Croatian Rightists March On

AIM Zagreb, 12 September, 1999

A television critic recently wittily noted that the central news program of Croatian Television station seemed unusually empty if it happened that Ante Djapic, president of the Croat Party of Right (HSP) did not have his two minutes in it. If somebody would minutely analyse the time and space given to Djapic in Croatian controlled media, the results would probably show that his timing and the text accompanying the picture does not lag far behind that devoted to Tudjman. The known joke from the time of Communism when "favourite people's politicians" appeared daily in the media can nowadays be applied to the omnipresent president of HSP: you open newspapers - Djapic, you turn on the radio - Djapic; you turn on your tv set - Djapic; you open a fish can - Djapic!

The phenomenon of forcing Djapic, especially in the pre-election period which is not favourable for the ruling party, HDZ, is an intentional step of Tudjman's party which simply cannot find an ally among the opposition. In the previous parliamentary elections, with a whole-hearted help of HDZ and "adjustments" of the election results thanks to which HSP slightly exceeded the required limit, Djapic's party became parlamentarian. Although marginal, with no significant influence in public (investigation shows that HSP may count on about five per cent of votes), by artificially inflating its weight and widely opening state media to it, Djapic wishes to impose the impression of importance, and present its political ideas as the will of the majority of the electorate.

With his public appearances, symbols and group of followers who are marching across Croatia in black shirts, Djapic has become an ideal trial balloon of HDZ for testing radical political options which HDZ cannot launch into public political life from its allegedly "central" position. The latest Djapic's idea that the Croatian army must take over protection of Croatian sovereignty if a decision may be reached to extradite some of the generals of Croatian Army (indicted for war crimes) raised a lot of dust. This explicit demand of a coup d'etat is just one of the scandals which as a rule accompany all Djapic's appearances. On the occasion of his first visit to Vukovar after the end of peaceful reintegration of Eastern Slavonia, Djapic with his followers saluted with their highly raised arms, and cynically rejected comments about the fascist salute by claiming that he was just showing how high maize would grow in Vukovar when HSP comes into power.

His black-shirt march down the main street of Rijeka last spring when he used the volunteers of HOS in order to demonstrate the power of HSP and openly threatened the mayor of Rijeka Slavko Linic and deputy district prefect Luka Denone, was a few days ago repeated in Vinodolski by Djapic who this time addressed his threats to the president of the Istrian Democratic League (IDS) Ivan Jakovcic. While he found the pretext for threatening the two prominent citizens of Rijeka in anger because they refused to salute his lads in black shirts at the parade, he threatened Jakovcic with no special reason. "We will also go to Istria", Djapic declared in Vinodolski, "and when we get there, Jakovcic can start looking for a new place to live".

Even countries with developed democracy do not lack political "entertainers" such as Djapic, so that his frequent public debates, press conferences and radical public appearances would not be a special problem in Croatia, if it were not for another few things: his open flirtation with neo-fascism, deliberate disturbance and intimidation of members of the Serb minority in the regions of former Krajina and publicity he is given which is completely out of proportion with his actual strength. Indeed, there is also the political trend forced by HDZ in which radical appearances such as Djapic's contribute to creation of a climate of fear and uncertainty on the one, and preparation of a possible scenario which might happen if HDZ loses power in the elections scheduled in the end of this year, on the other.

That there is a "secret connection" existing between these phenomena is testified by the statement of Juraj Jezerinac, high dignitary of the Catholic Church who just as Djapic was calling for a military coup because of cooperation of Croatia with the Hague Tribunal, called the International Tribunal for war crimes "an evil". This turned to be very handy for Djapic - to all those who demanded that he answer for calling for a military coup, he answered calmly - if I should go to Court, so will Jezerinac.

Just a few weeks after he had established in Dubrovnik a pre-election alliance with HKDU, a marginal party of right orientation of Croatian Mandela, Marko Veselica, Mladen Schwartz, one of the most controversial figures in the political life in Croatia, appeared in this city. President of New Croatian Right, known for having caused a series of racist scandals, openly advocated dictatorship and introduction of death penalty. Schwartz, who enjoys support of individuals from the right radical faction of HDZ and as claimed in the public - who has considerable financial support of these circles - announced that a pre-election coalition with Djapic and Veselica would be desirable, including Tomislav Mercep with his Croat People's Party in the whole affair.

Economically, politically and culturally devastated Dubrovnik which has thanks to the policy of the regime become a blind alley, appeared to be fertile ground for development of radical and extremely morose political ideas. Apart from Djapic and Schwartz, this city has recently made it to the front pages of the press because of public appearances of father Miljenko Babic who was one of the leaders of protests against opening of the border between Croatia and the Republic of Srpska near Trebinje. Father Babic publicly cursed on the occasion all those who were ready to forgive the former enemies, their Serb neighbours, in his fiery speech in the name of the Catholic Church.

This interesting combination of individuals from the ranks of the Catholic Church (one should remember a series of racist outbursts of father Ante Bakovic or father Lasic who praised Ante Pavelic at masses for the dead) and extreme Right in Croatia, should be observed in the light of other sumilar incidents, like the one when Marinko Liovic, assembly representative and president of the Association of Disabled Veterans of the Homeland War in a radio show declared that "dogs, cats, women, Serbs and Jews" were forbidden to enter his cellar. Such incidents, as the one with the publishing of Croatian translation of Hitler's Mein Kampf, was received by silent approval of the authorities. As if the intention is to create as srained a climate as possible in which HDZ not only in Croatia but in the international community - appears to be moderate and acceptable for all.

The official election campaign in Croatia still has not begun, because the elections have not been officially scheduled. This is, therefore, just a campaign gathering momentum in which the rightists headed by Djapic, have been marching all around Croatia demanding a military coup, dictatorship and introduction of death penalty. What will happen when the beginning of pre-election race is officially announced and when the parliament is dissolved and the ruling party assesses that its chances for an election victory are minimum, it is difficult to say. But forcing of Djapic in the media and his call for a military coup should not be underestimated - although he is not a playwright by profession, Djapic knows that the rifle which will go off in the third act of some performance, must be put on stage in the first act already.

DRAGO HEDL