CROATIAN OPPOSITION WANTS A TV STATION ALL TO ITSELF

AIM Zagreb, 13 October, 1997

Had it taken place just a week before its organizers - Gotovac (HSLS), Tom+  +ic (HSS), Cacic (HNS) and Jakovcic (IDS) - had planned, the Osijek opposition mini-summit (9-11 October) might have had a chance to repeat the effect their gathering held in Porec in the end of the past summer had had. At the time, from the near-by Brijuni - where president Tudjman was spending his holiday - the four opposition leaders received an urgent offer of possible cooperation, because it seemed that the parties of the centre had finally got hold of a formula which could shake up the regime. Although the four opposition parties in Porec were unable to reach an agreement with the fifth, most significant part of the Croatian opposition political pentagon - Racan's SDP - the regime was exposed to such an amount of international pressure that it seemed to it that it would be unable to resist such an enormous burden by itself.

However, the gathering in Osijek was held when Tudjman's initiatives were at their full swing: within just a week, Kordic was extradited and along with his nine companions on the way to the Hague; Brajkovic was discharged from the head of the Croatian part of the divided city; the government draft program of inter-ethnic reconciliation was adopted; the assembly passed convalidation of "Krajina" laws; Branimir Glavas was dismissed from the post; the IMF credit lines were unfrozen; and as a climax, Tudjman travelled to Strasbourg. In such a strong competition of important events, the opposition could not have expected to be given any prominent place in the media or anywhere else for its initiatives. It is questionable whether it would have got it even if all this had not happened, in view of what it had to offer.

Although not at all spectacular, the Osijek opposition mini-summit nevertheless yielded considerable fruit. The four opposition parties managed to reach an agreement about two draft laws which they intend to present to the Assembly. It is the election law and the law on Croatian Radio-Television (HRT), two issues which have so far been expressedly in the service of the ruling party, so the opposition arrived at a logical conclusion that it was high time cards were thoroughly shuffled, in order to prevent all the aces from going surely into the hands (sleeves?) of the HDZ again in the next elections.

As concerning the election law, the opposition wishes to achieve that the right to vote in the elections in the future be given only to the Croatian citizens who have permanent residence on the territory of the Republic of Croatia. The controversial voting of the diaspora, especially since it was enormously increased by the Croats from neighbouring Bosnia, the HDZ has acquired a golden reserve of votes which can easily prevail in situations of narrow election results. Because, the Chamber of Representatives is in this way filled with 12 deputies, which is almost ten per cent of the total number of members of this parliamentary chamber. Almost all of these deputies are part of the electorate of the HDZ, so the opposition is resolute that its chances in the elections would be much greater if the Croats from outside Croatia did not vote. And yet, however logical the proposal may be that those who do not pay taxes in a state should not be able to decide about its authorities, chances are poor that the assembly could adopt it. Advocating the amendment of the election law, the opposition also wishes to move downward the threshold set for political parties in order to be represented in the Assembly - from the present five to three per cent of votes won in the elections. It is hard to believe that this proposal could win support of the HDZ assembly majority, because the "scattered votes" are more than favourable for the party in power, because it grabs a part of deputy seats from them. Similar is the case with the proposal on introduction of multi-party polling committees, which HDZ would not be very happy about either.

The other draft law which the opposition adopted at its mini-summit in Osijek, the law on Croatian Radio-Television, seems to have even poorer chances to succeed. This time not only because the main obstacle on the road to its possible implementation would be only the HDZ, but also a part of the public. With the new law on HRT, the four opposition parties wish to take over the second program of this RTV station, considering it to be its natural right. The draft law is formulated so that it does not explicitly say so, but if one reads what the leaders of the HSLS, HSS, HND and IDS formulated in the statement given at the end of the Osijek session, there can be no doubt about it. The four opposition parties speak in favour of an amendment according to which the present HRT council would in the future consist of the council of the first program and the council of the second program. In the first, majority of members would be from among representatives of the parliamentary majority. Now, however, comes the most important thing: editorial policy of the first radio and television program, as well as nomination of the editors-in-chief and editors would be the duty of the council of the first HRT program, while the council of the second HRT program would be in charge of the second program of radio and television, in other words, the parliamentary opposition.

Although some people may not like the comparison, but the opposition views of the freedom of the media, especially electronic ones, were clearly revealed in the case of the Serbian opposition. It turned out that all the stories about independent media in which opposition leaders over there were criticized, have instantly gone up in smoke as soon as they got hold of a tiny bit of power. Why is the Croatian opposition, when the most influential media, the television, is concerned, advocating practically the same ideological matrix pushed by the ruling party and why is not its aim something much better: a completely independent public television network? The opposition, aware of its weak arguments that "at this moment in Croatia it is impossible to achieve" anything of the sort, explains that this is just a transitional solution. Because, regardless of how its draft law on Croatian Radio-Television might appear more acceptable than the one now in force (after all, not all regular payers of HTV subscription fee are members of HDZ, although they are bombarded every day by "you know whose" propaganda), the opposition still accepts the principle of party television. A part of the Croatian independent public has already warned against perniciousness of such opposition demands, because even if such a law were adopted, it would not contribute to freedom of information. It is true that it would be possible to hear different opinions from the "cathedral of Croatian spirit", but instead of the colouring given to it by HDZ, only colour would change, but everything else would most probably remain the same.

Discussion about the two draft laws and the agreement about them are the most important, although not the only results of the three-day session of Gotovac, Tomcic, Cacic and Jakovcic and their party teams in Osijek. They also hinted something about the need of a different administrative and territorial division of Croatia, having said that the present organization founded on 21 districts and numberless municipalities was extremely expensive and quite ineffective. Concerning international pressure exerted on Croatia - when due to all the events listed in the beginning of this text it had already greatly diminished - they just established that everything "could have been avoided by pursuing a different, European, authentic Croatian foreign policy, which especially refers to timely and correct fulfillment of formally undertaken obligations towards the international community". So much for the time being from the Croatian "centrist" opposition, with the note that new ideas - if any - should be expected at their next summit, in Sibenik, towards the end of November.

DRAGO HEDL