Tuesday, September 20, 2011
www.euroblic.ba
The campaign of the Centres for Civic Initiatives in Bijeljina on animation of citizens
INFORMING ABOUT THE FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENTS: The goal is greater participation of citizens in the supervision of their local government.
The adage that people have the government they deserve proves to be correct in practice every day, and it shows that it is crucial that citizens change their attitude towards the community in order for a fundamental change in society to be made, said the activists of the Centres for Civic Initiatives yesterday in Bijeljina.
As part of the “Week of Civic Participation,” yesterday they set up a street stand in the centre of Bijeljina at which citizens could express their views on the functioning of local and state authorities.
The goal of the campaign is greater participation of citizens in the decision-making process at local level, because only in this way the common good can be achieved. Citizens generally do not know that there are legitimate mechanisms which can influence the decisions of government such as citizens’ assemblies, petitions, and even peaceful protests, said Obren Bjelošević, CCI activist. None of local officials joined the activists in the main city square yesterday, and citizens were more interested in specific issues than in petitions and assemblies.
Maja Buha, an attorney, says that young people are most interested in how to get a job: I am interested in the announced program of hiring of beginner employees. If government and employers do not recognize their quality, young people will leave this country, she says.
The activists of CCI, however, claim that citizens need to recognize that they are “a decision-making factor”, because only in this way can they fight for their rights, even for the fundamental right to work.
