“A rebel with a reason”, was how the media described Maksuma Topalović in 1987 when she led a strike of 5,000 Kakanj miners, the largest mining strike in Yugoslavia at the time. Just as she did then, so she is today – Maksuma is rebelling with a reason! She has been the long-time executive director of the “Alternative” Association, and is currently the head of the informal group “Kakanj Ustaje” (Kakanj Rises), which has been taking to the streets for seven Saturdays because of the increase in the price of utility services by as much as 58%, without a clear explanation and with retroactive payment. The prices of district central heating have also been raised on two occasions.
“All of this has angered people and brought them out onto the streets”, says Maksuma in an interview.
What is your position on services now?
Maksuma Topalović: We do not think that services should be free of charge. But given the air pollution and the fact that the largest number of oncology patients in the Zenica Cantonal Hospital is from Kakanj, we believe that the municipality should subsidize heating prices from the funds it receives under the law on the operation of thermal power plants. Since 2014, Kakanj and Tuzla have been receiving fees from thermal power plants for the pollution they produce. And that fee is not small. Until 2019, it amounted to between three and five million per year. And we think that part of those funds should be directed to improving services, subsidizing heating, solving landslides and wastewater. However, the only thing the local government knows how to do is hit the pockets of citizens. And those funds are used for everything else, except for what they should naturally be used for, which is reducing air pollution on the environment and the health of citizens.
Have any energy efficiency measures been initiated or implemented in Kakanj?
Maksuma Topalović: The local ecological plan, as the only measure for energy efficiency, envisaged the expansion of the district heating network, but even that measure did not take root properly. We have repeatedly proposed that funds be invested in switching to ecologically cleaner energy sources. Most people in Kakanj use coal, which is a major polluter, but is also the cheapest. We also asked for heating of residential and commercial spaces, replacement of roofs and carpentry, and if we had started with these measures in 2014, we would have had at least some results by now. The first subsidies to households for these purposes, to reduce energy poverty, were distributed only in 2024. But even here, when creating the criteria for awarding subsidies, they did not take into account socially vulnerable groups, so we had a situation where a subsidy for a heat pump was received by a man who is also the director of a company, the head of a party, and a municipal councilor!
How open and willing are local authorities to dialogue with citizens? To what extent are citizens involved in the processes of making environmental and all other plans and decisions?
Maksuma Topalović: And here we come to another problem. Namely, in order for a citizens’ initiative to be valid, the Statute of the Municipality of Kakanj stipulates that it must be supported by 5% of citizens from those registered in the CEC voter list. In Kakanj, this amounts to 1720 signatures of citizens. And Zenica, which is three times larger, does not have this percentage, but they have set a fixed number of 1500 signatures. And the city of Visoko has set it at 50 signatures of citizens. Now compare that statistics. In order for a local community to solve a problem, it cannot do it alone, it cannot collect those 1720 signatures alone. The point is that this is also an attempt to thwart and stop a citizens’ rebellion, and this speaks best of human rights and the municipality’s intention to really involve citizens. However, what the authorities must be clear about is that these protests that are being organized are not just one-time expressions of dissatisfaction. At these assemblies, there are citizens who think for themselves, who clearly identify where the problem is and who understand the importance of getting started.
How do you look at the role of women in all these processes? They have initiated and are leading various initiatives for the protection of the environment.
Maksuma Topalović: That is right, and I can confirm this by providing facts. The action against the construction of a mini hydroelectric power plant in the Modrinje settlement was initiated by 5 local communities, and then women stepped in and pushed it to the end. Edina Dogdibegović, who leads the group “For Clean Air”, initiated the signing of a petition against the construction of a factory for processing animal waste in Kakanj. Then there is Harija Čobo, who stood up against mining in Vareš. There is also the group Kakanj Rises, which I started, but Azra Berbić and Elma Demir and Edina are also involved in that story.
Somehow, all these actions were born out of women. It seems that they are more sensitive to problems and that caring for their family is transferred to caring for nature, caring for survival. Their communication with the public and their approach are also different, they are more caring and more sincere in the sense that there is a clear concern for something concrete, which is common to all, which is the general welfare. They do not give up easily, they are persistent, they are not easily intimidated. For me, the biggest motivation for taking action was that arrogance. I simply will not let you talk to me like that!
Have you or your colleagues been exposed to threats, pressures, attacks?
Maksuma Topalović: There were attempts at fake profiles and attempts to discredit us. All sorts of things were written, a lot of ugly and low things were said… We considered taking legal action, but we gave up when the city stood by us and when they said that our organization is filled with hard-working, smart and educated young people. Everything we do, we do for the community and I think that is recognized.
How difficult is it to be a human rights defender in BiH?
Maksuma Topalović: Very, very difficult. You are exposed to these attacks, misunderstandings; you do not have the support or capacity to respond to all the challenges. You do not have clear reports and documents that you can rely on to implement certain policies or initiatives. You have to pull out information. And everything costs money, and a public assembly costs money, and research costs money…
ANTRFILE: Informal group “Kakanj Rises”
The informal group “Kakanj Rises” is not only about fighting against the increase in the price of utilities and heating. They have also stood up against the construction of a factory for processing animal waste, according to Maksuma, which is backed by the AgroProteinka company from Zagreb, which is majority-owned by the Grlić Radman family, of the current Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the Croatian Government.
“We are already overpolluted, and this factory would create additional pollution. After all, Kakanj has neither a meat industry nor a developed livestock industry, so why build this factory in Kakanj”, Maksuma asks. She adds that citizens only learned about these plans to burn animal waste in blast furnaces when the Zagreb sister company Bioorganika requested the renewal of its environmental permit. By the end of 2024, more than 2,400 signatures had been collected from citizens demanding that the permit for the construction of this factory not be renewed.
In addition, “Kakanj Rises” is also demanding the closure of the city landfill, which was ordered by the competent inspection. “The municipality of Kakanj is the only one in the Zenica-Doboj Canton that does not transport waste to the regional landfill in Zenica, but instead deposits it here at the landfill in the city, which has not solved the problem of wastewater, smell, or various animals that collect and carry away garbage”, explained Maksuma.
“We are asking for clear, concrete and visible measures and we are asking for their implementation to be monitored”, Maksuma said openly.
Interviewed by: Dragana Dardić
Photo: Photo provided by Maksuma Topalović
