HDZ will Regain Support of Voters with Clear Policies, not Cheap Tricks

Dr. Franjo Tudjman's speech: We Must not Allow Sheep and Geese to Lead us into Fog!

by Darko Duretak, Mladenka Saric

Vecernji List, Zagreb, Croatia, December 8 1998

"With her policies, diplomacy, and especially military victories, Croatia has become an important international factor. Everyone, even those who would like to overthrow us and establish some new Croatia, must take that into account. With our wise policy, strength, and victories, we forced the world to recognize us and accept our views. We must be realistic, because they haven't given up their regional plans. We have acquired respect in all fields and in the future must continue to be prudent and flexible, but must not allow to be sheep. The problem is that in Croatian politics there are always too many wolves and sheep, and too few wise men and foxes. We are wolves when that is necessary for the defense of our lives. We must not allow sheep and geese to lead us into fog," emphasized the president of the state and HDZ, Dr. Franjo Tudjman, speaking about the international position of Croatia.

He asserted that year 1998 was very eventful, full of pressures on HDZ, both from Croatia and abroad, but also marked with successes and spectacular historical events. With that in mind, Dr. Tudjman reminded that since its founding HDZ has been faced with attempts to disable, discredit and overthrow it.

Since the fall of 1997, said Dr. Tudjman, internal and external enemies of HDZ have tried to cause a crisis in and collapse of the party, and thus the whole Croatia. He reminded that this was especially true just before the elections in Bosnia-Hercegovina. These elections were supposed to be used to break up the local HDZ and thus HDZ in Croatia. However, said the President, we forced the International Community to realize that there can be no solution in Bosnia-Hercegovina without Croats.

Croatian Strategic Interests Protected

President Tudjman talked at length about the signing of the Agreement on Special Relations [between Croatia and Federation Bosnia-Hercegovina], emphasizing that that was one of the most important events since the founding of the [independent] Croatian state. He reminded that some international factors had forgotten about the Washington Agreement and were trying to forge a unitary Bosnia. They were doing everything in their power to force that an agreement about Ploce be signed first, emphasized Dr. Tudjman. In that context, the International Community even instructed Muslim-Bosniak leadership to refuse to participate in the preparations of the Agreement on Special Relations. Dr. Tudjman emphasized that [Croatia] decisively rejected that, because in that case the Agreement on Special Relations would not have been signed. He called the signing of the Agreement on Special Relations one of the most important historical events, which secured Croatdom in Bosnia-Hercegovina and the protection of the Croatian strategic interests.

Dr. Tudjman reminded that HDZ is most frequently criticized because of its policy toward Bosnia-Hercegovina. However, he said, some of the critics supported the Croatian annexation of all of Bosnia-Hercegovina, while the others supported a whole Bosnia-Hercegovina, which is the same as the support for a unitary Bosnia-Hercegovina. Croatia, emphasized Dr. Tudjman, had a realistic, efficient and meaningful policy, which has resulted in special relations. In is necessary to develop special relations, strengthen spiritual links between Croat Catholics and Muslims. We should establish the society of Croat-Muslim friendship and unity, said Dr. Tudjman.

They Preach What They Cannot Sell Elsewhere

President Tudjman warned that we faced the intention to draw parallels between the democratic Croatia and [the WWII fascist puppet state] NDH. He reminded that the Sakic case was imposed on us. Croatia was and still is against fascist Ustashe crimes. It has declared that NDH was a quisling state, but also the result of the desire of the Croatian people for its state. He added that we were exposed to other pressures: financial, economic and political. Dr. Tudjman especially stressed those pressures related to the freedom of media. He said that the freedom of media is greater in Croatia than in any of the countries that criticize us. In all those democratic countries, he emphasized, when the authorities change, all the state employees are replaced, from an editor to a doorman.

"Let them not preach what they cannot sell elsewhere. We will not allow Croatia to become a servile creature," he said. He warned that Croatia is exposed to synchronized, unscrupulous, and hellish vilification, that it is exposed to the writing of tabloid press financed from abroad, and unification of dissimilar opposition parties. The goal is, he said, to blame HDZ by concocting disgusting lies and slanders about the party and even myself and my family. He asserted that the goal of these attacks is the overthrow of HDZ, and therefore the destabilization of Croatia, which would then be obedient and become a part of the Balkan framework. He warned that regional plans exist and should not be underestimated. Those who have unified in politics against HDZ are not capable of understanding that. They exaggerate some things, as for example problems with secret services, said Dr. Tudjman and added that these are all orchestrated pressures with the goal to discredit HDZ, cause its break-up, and provoke a crisis in secret services [Croatia has seven competing secret services]. However, he emphasized, in spite of that and the parliamentary crises caused by the opposition, HDZ has demonstrated its strength and firmness.

Stability of Political and Economic Life Preserved

In his speech Dr. Tudjman especially emphasized the meaning of the visit of the Holy Father [the Pope] to Croatia and the beatification of Cardinal Stepinac. With the beatification, the Holy Father and the Vatican sided with this Croatia and Croatian people against attempts to accuse the whole Croatian people of genocide and fascism. The Holy Father, the Vatican, and the Catholicism, all said that Stepinac was not a criminal, as was not the Croatian people. That is a contribution to the truth about the Croatian people in WWII and the truth about the contemporary Croatia, said Dr. Tudjman.

The President assessed that the stability of the political and economic life has been preserved. He emphasized that the introduction of VAT went without significant trouble, that the tax income has been increased, the gray economy and the current account deficit reduced. Speaking about the difficulties Croatia faces, he emphasized that others have them too. Dr. Tudjman claimed that a realistic estimate of the unemployment rate is 10%, that the salaries and pensions are low but have been improved significantly.

He emphasized that we must seriously tackle the liquidity problem in the economy and problems in the judicial system. He drew attention to the signs of a crisis in the banking system, but pointed out that we should not be overtly concerned because only 15% of all banking resources have been affected. He called for a decisive showdown with bureaucracy, abuses and crime.

No one must be more social than HDZ as far as the care for every man and high ethical and moral principles are concerned, said Dr. Tudjman. He emphasized that HDZ must support the policy of dialogue with all and especially similar political parties. HDZ must continue the implementation of winning Croatian policy, which unified the majority of the Croatian people, and must continue to initiate development and guarantee the future of the Croatian state, concluded Dr. Tudjman.