Krešo Beljak, president of the Croatian Peasant Party, joins Total Croatia News as a guest columnist.
After several columnists from the opposition parties, on May 18, 2016, we are delighted to welcome a member of the ruling coalition, president of the Croatian Peasant Party and mayor of Samobor, mag.educ.geogr. Krešo Beljak.
Almost two months after I took over the Croatian Peasant Party, I am pleased with the direction in which we are heading as a party. Local organisations have recognised our political twist in which they will play a much more significant role because success is impossible without solid and healthy foundations, and those solid foundations are what this Government’s politics are missing. Unclear coalition deals and allocation of duties and obligations have lead us to a situation in which we now find ourselves. A state of chaos, agony from which early elections are the only way out.
On one side we have a strong party that has already celebrated its election victory, and on the other side, we have a party that got to where it is by chance completely unprepared, without a clear vision or goal. Somewhere in the middle, we have the prime minister who is unfamiliar with the situation in the country and who is probably a top expert in his own field put politics is certainly not his field of expertise. Leading the country even less so.
No one’s really asking the rest of us anything anyway.
Because of this fact, Croatian Peasant Party, even though a member of the ruling Homeland coalition, went in a different returning to its founding policies. By going back to our roots, back to the Croatian people, HSS is returning on the right path, the path of Radić and Maček (party founders), a path from which we should never have turned in the first place.
The real test of these new (old) policies will be next year, in the local elections where we expect successful results. One thing that will contribute to our success is the decision to allow local organisations to select their coalition partners on their own. Because, on a local level, there should be no ideological differences, it should be about the people. People who know and have the drive, who can do something good for their fellow citizens and advance their community.
And why should it be any different on a national level? Better yet, why is it different?
Wouldn’t the decision on the sale of Podravka have more weight if the people of Koprivnica could influence it? We are facing a problem of a massive exodus from Croatia, and it certainly won’t be resolved if in beautiful regions like Banovina we intend to build nuclear waste plants. Who asked the local community what their thoughts are on this issue?
It is time to stop displaying our patriotism in Bleiburg or Jasenovac, by hitting our fists against our chest, without thinking what is it that our people really need. Patriotism is shown by caring for your people, on problems that may seem small to some, but for the residents of villages and cities whose destinies are decided on without their involvement, those are very real, life altering problems.
Our country has to become a service for its citizens and it has to stop dealing with ideologies.
It’s the only way to enable development and a brighter future.
