Edis Felić: Let’s Consider What We Encourage by Spitting on Inspectors Who Do Their Job

A well-known restaurant in Hvar was visited by inspectors from the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, which determined that part of the terrace for which no concession had been granted was on maritime property, so that part of the terrace was closed. In similar cases, I am often bothered by individuals who, without any thought or examination of the specific event, immediately spit on the inspectors. One person wrote the following on the Facebook page of the association Voice of Entrepreneurs: 'Our inspectors and law enforcement are just bureaucrats who work against businesses' because, he writes, families who live from it have always worked in such establishments. In doing so, he called the bureaucrats (the inspectors) an offensive name that is inappropriate to convey, suggesting that they should earn their salary, as well as 'free annual leave', although it is unclear what he meant by needing to earn free annual leave.

There is no justification

Of course, the commentator was also under the impression of a text published on a portal that stated that the restaurant was completely closed, which was later denied, and probably also under the impression of long-term propaganda claiming that there are only bureaucrats in state structures, which has never been an acceptable way of thinking for me.

It is true that many are employed in this way, certainly more than the European average, and I understand the commentator’s frustration, but in this case, he is simply wrong. In this specific case, the inspection determined (as reported by Index.hr, which more precisely stated that it was not about closing the restaurant) that the owner 'set up several wooden structures that essentially represent a complex of five wooden canopies with sun protection intended for serving food and drinks to guests of the mentioned catering establishment and that he partially concreted parts of the maritime property for the purpose of placing catering equipment and conducting catering activities, and previously did not obtain a concession for the economic use of maritime property'.

As a result, the inspection prohibited the use of that part of the terrace, and a charge was filed against the owner with the Split Port Authority’s misdemeanor council. Thus, the owner unlawfully carried out even minor construction works, and we cannot justify this action in any way, even if we understand that the current situation with the coronavirus is difficult for entrepreneurs in tourism. According to that logic, we must turn a blind eye to every violation of regulations so that someone can earn a living. Therefore, this decision by the inspectors is important because by turning a blind eye to such occurrences, we only encourage the development of a culture of disrespect for regulations, which is already at a fairly high level in our country. On the contrary, only through such actions by inspectors can we minimize such behavior, if we cannot eradicate it.

Praise for the inspection

That is why I was delighted by the comment of another commentator on the same page of the Voice of Entrepreneurs, who wrote that the inspectors did their job well and that everyone should work in the same way towards everyone. Thus, regardless of the fact that they say it is the best restaurant in Hvar and among the best in Croatia, it cannot be overlooked when it violates regulations, while others comply.

That other commentator says: 'This time the inspectors acted correctly, and the owner can still be grateful to them because they allowed him to operate in the part for which he has a permit, and they could have acted differently. Well, now, instead of gratitude, they are being attacked without basis. Because they finally did their job for which they are paid.' Moreover, he stated a truth. Namely, as I wrote, part of our citizens immediately starts attacking inspectors, calling them bureaucrats, but when they uncritically side with someone who has truly made a mistake, these citizens (un)consciously advocate (as the latter commentator says) that different rules apply to individuals, while at the same time we are angry if the state does not function. Therefore, in this case, all praise goes to the inspection of the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, and I wish the well-known restaurant from Hvar continued success, and I hope that this is just a minor episode that we will quickly forget.

POST SCRIPTUM

Although I have written many times in this column about the foolishness that occurs in state services, I have also written many times that it is not good to generalize and that among those people we pay as taxpayers, there are those who conscientiously, diligently, and well do their job. Let anyone say what they want, however, from personal experience, I can assert that this is the case, even though I have indeed sometimes encountered those whom you had to chase down the hall to resolve something.

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