When looking back on the trip to Mostar, the discussion with the Croat political party representative was one most memorable parts. The reason that the talk with the Croat stuck out so much to me had to do with the fact that I agreed with almost nothing that he said. While I do agree that there needs to be serious changes to the political system to ensure productivity and cooperation to better the country, I do not agree with his argument that Croats need more representation. When he specifically mentioned that he values gaining more political representation over other pressing issues, such as the high unemployment rate and the economic issues, I was shocked. It seemed as though he actually tried to avoid discussing those issues by changing the topic to what he assumes would appeal to a younger audience, such as the beach and skiing. I believe that there needs to be serious reforms to Dayton, but I understand that that is extremely difficult. However, Croats make up a significantly smaller proportion of the population compared to the other groups, and yet they demand the same amount of representation. While I do believe that all groups need to be represented, there need to be considerations for those with larger demands. Also, I still do not understand why none of the proposed changes to electoral law include representation of other minority groups, such as Jews and Roma.

In addition, their proposed electoral changes are not going to be approved by other groups given the future negative implications. While he did say that the Croats would not want to pursue their own state if they are stable in their political position, I struggle to believe that given the rise of right-wing nationalism in the Croat community.  The speaker wouldn’t even explain how they propose to change the law. While he did say that it would have to take place in the House of Peoples and House of Representatives, he did not explain the actual content that would be changed and how it would be implemented. Overall, I thought it was interesting to hear his party’s position, but I do not think that it would prove to be effective in practice.