Somehow at the same time when Kostunica's new-age Chetniks [Serbs] are chasing Milosevic in his underwear along Belgrade streets, one cannot but recall the events from nine years ago when with similar Chetnik iconography some strange, half-drunk and toothless reservists and soldiers of the Yugoarmy marched through the streets of Mostar and villages in Hercegovina. Let us recall, then the Croat people stood in front of a much more numerous and better prepared enemy in defense of its homes and homes of all those who lived in this region.
Today, nine years later, it is obvious that those who carried out the aggression and were successfully and thoroughly defeated by Croats were not the only enemy. Nine years later unknown armies are again marching through Mostar as well as other parts where the Croatian people is more surviving than living right now. These armies are arresting and beating up volunteers of the Homeland War; a random passer by, an ordinary Croat, rightfully wonders whether the fight for freedom was in vain and whether we have been "cheated", as the solider from Cavoglav asks in the well-known song.
Is it really by chance that all of this is taking place before the so far most important elections for the Croat nation? Common sense, as well as past bitter experience indicate that this now is much more serious than, for example, in 1990 and 1991. The aggressor and butchers from the early nineties are not even mentioned by anyone anymore, criminals who committed crimes against the Croatian people are still walking freely all over Bosnia and Yugoslavia, while [the foreigners] are cowardly and unfairly trying to for the third time in this century impose guilt and the aggressor straightjacket on the Croat people and totally destabilize it.
"In the name of justice and the truth, let everyone keep in mind that there is only dear God, who is watching all of this injustice...," cried Anto Jakic from Vitez on behalf of Croats from central Bosnia, during a peaceful protest in Mostar, held in front of the Croat Hall Herceg Stjepan Kosaca and organized by the Association of Organizations Established in the Homeland War. Anto Jakic, just like most Croats from central Bosnia, arrived to Mostar from yet again surrounded Vitez. Immediately after the Hague prosecutor Carla del Ponte lifted off from the Sarajevo airport black hoods were again pulled down and with SFOR's support explosions again rumbled around Vitez just like during the worst periods of the war. The target was the post office, for the reasons only known to those black hoods.
"The goal, as every time so far, is to intimidate the population... But lest they be fooled, they have achieved exactly the opposite," said Anto on behalf of more than 3,000 Croat war victims, 900 disabled war veterans, thinking at the time about tens of burnt down and destroyed villages, thousands of destroyed houses and more then fifty destroyed churches and religious objects.
The new Croat question is how long all of that will last. In the tradition of this people, that question is only asked when the oppression can not be tolerated anymore, just as representatives of HVIDRA, the Association of Political Prisoners, the Association of Camp Inmates From the Homeland War, the Association of Volunteers, as well as representatives of several political parties with representation in the Parliament did this time. "Dayton was not the sign of our surrender, but the decision of the Croat people to live in freedom and equality with other peoples," said Marko Tokic, the vice president of the HDZ. Representative of Croat Christian Democrats Petar Milic wondered how one could claim that Croats are equal to other nations if every day basic human rights are increasingly endangered, and if one even mentions the word entity representatives of the European and world democracy start cursing. However, an entity is the minimum necessary for one nation so that it can protect its identity, especially in the country such as Bosnia-Hercegovina used to be, is, and may become in the future.
Yet again, decisively, in the end it was demanded (M.Grabovac, the Association of Volunteers From the Homeland War) from all international organizations and other similar factors to stop with the criminalization of the Homeland War, to stop attacks by black hoods, to as soon as possible find out the truth and present evidence in connection with the murder of Jozo Leutar, and assure that the international Tribunal in the Hague is truly working in the interest of justice. From the judicial institutions in BH it was demanded to finally process proven crimes against Croats, and from Croat politicians in BH to fully apply themselves to the struggle for the preservation of the right to use our own language, to have our own culture, and education (University), and to finally establish true electronic and printed media in the Croatian language, as they are currently almost nonexistent. Previously, on behalf of the Central Organization for the Protection of Dignity of the Homeland War in Mostar, the demand that the responsibility of the Minister of Internal Affairs Mehmed Zilic because of the unilateral action of arrest and beating of Croats by a unit of black hoods be established was presented.
Perhaps too many demands but unfortunately still too few for the amount of injustice currently inflicted on "the meek nation", whose right to freedom and place in the civilized world is a thorn in the side of the arrogant, and wicked world power of bureaucracy and quasi-democracy tied together with only to them known interests. Perhaps Croats would do best, as one experienced warrior said, to fly up to the skies, if they are not even allowed to live in penthouses, as the above mentioned decided a few days ago with a big stick in hand. Or, should they stay here and continue to fight for their justice, even if in that struggle they are (like Zrinski and Frankopan [Croatian mediaeval heroes]) arrested innocent and used to fill up the Hague dungeons and, when [the foreigners] are in a good mood, are given once a year 15 Guilder to send a letter to anyone they like. We recall something similar from our fairly recent past.