This year, ahead of Statehood Day, Croatia is in the largest political and other chaos ever. The government has been dismissed, brought down by political patriots who created.
Croatia lives for the Statehood Day. It is an especially important date, historical, reason for pride and dignity. We marked it in the past years with ceremonial government sessions and visiting Vukovar, with all political arrows at bay during that day, making room for a few commemorative phrases on future, dignity, achievements and such.
This year, ahead of Statehood Day, Croatia is in the largest political and other chaos ever. The government has been dismissed, brought down by political patriots who created it. HDZ brought down its own government and Prime Minister they appointed and presented as the best choice. Since any candidate must be the best.
While many of us were confounded by the fact the designate is poor in Croatian, doesn’t know Croatia, calling us “građevinama” (buildings) instead of “građanima” (citizens), without an opinion on anything relevant to the functioning of the state, those who introduced him convinced us through media, the Parliament and beyond about Orešković as a saviour for Croatia. About his expertise, management skills, world connections, shining financial career, the chief of the largest party in the Patriotic Coalition and his short distance runners, had only starry data.
All this because the dream of the main chief to be named designate couldn’t be made true, to become PM and win two-thirds of the parliament votes, introducing lustration. Tihomir Orešković was brought in to save the reputation of the president of the largest party T.K., form a government and sustain the illusion of victory. The retreat to the Deputy PM position was for T.K. the only emergency exit, it was not a sacrifice nor a concession for Croatia. Simply, there was no other way out as he needed the MOST votes, as without them there would be no government, since MOST didn’t want him as PM.
Anyone with an ounce of political and life experience knew that with this government, a platypus was born, incapable of life and insensitive to life. Many, who wrote and spoke about it publicly, were attacked in public and anonymously, were called communists, whores, traitors, chetniks. I myself keep a collection of letters on the topic, with predictions of being buried alive in the ground as some didn’t like that I dare say anything instead of “shutting my pagan mouth and stuff it up my a….,” as was written in one anonymous recommendation.
Yesterday, the entire Patriotic Coalition, heads raised high and with a full heart, brought down the evil Tim Orešković, with the reasons presented the day before by the one who doesn’t accept the decision by the Commission deciding on conflict of interest. He says the government could “have done better” and that this “folklore must be ended.” As if the entire nation had been sleeping for five months, as if we didn’t listen to the furious convincing of the work being done and the results coming. We watched them, in their folklore group, hand in hand in a lull which shook us to the edge of respecting democratic standards and constitutional values.
Intertwined in fervour, Tepeš and Milošević danced, as well as Ćorić and Rimac, Špika and Putica and others whose mouths were full of reforms never seen or recognised.
In the meantime the media took a hit, the Croatian Radio Television leadership was dismissed (so they didn’t call me, for the first time, to an anniversary of the institution that gave me an award for my life’s work), the curricular reform has stopped, health services made more expensive, the mandate of the Public Attorney for handicapped persons expired without anyone starting a new tender, scholarships for students are missing, chaos over Jasenovac, failure to go into debt in London and so on, with Bernardica J. messaging “let them die” and N. Šikić admitting she doesn’t know how the budget is filled.
When thunder struck, Orešković first defended his Deputy PM, saying it wasn’t his fault. Until then he was a relatively good guy. When he finally demanded the Deputy PM must leave, we found out from “high sources” that he’s not a “Croat in his head” and must leave.
When D.I.Milošević told Tim in the Parliament yesterday that “Croatia is not a corporation”, I felt like slamming my hand on the table and reminding everyone that, when this government was formed, I wrote and said the very same thing: Croatia is not a corporation. Domagoj Ivan then defended Tihomir, convincing us his capabilities are far reaching and this man will shine a light on Croatia But, hey, this wasn’t fifty years ago for Milošević, the chief’s new confidant, to think we have all forgotten. And he wondered why Tim won’t go away on his own as he helped him get there.
Surely, something unusual has happened. The ruling coalition brought down itself using arguments by their opponents and declaring its own government, with their own ministers, bad, a bad experiment, non-functional. Although most of the government were HDZ, not MOST ministers, HDZ brought down a “non-functional government” although it was their will to create it. All this played out just so this Friday wouldn’t come when the voting on the dismissal of the Deputy PM was set, who, when it was clear the SDP would help in dismissing the government, handed in a resignation.
In the meantime, alongside a still politically living PM, before a vote of no-confidence, the patriotic coalition agreed on a new designate who cannot be named until 76 votes are shown to the Croatian president. An unseen spectacle ensued when the fresh new party secretary, almost guiding him by hand, brought the self-proclaimed designate before the media and moderated his answers, but also manoeuvred around the 76 votes of support.
The fact is that the same political group, Patriotic Coalition, would be ready for the same political experiment. Bringing in a non-partisan man who didn’t go through elections, hoping to, just like with Orešković, install an illusion of PM who would be guided by the mighty chiefs in the background. The reprimanding statement made yesterday to Orešković about how “Croatia is not a corporation” would fit even better with Marić who comes from Agrokor and surely plans to return there. Marić is the only minister specifically praised by Orešković, with both to blame for Croatia unable to sell bonds for the first time. Marić has no political experience like Orešković, his opinions beyond finances are unknown to anyone. Marić and Orešković can be considered as men who have never in any situation expressed their opinions on the greatest problems pressing on Croatian society.
But, as I’m writing these lines, news come of enough votes to dismiss this highest representative body. It seems the self-proclaimed designate will never become one, while those who initiated the dismissal of their own government and PM, simply got ahead of themselves. As 68 will never be 76, no matter how much we don’t speak of it.
With Statehood Day, for the first time in Croatian history, we have general political decline and stress, hustle and bustle, but also an unlikely tomorrow as no one knows who will run the country. Rating agencies are watching, the unstable situation is not a recommendation, all because of the fact that no one, for a long time, has been able to tell the emperor that he’s naked.
So on June 25th the celebration of this holiday will be borne by Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović who may even sing as she recently did at an opening of a radio station. Something from the repertoire of her favourite singer is expected.
Jokes aside. We didn’t expect this in our darkest dreams. All that is happening, Croatia simply didn’t deserve it.
