Two Traps for Damir Vanđelić

Last week’s presentation of the Scientific-Development Initiative – ZRIN, an association led by manager and entrepreneur Damir Vanđelić, sparked considerable public interest. Few were interested in his business career. Vanđelić was primarily in the spotlight as a former candidate for the president of the interim government during the crisis in HDZ, then as Vanđelić who refused to be HDZ’s candidate for the mayor of Zagreb, and finally as Vanđelić as the founder of the Reconstruction Fund. For the superficial political public, the only important question was whether and when ZRIN would become a political party.

However, for the future of Croatia, it is much more important whether society will finally get a serious and sustainable think tank, an institutional link that is dramatically missing in Croatian democracy and economy. Even if Vanđelić and his team embark on founding a party, the biggest mistake would be to repeat the already seen failure of transforming an association into a party. Found a party if you feel compelled, but leave the think tank to be an independent body that thinks!

Seductive Detour

This is a message for all those waiting in line to step onto the irresistible political stage with the help of associations. Here, the renegade SDP members gathered in the association Social Democrats really want to turn that form into a new political party. Many have 'slipped' on that scenario, but everyone stubbornly wants to take that detour. Dr. Nikica Gabrić once tried this. He transformed the association into a party, and when the results were not as expected in the first elections, the party was dissolved. It is a pity that the think tank did not remain.

Places for reflection are yet to thrive in Croatia. The attempt by former banker Frane Luković (Ideje), despite the quality of the works, did not significantly influence politics. The association Lipa fell asleep after initial enthusiasm. Many other initiatives have quietly extinguished.

In some opposition political parties, however, there is a sense of the need that besides performances three months before elections, they might actually need real content. Puljak’s party Centar tried round tables, but everything quickly faded. The Most party members are currently drip-feeding parts of their 'Declaration', but without a serious think tank, the commitment that 'private initiative is the foundation of the economy' will be reduced to reactions in front of the replica of the Baška tablet in the Parliament or half-hour folklore in 'Otvoreno' or on N1 television. Just like the social democratic commitment 'that people in Croatia live well from their work'.

Germany as a Model

What to do? If since Croatia’s independence many things have been done by the example of Germany (e.g., the Companies Act), then political parties should copy the think tanks (foundations) that exist there. For example, the right-wing Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung or the left-wing Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. The first foundation is close to the CDU, and the second to the SPD. These are professionalized institutions that systematically, in accordance with ideological and economic orientations, question circumstances and offer solutions. General practice politicians cannot come up with quality answers to today’s challenges in their spare time. In Germany, they have long understood this; we have not yet.

Here we come to the danger for initiatives like Vanđelić’s. Or parallel, less exposed, but ambitious, Dr. Miljenka Bure. Everyone falls into the trap of thinking they will gather a large number of 'renowned experts'. Some who have seen how this looks in some previous attempts are still surprised that out of ten 'renowned experts', eight were unable to write a few pages. And those who submitted their homework better off not embarrassing themselves. It is easy to give an interview, but writing 'what I would do if I were prime minister' suddenly becomes a nightmare.

In local circumstances, the founder of the association is the one who has or does not have a vision. Perhaps with the collaboration of one or two like-minded individuals. All others who will be engaged are responsible for singing a particular part. If the initiator counts on fifty 'renowned experts with character' whose proposals will be incorporated into some whole, they are doomed to failure. Not to mention the prerequisite – assessment of the situation and forecasting the future (e.g., SWOT analysis).

It would be unfair to generalize all associations that would like to be think tanks at least in the first phase. There are sectoral successes such as the agriculture-focused Smarter (it took five years for positioning). But there is currently no think tank capable of designing a comprehensive economic program as an alternative to the phrase-filled Government’s National Development Strategy until 2030.