimate multi-party elections in 1990, proclaimed the Republic of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which later became known as Republika Srpska. This was a response to the intention of Muslims and Croats to secede from Yugoslavia and the constant marginalization of Serbs at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Serbian People’s Assembly declared the establishment of the present-day Republika Srpska before any interethnic conflicts and before the start of the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously, on November 9-10, 1991, a referendum was held among the Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where an overwhelming majority decided to remain in the common state of Yugoslavia.
Muslim and Croatian politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina disregarded the fact that they were violating the constitutions of both Yugoslavia and the Republika Srpska and proceeded with secession, confirmed by an illegal referendum in late February and early March 1992, without Serbian participation.
Republika Srpska was, prior to and during the conflicts, the primary demand of the Serbs for any agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina and the cessation of hostilities. The majority of peace plans, except the Vance-Owen plan proposing ten cantons, implied the existence of Republika Srpska.
The Cutileiro Plan envisioned an independent Bosnia and Herzegovina with three national cantons, the Owen-Stoltenberg Plan of 1993 spoke of three national republics, including Republika Srpska, and the Dayton Agreement definitively incorporated Republika Srpska as a constitutive element in the structure of the new Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The fact that on January 9, 1992, Serbs declared the Republika Srpska (initially named the Republic of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina) poses a significant challenge to those who seek to derogate and dispute its legitimacy. This date negates and trivializes all propaganda stories claiming that Republika Srpska was created through “war and blood” or ethnic cleansing, as asserted primarily by political Sarajevo.
Hence, continuous attempts to declare January 9 unconstitutional through various means, including appeals to the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where foreign and Bosniak judges dominate, persist. However, history cannot be changed.
Republika Srpska emerged through the decision of the Serbian people’s parliament in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which later evolved into the National Assembly of Republika Srpska. It was defended during the war and today stands as the most functional part of Dayton’s Bosnia and Herzegovina – politically the most stable.
The name “Republic of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina” was in use from January 9 to February 28, 1992, until the proclamation of the first constitution when it was replaced with the Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, used until August 12, 1992, when it was changed to Republika Srpska. This name was replaced in September 1992 with the current one – Republika Srpska.
Source: srna.rs
