The fact that most of the voters did not turn out at the polls testifies that those voters who in the past voted for nationally constructive policies, finding them in HDZ, continue to be in a stable majority. Their passiveness, on the other hand, testifies that the current choice of political solutions and political personalities, those offered by HDZ no longer fully satisfy the voters. The fact that, thanks to the abstinence of Croatian patriots and nationalists - the political choice generally assessed as opposed to statehood, i.e. the establishment of the Croatian state - testifies to the danger of such passiveness. The fact that HDZ is no longer able to satisfy the statehood oriented public testifies that this majority, without a doubt the strongest and most permanent, urgently needs the possibility to have its political will shaped.
Finally, the humanitarian project "First Christmas in Vukovar" also testifies to the future we can expect from the abstinence and failure of Croatian patriots and nationalists. The project provided gifts for Vukovar returnee children from the united opposition parties. Accompanying the opposition leaders (Gotovac, Budisa and Racan) was the wife of the American ambassador, Lynn Montgomery(!).
The Bible tells us about the moments of weakness during the treacherous exodus from Egypt, about the moments when the people felt there was no end to their suffering. They thought that the Moses' God did not really exist, and if he did exist, it was difficult and tortuous to follow his path. They wanted a simpler and easier solution. They did not want to suffer. They did not want to wait. They did not want to walk for much longer. They were tired of the dessert and suffering, of "waiting for something that never came". They no longer wanted the promised land. Hence, they no longer wanted goals, nor the individuals for whom they had to suffer. They no longer believed in the reality of God's promises and the existence of the promised land. They wanted to live well, then and there. Immediately. They found a solution. They collected all the gold they had and forged it into a golden calf. It was supposed to be a substitute for God. Their short-sightedness was, of course, stupid and short-lived.
Today, when we have finally completed our holy quest for freedom and when finally a very clear Croatian political opinion has been formed, when most voters agree on the basic national goals; today when we have finally achieved political maturity, which we lacked for centuries; today to give up practical political power and hand it over to the coincidental remains of the Communist Party, held together by a foreign embassy; today that would be a tragedy.
It would be tragic if today the Croatian political body, due to impatience, changed its honest and authentic political feeling and their inspiration with freedom which could only have been inspired by divine will and began to worship the golden calf of American promises. It would be tragic if we, because of the corruption of individual politicians or the abstinence of the Croatian patriotic and nationalist majority, showed that we actually lack the necessary maturity.
Of course, the Americans are not to be blamed for consistently and arrogantly trying to achieve their long-term national interests. Croats should stubbornly insist on their own goals. Croats also should know that their freedom and independence are sacred. Nothing is more important. Croats have to learn that the story that the "country has been formed and one should not worry about that anymore," is just a cliche.
It is used by either stupid or bad intentioned people. The struggle for the survival of a state is endless. Nations that have states much older than ours do not give up for a single day, nor give up a single important goal. Every day is an exodus from Egypt. Even when the promised land has already been reached, there is still work to be done. It has to be developed and defended.
If Croatian patriots are not satisfied, they know how to actively formulate their political will. The "third way", the silent majority with the persistence that created this country and has, thus far unmistakably, made the right choices [and voted for HDZ], must know how to impose its political will. Especially because it is in the majority. As was seen in Osijek, the majority abstained from going to the polls. Is that not terrible?
It may have abstained because it had nobody to vote for. Maybe it did not like HDZ candidates. It did not know what other party to turn to. It did not want to vote for any of Lynn Montgomery's friends. Hence, the voters stayed at home, convinced that "one vote" will not make a difference, or perhaps because they were insulted because they felt their expectations had been betrayed.
In a way, that abstinence is very alarming because it seems the strongest force in Croatia will give up its power. On the other hand, it is reassuring to know that the "third current" is still in overwhelming majority. The majority has to know how to recognize itself and find solutions for its dissatisfaction. It cannot turn into a couch potato, passively watching as the minority imposes the philosophy of the golden calf, which is a substitute for their emptiness and guilt because of abandoned goals. The majority should revitalize the original goals, find and seek out the people it would be satisfied with. The majority has to snap out of its lethargy.
The snake winding its way through the dirty media has stunned the majority with the force of its media position, convincing it that the end of Croatian patriotism and nationalism is near and the policies leading Croatia back into a new type of brotherhood and unity [official policy in the former Yugoslavia] are winning, since they are the future and the stuff of modern politics. The minority has cast a spell over the majority, making it believe the minority will win the elections.
That truly could happen only if the majority dramatically abstains from the polls, a true surrender for which there is no good reason. The minority is no longer concerned with the HDZ as a party. It feels that this party has already been destroyed, defeated, shattered.
Minority's media no longer write about HDZ. The minority is concerned with HDZ supporters. It is concerned with patriotism and nationalism as its worst enemies; the minority wants to hypnotically convince its enemy that it is dead. The Croatian patriotic and nationalist thought must not give up, as nobody has the real strength to defeat it. It must find people and policies with which it can identify.