HARD TIMES
AIM, ZAGREB, December 10, 1996
The Croatian state is beyond any doubt, in six years it has achieved wonders unseen and unheard of, became the workman of not only its own fortune but also an important regional factor and a respected military force, and still, if its President Franjo Tudjman can be trusted, the list of its enemies has never been so long and complicated as it is at this moment. It turns out that Croatia has made its centuries-long dreams come true, but that, on the other hand, the number of its enemies and the plotting of those external with the internal ones is so threatening that only the Croatian Democratic Union can save it. In his longish speech held on Saturday at the Second Session of the HDZ Main Board, Franjo Tudjman claimed that the victory of HDZ at the next elections is indispensable since without it the existence of the Croatian state might come into question.
Namely, this meeting of the HDZ Central Committee marked the final announcement of the beginning of the pre-election campaign for local elections, as well as elections for the Regional Chamber of the Parliament and for the President of the Republic. In his well-known style Tudjman proclaimed himself President of all the Croats, father of the nation and alike, and then announced: "It is essential that we decide on our own about the resolution of our social and other problems without foreign tutors and guardians, because foreign countries have their own calculations, and many of our people are susceptible to harbouring illusions."
In all this Tudjman does not care about the Council of Europe (fault-finders), nor Germany, nor America, which is still the closest ally, but its Ambassador was nevertheless Galbraith called a "tractor diplomat". No one can reproach, let alone impose anything on Croatia, and then follows a true pearl: "Today the Croatian state is not threatened from the outside, but it can be endangered by disunity and dissension, once of the Croatian nobility, and today of its multiparty system, particularly so if divisions occur within the HDZ".
Perhaps Tudjman, visibly physically recovered after treatment in Washington, was not aware of what he had said, but such assessments stir anxiety in Croatia and rise questions as to whether there will be elections at all, as it logically follows from this that the HDZ rule is eternal on account of its historic merits.
Otherwise, the HDZ Main Board session was awaited with much interest because there were rumours that open conflict within the HDZ was possible. However, although voices of dissension could be heard, it turned out that Tudjman opted for yet another manifestation of the party unity and for settling accounts with everyone. Others are to be blamed for all the Croatian troubles, and as for the successes - it goes without saying - the credit is due to the HDZ with the Greatest Leader at its helm.
In his address to members of the HDZ Main Board, but also to the nation, since Television broadcast his entire speech, Tudjman claimed that the creators of the world policy think that he should be removed as the main obstacle to an idea of a Balkan or South-East European integration. These strategic centers which determine long-term policy, have envisaged that all those guilty for the disintegration of Yugoslavia, "and these are Milosevic and Izetbegovic, in addition to Tudjman" should be removed from the political scene.
This unconscious falling into a trap of identifying himself with Milosevic, or perhaps a conscious defence of the Belgrade colleague, Tudjman underlined with a claim that speculations concerning his illness have given new impetus to foreign partners, so that it was not by accident that all this was happening at the same time with popular protests in Belgrade and Sarajevo.
Tudjman is simply convinced that he and his party will win the elections without much trouble, because allegedly according to the HDZ surveys at the level of Croatia HDZ could get between 36 and 40 percent of votes, and he between 48 and 51 percent. However, all other polls prove contrary and that the HDZ might get something over one third of votes, while Tudjman could hardly win again which, in addition to financially exhausted and by faction struggle shaken HDZ, was a true reason for nervousness and a need to call the Croats to unity and showdown with the internal enemy. The list on which even the authors of the famous "White Book" from the times of communism would envy Tudjman, is truly fascinating and such weight and importance is attributed to those named on it that it is actually unclear how can Croatia still exist.
The most important destroyers of Croatia are the following: Croatian Helsinki Committee, Soros Foundation "Open Society Institute", Association Homeland and Diaspora, Pen Center and, naturally, the media such as "Feral Tribune", Radio 101, "Novi List" (New Paper), "Vijenac" (Wreath), "Erazmus", "Arkzin", "Bumerang" (Boomerang). Among listed individuals the first place belongs to the President of the HSLS (Croatian Peasants' Liberal Party) and its presidential candidate Vlado Gotovac at whose promotion according to Tudjman a team of foreign experts works. He was thus imposed upon his own party, then on his party partners and the public, but has to carry out the policy of those who forced everybody into accepting him.
Among the people gathered around HHO, apart from Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, professor Ivo Banac is under the fiercest attack because he has, back in 1993 together with Krsto Cvijic, Slavko Goldstein, Vlado Gotovac, Vesna Pusic and Ozren Zunec, demanded of the Croatian President to resign in the name of the Croatian future. As of Saturday enemies of stature are also the well-known former and present emigrants Tihomil Radja, poet Boris Maruna, journalist Gojko Boric, Vlado Pavlinic, Jaksa Kusan. Individually listed by their names, some directly and some indirectly, are also Vjeran Zuppa, Vice Vukov, Slobodan Prosperov Novak and many others, and especially the leaders of the opposition parties, the same ones that some ten months ago Tudjman called cattle with small teeth.
Many of them have already answered Tudjman not hiding their consternation at methods which they thought belonged to the past, but what else could they expect after Tudjman's speech on his return from Washington when he spoke of Judas' silver coins and those who associate with the black, green and yellow devils.
Tudjman obviously opted for a tactics that the best defence is to attack first, but hardly will the majority of population believe in that naive story of the world conspiracy about which, as he himself said, many ministers know little. Only a statesman who doesn't know what is going on in his country, although he himself admitted that HDZ has failed in some essential fields of life, can so easily ignore the Zagreb protests over Radio 101, protests of pensioners, various strikes among which that of railway workers continues for a third week in a row.
By this speech Tudjman showed that he is an incorrigible despot who is trying to lay all the blame for his failures at the door of internal and external enemies, users of Juda's silver coins. However, there is a question why does he ask of the HDZ candidates at the next elections to be renown, honest and capable party members? Instead of first putting his own house in order Tudjman swept the key state and party problems under the carpet forgetting plunders committed in the course of transformation and privatization, numerous social problems, unkept promises, conflicts between factions and finally the fact that post-Tudjman era will come once, because although he may believe differently, Tudjman is mortal too. Instead of preparing his party for that time which is mercilessly approaching, Tudjman resorted to a method which has nothing in common with democracy. Or perhaps he sincerely thinks that both he and the HDZ can rule as long as his communist predecessors did. If that is so, and it seems that it is, Croatia is embarking upon hard times in which all scenarios are possible, even the worst ones.
GOJKO MARINKOVIC