OPEN LETTER TO SERBIAN POLITICIANS

Banja Luka professor Đorđe Vuković recently published a powerful and emotional open letter on his Facebook profile, reflecting on the current political situation. Though we typically steer clear of political content, we are sharing his commentary in full and with permission, without edits, due to its relevance and resonance.

PHOTO: Đorđe Vuković

"Politicians—it's hard to even call you gentlemen, comrades, or fellow patriots anymore. It's even harder to refer to you as leaders of the people or guardians of public interest. And while stronger language may be more fitting, it would be improper.

Despite your complete inability to agree on anything, you all seem to share one belief: that the Serbian people and Republika Srpska are facing a critical turning point. Given the long list of political, economic, social, cultural, and demographic crises, the very least you could do—for the people and the land you claim to serve and from which you benefit—is to answer a few fundamental questions.

You’ve demonstrated that you neither want nor are capable of reaching a unified position on any of these challenges—one that could restore public trust and give hope that we’re not entering these defining moments as a scattered herd led by blind shepherds, but as a national community choosing its path with clarity and purpose.

You have never stood for unity, justice, equality, or democracy. You have shown no inclination toward meritocracy, no desire for cooperation based on shared values, nor any willingness to compromise or develop a clear strategy. Because of this stubbornness, you never even considered proposing a joint candidate or forming a transitional unity government—something that could have been the best answer to both external threats and internal fractures. It would have allowed each of you to participate in preparing for the 2026 elections, which should be held under truly democratic, fair, and transparent conditions to restore faith in institutions—and in you.

But instead, all of that sounded to you like empty rhetoric, a scam, a PR trick, a dishonorable offer. Tragically—but predictably—so. As the poet Matija Bećković once said, disunity is a form of existence for the Serbian people. Our history, lessons, experiences, and warnings seem to be in vain. This is our fate, our curse, a suicidal dance, a primitive instinct.

And so, divided, quarreling, and estranged, we enter these so-called 'crucial days.' Before it’s too late, here are several questions that may help us all understand who we’ve become, what could happen, and why—on behalf of every individual now trembling in the societal chaos you have created:

Can you at least agree that Republika Srpska must not emerge from this crisis defeated and humiliated? Can you commit to acting in the interest of the whole, rather than your own parties and pockets?

Can you agree to stop calling each other traitors, criminals, foreign mercenaries, fake patriots, scum—and poisoning the public discourse for your own gain while society collapses in shame and fury?

Can you agree not to allow anyone—especially not with your complicity—to refer to Republika Srpska as "RS" or a "genocidal creation," thus insulting the fallen soldiers, the murdered civilians, the war-disabled, the refugees, and your own families?

Can you promise to defend the dignity of the Serbian Orthodox Church, our cultural and educational institutions, our historical awareness, and our national identity with the same self-respect that every other nation expects and demands for itself?

Can you commit to ensuring that the 2026 elections will bring a truly legitimate government, elected by the actual will of the people—in a fair campaign, under proper supervision, through informed political debate and not through violence, falsified votes, media manipulation, and social media madness?

Can you finally get off people’s backs and let them think, speak, write, and act freely—without your orders, censorship, or threats—because only free and respected individuals can work, contribute, and build a state worthy of its name?

Can you agree to stop demonizing and destroying those who disagree with you, and instead confront them with arguments and ideas—showing that you seek civilization, not barbarism?

Can you vow to never again tell a lie or slander for the sake of your fragile ego or petty interests—and win power not through manipulation, but through competence?

Can you commit to saving Republika Srpska not by stealing from it, abusing its institutions, or promoting unqualified loyalists, but by upholding the law equally for all—because without justice, no state can stand?

Can you begin to tell the people that true Serbian virtue is honesty, not ruthlessness; work ethic and talent, not loyalty and flattery; knowledge and manners, not vulgarity and violence? Can you stop viewing everyone through the lens of your own corruption?

Can you at least agree on this—for the mental health of current generations, and in hope that future ones may inherit something better?

Can you admit, finally, that you could do all of the above—if you only wanted to? If you placed the collective good above your own greed and arrogance, if Republika Srpska and its people mattered more to you than any foreign capital or interest?

Isn’t every refusal to do so just proof that the Serbian people and Republika Srpska have no more dangerous enemy than you?

Author: Đorđe Vuković