After the Convention of B&H HDZ

Will Tudjman Experience Pale

AIM Sarajevo, 19 May, 1998

The election of Ante Jelavic for president of B&H Croat Democratic Community (HDZ), despite the order from Zagreb that after Perinovic, Kljuic, Brkic, Boban, Kordic and Rajic, federal minister of health Bozo Ljubic (brother of permanent HDZ parliamentary leader Mariofil Ljubic), appears to be the first denial of obedience of western Herzegovinians, or as usually said in media, the "historical NO" to the president of all Croats, Franjo Tudjman. This means that after the Serb Democratic Party , the leading party of the Croats in B&H is infected by the virus of resistance to the parent party. The Mostar convention of the party known for its continuous policy of homogenization of the nation and its territorial concentration in the region where no other options could be heard, started revealing the tip of the iceberg of its inevitable future turmoil.

But, to observe the new leader of B&H HDZ as a representative of a possible liberal option which will not only oppose Tudjman, but also turn towards cooperativeness, implementation of the Dayton accords and joint state of B&H, contrary to the defeated Ljubic who would have allegedly continued pursuing Tudjman's policy of annexation of a part of B&H - is an excessively simplified thesis which can satisfy only the imagination of a politically illiterate person. This especially because the stories about the struggle between factions - the allegedly "pro-Bosnian" and extremist "Herzegovinian" faction - were mostly fabricated in Sarajevo as a pretext for the eight-year coalition of the ruling party of the Bosniacs with the "Croat dividers of B&H". During all these years of the existence of B&H HDZ, nothing autochtonous in the platform of this party was registered - either concerning the nation, or religion, or the state - which were declared postulates of foundation of this political movement. Moreover, for the sake of implementation of the policy from Pantovcak, the century-old history of the Croats on the territory of Bosnia was pushed to the margins and degraded, and in return the HDZ promised them the illusion of joint homeland with Croatia. Refusal to accept such policy of the party could have as the consequence only departure from the party and the destiny of a dissident, which some leaders of B&H HDZ chose for themselves, but by no means creation of a so-called liberal faction within the party. Its political continuity was always re-confirmed by the next in the row of such a large number of party presidents (on the average, each one lasted for no more than a year), but the political option did no essentially change.

Therefore, betting on Jelavic as a democrat who, as he said himself, would reconstruct HDZ into a truly pro-western party, is too unrealistic. Especially because he is a person whose system of values is founded on military judgements, and not qualitative political considerations. But, that he will in no time be cleansing the ranks of B&H HDZ and making the first attempts of decision-making independently from Zagreb - there should be no doubt.

After so many years to disregard Tudjman's wishes and to agree to possible satanization by the parent party and possible sanctions of the enraged creator, does not mean anything else but a classical reaction of fear due to emerging doubts about the creator's devotion to the ideal. The official Zagreb is for some time already having problems similar to those encountered by Milosevic at the time of the first slap in the face from Pale and the attempt of his former followers "to take things in their own hands". Pressure and constant threat of the international community because of uncooperativeness of HDZ in B&H is undiminished; return of Croatian Serbs questions the almost achieved ethnically cleansed state; the manner in which the state is managed and consequences of illegal privatization increased discontent of the citizens to such an extent that even slightly less controlled elections might have a crushing effect on the HDZ in the Republic of Croatia. If the recent death of the only true patron of western Herzegovina, Gojko Susak, is taken into account, and the poor health of president Tudjman himself, concern and fear of B&H members of the HDZ that the parent party will give up on them nad leave B&H HDZ to its destiny in order to save Zagreb, or rather its own hide - is quite justified.

Necrophilic reminding of Tudjman's envoys at the convention, Ivic Pasalic and general Ljubo Cesic Rojsa, of the name of the late minister Susak was supposed to be a signal to the participants of the convention that they were not abandoned and that their protector had agreed, while he was still alive, to the inevitability of their remaining in B&H. But, messages that the late minister "must be turning in his grave" were experienced by a part of B&H HDZ in a completely different manner: Jelavic explained his perisisting to be the candidate even afer the ultimatum of the guests from Zagreb by saying that he was the one who was following in the footsteps of Gojko Susak! Making an allusion to the destiny of the SDS which he did not wish to experience, Jelavic indirectly showed that the "historical NO" addressed to Tudjman was in fact NO to the international community and the Dayton accords. For defence from democratization of "Herzeg Bosnia" and its Dayton destiny, he chose the road of isolation and remaining firmly on its positions even if it cost it a conflict with the parent party.

The former disagreement between Pale and Belgrade shows, however, that such developmenmts inevitably lead to political differentiation within the party which is disobedient in relation to the parent party, which can as a consequence have creation of space for the appearance of an alternative to totalitarian policy of the national centre. Therefore, the hottest post of the leader of B&H HDZ awaits Jelavic, as well as a period of the first true faction struggle within the party, and even abandoning the course which has become uncertain. The announced resignations of high party officials as the story in the lobbies goes, are the confirmation of derogation of the last nationalistic Bastille in B&H.

Drazena Peranic

(AIM, Sarajevo)