UNMIK on AIR
SLUG: For most
political analysts – Kosovo’s Problems are inevitably seen through the lenses
of the two dominant ethnic groups – Albanians, that comprise some 88% of the
population and Serbs, who make up approximately 7% of the population [UNDP
estimates]. Indeed, much of the political discussion surrounding the October
elections for Kosovo’s Provisional Legislature is focused on Serb
participation in the ballot process. UNMIK On-Air begins a series of features
centered around what members of the non-Serb minorities are saying as their
political representatives are facing increasing pressure to solve the issues
affected these communities.
Hello and Welcome. You are listening to UNMIK ON-Air.
For most political
analysts – Kosovo’s problems are inevitably seen through the lenses of the two
dominant ethnic groups – Albanians that make up about 88 % of the population
and the minority Serbs that make up about 7% of the population – these figures according
to recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates.
Much of the political discussion surrounding the October
elections of Kosovo’s Provisional Legislature is focused on Serb participation
in the ballot process.
However, local analysts note a growing political
dissatisfaction coming from the non-Serb minorities concerned with rising
unemployment, security issues and access to education.
Besnik: “The
representatives we voted for didn’t keep their promises, maybe because they
couldn’t. We voted for small parties and they don’t have any decision making
power. I hope it will be better in the future”
Besnik is a member of Kosovo’s Turkish minority living in
Prizren, a city of some 220 thousand people near the Albanian border.
Here cultural influences from centuries of Ottoman rule can
be seen in the very fabric of society – both architecturally and culturally.
Besnik, like many minorities interviewed for this segment,
is skeptical of what the upcoming elections will mean for his community.
Sound of Daily Life in and
around the Cafes of Prizren
In Prizren, dozens of people line the city’s cafes looking
as if they are waiting for something to do.
Unemployment is one of Kosovo’s most pressing issues.
Current estimates by Kosovo’s NGO Riinvest estimate that the unemployment rate
is around 60%.
Speaking outside of one café in Prizren, Adnan, a member of
the Bosniak minority says he expects the his representative to tackle a broad
range of concerns – emphasizing one issue in particular:
Adnan: “What do I expect from them? I expect from them to
fight for employment. In Kosovo that’s the biggest problem.”
In October, Kosovans will elect 120 members to its Assembly
through what is described as a proportional system of representation.
UNMIK On-Air
interviewed Sven Lindholm, Spokesperson for the OSCE, after a UN HQ press
conference about how the minority communities are represented in the
legislature:
Sven Lindholm: “There are 20 set aside seats, ten for the
Serbian community and ten for the other minority communities. The way they have
been divided up, there were four for Roma/Askali/Egyptian communities, four for
Bosniak community and two for Turkish community. The way these seats will be
divided up according to the parties is still according to the proportional vote
or by the number of votes that they’ll receive on the Election Day.”
The international community set up the 20 minority seats
as a sort of anti-discrimination measure in May of 2001 – additionally other
safeguards were set up to help minority
participation in decision-making processes [for Kosovo’s provisional
legislature.]
But questions remain for Kosovo’s minority community - what
ARE their elected representatives doing with this authority?
Arben Rashiti: “After the first elections in Kosovo, we
could see that political parties were working a lot for their communities. But
I can say that in some decision making processes - members of the Assembly were
fearful.”
Arben Rashiti is a journalist who works in the Albanian newsroom
of radio Blue Sky in Pristina and has been covering minority issues in the
Kosovo Assembly. He says that minority representatives have an uphill battle in
getting their concerns met.
Rashiti: “Fear of reprisal for advocating for minority concerns
translates to a lack of advocacy by these communities when it comes to
addressing their fundamental problems.
These problems certainly include education, some cultural aspects of life -
things that minorities used to have but don’t have anymore. Reasons (for that
kind of behavior) are different but we can say that the security issue is still
unsatisfying [for minorities]. Security that’s the fundamental issue. There are
people that are afraid to talk in their native language or to show their habits
as they used to do.”
More Sounds of Daily Life
in Prizren
Sitting in his office in Prizren,
Mustafa Balja, a Bosniak journalist who works for Radio Television Kosovo and
for the Bosniak magazine “Alem,” says he is not satisfied with the imposed
minority seating in Kosovo’s Assembly. Balja argues there are not proper
classifications for certain ethnic communities. This, he says, helps to cripple
their effectiveness in Parliament.
Balja: “I think that these reserved seats don’t help to
unify Bosniaks because they, the Bosniaks, have five political entities. There
are some things that should be changed within the Constitutional Framework.”
Local analysts say
another major problem facing Kosovo’s non-Serb minority political parties is
financing.
All political parties represented in the Assembly, including
minority parties, receive public funding, through the Kosovo Democracy Funding
Account.
Parties can also receive private donations but
everything has to be transparent and submitted to the OSCE’s [Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe’s] Political Department.
Sound of the Call
to Prayer
One of Prizren’s
imams Hadji Muharem approached UNMIK On-Air near the city’s municipal
headquarters during the taping of this segment. When asked about minority visibility
in the current system, Muharem echoed the idea that the problems for Kosovo’s
minority parties are indeed financially based.
Imam Muharem: “Unfortunately, I can say openly
that in Kosovo, minority communities were not adequately represented most
probably because they lack the finances other political parties can raise.”
As for the nine non-Serb minority political parties - ALL
will contest for entry into a limited number of seats in October’s Assembly
elections.
And, as the question of Kosovo’s status looms, many
interviewed for this segment, expressed hope that the current need for more
inter-ethnic cooperation will allow for more power-sharing on Kosovo’s
political stage.
And that concludes this edition of UNMIK On-Air – Thanks for
listening.