Vrdoljak Criticizes Indecision and Ignorance of the ‘Titanic Government’

HNS President Ivan Vrdoljak stated on Saturday that Croatia is heading in the wrong direction and that the Government is “shadowed by indecision and ignorance,” adding that his party’s goal is not just to win the upcoming elections, but to build an open and tolerant Croatia.

“Croatia is heading in the wrong direction. From the alleged return of INA to Croatian hands, the sale of HEP, the gas and highway crisis, the plagiarizing minister, to the current crisis in Agrokor and traffic jams at the borders, this Government is constantly shadowed by indecision and ignorance,” Vrdoljak said in front of about a thousand gathered at the 14th reporting assembly of the party.

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He referred to the HDZ and Most government as the “Titanic Government” because, as he said, it arrived “with music, full of glamour, power like the ship itself. However, at every serious challenge, we see how the captain of the ship wanders and loses the compass in the dark, while the cracks on the ship grow.” The future of Croatia, he says, is a civic Croatia, a quiet Croatia that is awakening, with quality education, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

“Our task and our goal is to fight for this small but beautiful country with great and heartfelt people, instead of with gas canisters or lies, with knowledge, solutions, innovations, and most importantly – results. I want to build an open and tolerant Croatia,” Vrdoljak stated.

He emphasizes that his party’s goal is not just to win elections. “That is just a tool, and our real goal is to achieve results for the benefit of citizens and leave our municipalities, cities, counties, and thus the entire Croatia better than it was before in four years,” Vrdoljak stressed. The past year, he assessed, has been marked by instability, deep divisions among people around the world, lies, conflicts, and crises, but also by the rise of what he called dangerous populism – from Brexit and Trump to Most and HDZ.

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“In the extraordinary parliamentary elections, not only did we receive 30 percent more votes than in the regular parliamentary elections a year earlier, but we are the only parliamentary party that received more votes in 2016 than in 2015,” the HNS leader reminded at the party assembly. In the HNS parliamentary club, he points out, among the nine “earned” mandates, six are held by women.

Over the past year, he said, they have shown that they are a party of solutions and results. He envisions Croatia in the future as open, tolerant, full of knowledge and entrepreneurship. At the HNS gathering, among the guests were the president and mayor of Pula from IDS, Boris Miletić, Istria County Prefect Valter Flego, Osijek Mayor Ivica Vrkić, and many others. A short film was also shown at the assembly under the slogan ‘Let’s Bring a Smile Back to Croatia’ featuring HNS candidates for the upcoming local elections by counties.