Serb National Council president Milorad Pupovac said on Tuesday the discussion on whether Banija or Banovina was the correct name for the Croatian region showed a strong politicisation of language and that both were linguistically correct.

A professor at the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Department for Applied Linguistics, he told N1 television that “language here is a very politicised issue… with the intention to build the national Croatian identity” which, he said, often causes misunderstandings, lack of freedom in speakers and fears and uncertainty as to how to use one’s own language.

Post-war reconstruction

Pupovac also commented on the post-war reconstruction of homes in Sisak-Moslavina County, some of which were razed by a 29 December earthquake, which raised the issue of quality and responsibility.

He said “indeed all sorts of things” happened in the reconstruction after the 1991-95 Homeland War, including different treatment on ethnic grounds.

There are many aspects that need to be established, including the extent of responsibility and who was responsible, he said, mentioning the problem of hiring subcontractors and insufficient awareness of the seismological situation.

Boris Milošević, the deputy prime minister for human rights and a member of the task force dealing with the aftermath of the 29 December tremor, said he used the name Banija for the region and that, given the job that needs to be done after the quake and to solve the problems of the locals who lost their homes, “I can’t wait for the time when that will be the only concern, whether it’s Banija or Banovina.”