Hasani: The Serb boycott is a result of Kurti's misguided policies

Dr. Ismail Hasani, a sociologist from Pristina, assessed that numerous irregularities recorded during the census, as well as the boycott by the Serbian community, are the result of misguided policies by the authorities in Pristina, who failed to find a way to explain to citizens that the process was in their interest.

"People need to be educated. I'm talking about those in power. They need to be educated. You can't approach people, in this case, the Serbs, by telling them that it is an order from the Government of Kosovo. They will reject it for various reasons, perhaps due to tensions, external influences... They should have found ways to reach out to people and conduct the census peacefully," Hasani stated for Kosovo Online.

He said that the boycott of the census has mostly harmed municipalities with a majority Serbian population because they will lose budget funds or grants for projects, and he doesn't understand why this was allowed.

"I see no reason for this except for the absurd policies that Albin Kurti might have dreamed up or heard about, where in some normal countries, censuses are conducted at any time of the day or night," Hasani explains.

When asked whether the authorities in Pristina will use the fact that a larger number of Serbs were not counted, Hasani says that the Government of Kosovo must take them into account.

"Where will that Serb go, I wonder? He is not a criminal. Those who committed crimes are not here. Unfortunately, some fled out of fear and repression after the war even though they were not guilty. But those who stayed and who till the fields and live from their own work, they are here. The government needs to count on them. Why did someone not participate in the census? Because of the non-implementation of the Ohrid Agreement, which was clear and loud: Finish your homework. It was said to both Kosovo and Serbia," Hasani concludes.