THE TAX PERNICIOUS FOR THE MINISTER

Scandal in the Croat Minister of Culture

AIM, OSIJEK, March 20, 1995 When the controversial "Hrvatski vjesnik", the journal of indubitable pro-fascist orientation which is published twice a month with the signature of the "independent Ustashe" Zvonimir Sekulin" in Vinkovci, carried on the middle page of its latest volume the opinion of the Ministry of Culture whereby this printed matter was exempted from sales tax (the so-called tax on pornography and pulp), the Split satirical weekly "Feral Tribune" was completely overcome by shock. Namely, for months now, "Feral" has been trying to bring about exemption from the tax which was levied on it last summer, at the same time as on "Hrvatski vjesnik", "for continuous attacks on the authorities", by the already former Minister of Culture, Ms. Vesna Girardi-Jurkic. For the benefit of those who have not followed this case closely, we will rewind the film and remind of the genesis of the case which lies heavily on Croatia and its efforts to become a fully-fledged member of the Council of Europe as soon as possible.

TAX FOR BOTH "LEFTIST AND RIGHTIST EXTREMISTS"

From its very appearance, the Split satirical journal "Feral Tribune" (publication of "Feral" which was once just a weekly supplement of the daily "Slobodna Dalmacija", at first as a biweekly, and soon afterwards as a weekly, began in summer 1993) displeased the young Croat democracy, and - unlike other newspaper publications, it was forced to wait for an unusually long time for the opinion of the Ministry of Culture which, in fact, determines whether a journal will pay the tax or not. Although this is a routine procedure, the case of "Feral Tribune" showed that the authorities will always find a way to break their own law. The authorities hesitated infinitely with the "exemption opinion" for "Feral", so as to make it clear to the editorial staff that their favourite topic which they made their readers shake with laughter - the Croat President Franjo Tudjman - has ways to be the last to laugh, and therefore to laugh best, as it is always the case with those who have the last say.

Several-months long waiting to be exempted from the tax which hung over "Feral"'s head like the sword of Damocles, it seems, was not taken sufficiently seriously by its staff. When last summer, the Minister Girardi-Jurkic annulled the opinion "Feral" had previously received, which had exempted it of paying the "pornography" tax, and levied it, it was already too late. For a, the Ministry tried to explain this decision by saying that the tax was levied on "Feral" because its "conception changed". But, when it became obvious that this explanation was extremely transparent and quite unconvincing (if "Feral" was consistent at all, it was consistent in its criticism of the present Croat authorities and especially of President Tudjman), in an interview to "Nedjeljna Dalmacija", Minister Gerardi-Jurkic admitted that it was done "after certain consultations" because "Feral" continuously attacked the authorities. What is more, the Minister seized the opportunity to warn the others - should any other journal start to behave like "Feral" (and she explicitly mentioned the magazine for culture "Vijenac"), the tax would be levied on them, too.

The reason for levying the controversial tax on pro-fascist Vinkovci "Vjesnik" at the same time as on "Feral", lay probably in the intention of the Ministry of Culture to explain its policy of punishing both the "rightist and the leftist extremes". "Feral" paid about 300 thousand German marks to the state treasury only for the six months of last year, which means that the sum will double for this whole year round. Of course, if the journal survives in the market under such draconic conditions. The editorial staff tried by all means to obtain annullment of this ridiculous decision. Numerous renowned foreign organizations which are concerned with the freedom of speech, flooded the table of the Croat Prime Minister, Nikica Valentic, with letters and fax-messages protesting because of stifling "Feral". Valentic promised that he would do his best to have "Feral" exempted, if, as he said, it was not the matter of a "higher political will".

THE PRESIDENT "IN A TOWERING RAGE"

Zlatko Vitez, the new Minister of Culture who inherited Vesna Girardi-Jurkic, testified that this was exactly what was the case. He himself addressed a letter to Prime Minister Valentic demanding that the Government abolish the controversial tax on "Feral", because he knew no more how to answer to numerous protests he received every day. Although Valentic also knew exactly what it was all about - every visit from the Council of Europe informed him again that the tax paid by "Feral" was actually the attempt of the state to stifle an independent weekly - he could do nothing. When Vitez finally found courage and knocked on the door of the office of the Croat President, he did not fare too well. In a telephone call with the Editor-in-Chief of "Feral", Viktor Ivancic, Vitez lamented that as soon as the name of Split journal was mentioned, the President "leaped in a towering rage" and almost threw him out of the office.

Obviously nothing more unpleasant could happen to Vitez than abolition of the tax for "Hrvatski vjesnik". In the latest report of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in former Yugoslavia, "Hrvatski vjesnik" is mentioned as an example of the worst possible spreading of ethnic, racial and religious hatred. After all, it is quite sufficient to read a single volume of this newsppaper and see what it is all about. The journal in which the Serbs (this noun is unfailingly spelled with a small initial letter) are openly threatened with slaughter, is swamped with insults for all the others who do not share the opinions of the editors and the circle around them. In the latest volume of the journal, Boutros Boutros Ghali was called "the leprous skeleton from the Nile of twenty kilos", and since he was "worse than some serbs, "a willow will be found to hang him, too". French Minister of the Exterior, Alain Juppe, as this journal writes, "would give his ass to the serbs", while his British colleague, Douglas Hurd, "looks like some monster from horror movies" and he is "in no way nicer than a Chetnik's head". And so on, and so forth...

When first "Novi list", and then "Feral Tribune" published the decision ofthe Ministry of Culture on abolition of the "pornography tax" for "Hrvatski vjesnik", Zlatko Vitez defended himself as an "innocent man in the madhouse". He, of course, knew nothing: hundreds of decisions, letters and other documents were brought to him to sign. He signed them all routinely, trusting his employees who prepare the "mail for signature". That is how, he claimed publicly, back in November last year, the paper with the opinion which exempted "Hrvatski vjesnik" of this tax was shoved underneath other papers for him to sign. But, now that he has had such bad experience, the Minister would be extremely cautious: he would punish severely those who had misled him, and he wouldll suspend the decision on abolition of the tax for the Vinkovci journal.

CICAK'S ACCUSATION

The whole affair, however, can be viewed in a different light, too. What would have happened if "Hrvatski vjesnik" had not published the fascimile of Vitez's decision? Could anyone have tricked Vitez into signing papers exempting "Feral Tribune" of the tax, without his knowledge? How come Zvonimir Sekulin, the Editor-in-Chief of Vinkovci "Vjesnik", is a regular guest of the montly press conferences of President Tudjman? It is well-known that the number of journalists at these conferences is limited and that only chosen authors among journalists are admitted to attend, especially those who will not irritate the President with their questions? Does the President know whose hand he is shaking, or like Vitez - he trusts his collaborators who deceive him in this way.

Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, President of the Croat Helsinki Committee, quite some time ago accused the Croat Government that it stood behind "Hrvatski vjesnik" and that it supported it financially. Although Cicak offered no evidence for his declaration at the time, they seem to appear on their own. The latest volume of this Vinkovci journal includes more than five pages of advertisements of the well-known Croat firms majority of which are state-owned. "Feral Tribune" can only dream something of the kind.

The most ridiculous of all is the fact that the State Public Prosecutor has remained silent, as if he is not concerned at all with what and how "Hrvatski vjesnik" writes. The entire avalanche dropped on the head of the Minister of Culture, although, according to the logic of a state of law, he should be the last to be concerned with "Hrvatski vjesnik". The Public Prosecutor does not wish to get involved, fearing probably that someone might accuse him of limiting the freedom of the press. Or, what is even worse, that Croatia will in this way lose the epithet of "one of the most democratic countries in the world", as sometimes its President tends to say.

DRAGO HEDL