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To the delight of HDZ, Vojko Obersnel (SDP), the mayor of Rijeka, and Vesna Pusić (HNS), the chairwoman of the National Committee for Monitoring Negotiations with the EU, have clashed. The reason for the disagreement – providing guarantees for the survival of the Rijeka shipyard ‘3. maj’ and Obersnel’s statement that Croatia’s entry into the European Union should be postponed for two years because the current government has not prepared the country for entry.
If I wanted to adhere to the principles and in accordance with the views expressed in this column about how Croatia’s entry into the EU should not be a priority for the Croatian government, I would have to side with Obersnel. Perhaps in a moment of weakness, but this week I would still be for joining the European Union at any cost. A lot has accumulated, and it seems that not only the current leadership of this country but also the ‘broad popular layers’ simply do not show enough will to manage their young state properly. So since it is like that, let us give the country and its management to some concession. Let European bureaucrats govern us. It will cost dearly for the countries they come from, but that is also the case in companies that are not capable of surviving in the market. Someone else takes them over, restructures them, and reaps the profits.
Smoking Deception The first reason is that as a community we are not capable of establishing a satisfactory level of the rule of law. But to avoid any misunderstanding, it is not just about whether the executive power and judiciary are capable of prosecuting and punishing corrupt ministers and heads of public enterprises. It is also about whether the majority of citizens in this country are ready to accept the rule of law. Or do they expect others to respect the law, while they do not.
The other day, there was talk on Croatian Radio about the smoking ban in cafes. An incredible estimate was made that despite the existing law, smoking will be allowed in more than 3,000 cafes this autumn and winter. And then a Rijeka restaurateur boasted that she invested 20,000 kuna in the ventilation system to meet the criteria! At the time the law was passed, estimates were made that a ventilation system that would clean the air in cafes so that non-smokers could enjoy coffee without inhaling smoke costs between one hundred and two hundred thousand kuna. So, let’s fulfill the form, bypass the meaning of the law… Without entering into endless debates about the freedoms of smokers and non-smokers, this is about a widespread infection of disrespect for the law. In this country, everyone wants to deceive everyone else, insisting on legal solutions that benefit someone, while ignoring rules that we do not like.
Then there is the admission of Damir Polančec that as Deputy Prime Minister he was involved in shady dealings with private entrepreneurs to set up floodlights on the playground in his hometown so he could play football with other veterans in the evening and gain the sympathy of the broader popular masses. He even becomes a local hero.
No One Responsible Croatia is ripe for forced administration. It is hard to even imagine what kind of leader would need to come to the head of the government to establish order in public administration within a reasonable time. Whatever misfortune occurs, it shows that despite the flourishing of the state apparatus, no one is responsible for anything. An artificial lake is created, roads end up in the lake, and when the uninformed fall into the water and drown, it turns out that no one knows who was supposed to put up a warning sign. Or a child dies in kindergarten, and it is discovered that no one knows who is responsible for checking safety. Oh yes, most private kindergartens are registered as ‘service crafts’ and are not subject to regulations governing work with children. Here is another example of how laws are collectively circumvented and how no one asks why there is cheating.
The last systematic rules of public administration in these areas existed until the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy collapsed. When the state apparatus is quality and convincing, the subjects behave according to the rules of the game. When there is a collapse in state administration, the system of citizen behavior collapses as well. The inability to manage one’s own country is also reflected in the squandering of national wealth. Citizens are collectively blamed for choosing a government that suits the majority, and they did not rebel when the country was brought to the point where only the sale of its properties remains. Because of all this, perhaps it is best to sign a capitulation, surrender to the hands of the European Union. Of course, a change of government is possible, but if those who have proven they know how to run their cities or companies do not enter it, it is unlikely that the prevailing mentality will begin to change within a reasonable time.
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