Franjo Tudjman Photo: http://www.tudjman.hr
It’s a real shame that someone at BBC doesn’t think twice and actually stops someone else (or self) at BBC from publishing lies, half-truths or perversions of truth about Croatia (in the context of former Yugoslavia particularly). But then again, such material is evidently tailored to deceive and maintain afloat a certain negative (or even repulsive) reputation created about someone (in this case about Franjo Tudjman) or something (in this case about Croatia), which is in human terms – in reality – just as positive and acceptable as things about those who write or publish the perversions.
Well, let’s, for now, not dwell too much on the fact that BBC Timeline on Croatia continues to pervert the truth about Croatia and keeps peddling to the world that in “1918 – Croatian national assembly votes to join the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire”. WITHOUT ALERTING the public to the fact that there EXISTED the Croatian Parliament at the time, which NEVER ratified the National Council’s decision/vote. BBC would like the world to think that Croatian National Assembly stood for Croatian Parliament!
Well, it did not!
And, it was NOT an Assembly but a Council. There is a huge difference between the two. An Assembly is like a Parliament and a Council is like a Committee.
I’m quite certain that I am not the only person who had alerted the BBC editorial that Croatian Parliament never ratified any decision about Croatia joining the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918. If BBC is not inclined to take on board or pay due attention to what individuals from the public might write to it about the issue, then I would expect it to do its own research. A mere visit to the Croatian Parliament website would have supplied the truth: “…the Parliament, however, had never ratified (confirmed) Croatia’s entry into a state union with the Kingdom of Serbia and Montenegro.”
Indeed, in December 1918, there were strong opponents among members of Croatian Parliament to the tyranny of the Croatian National Council and its undemocratic decision for Croatia to join the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Such criticisms and opposition saw, for example, Vladimir Prelog, member of Croatian Parliament at the time, thrown in prison for a year by “Belgrade” – without a court hearing or any due process of justice.
BBC could at least say that Croatia was forced into joining the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, since it’s so keen to write about the Kingdom of the British King George the Sixth’s cousin.
Croatian National Council was established on 5–8 October 1918 in Zagreb. The Council declared itself a political representative body of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs living in Croatia-Slavonia, Fiume, Dalmatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Istria … The Council established its own Central Committee and Presidency (filled with pro-Yugoslav individuals) and it operated with its agenda in concert with “Belgrade”/ Serbian King, regardless of the fact that a full Croatian Parliament existed!
So, I say to BBC’s Timeline of Croatia: “A half-truth is the most cowardly of lies!” (Pietro Aretino)
And now, journalist and writer Tim Judah (who, “coined” the ridiculous and wild word/concept “Yugosphere“) has, with his latest article, fortified the senseless but evident hatred BBC seems to harbour against Croatia’s first President Franjo Tudjman. The perversions of truth about Tudjman have not abated even after the ICTY Appeal Chamber acquitted in November 2012 Croatian Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac of “Joint Criminal Enterprise” (against Serbs in Croatia), in which alleged war crimes Tudjman was also named by the ICTY Trial Chamber.
Tim Judah, who calls himself a “Balkans analyst” (!) has just written a piece for BBC “Croatia: From isolation to EU Membership” in which he offers no analysis, just superficial gargle designed to throw hateful aspersions against Franjo Tudjman – once again.
“Mr Sanader also brought Serbs into his government, something unimaginable in the Tudjman years,” Judah writes (as in the first version of this article at the time of my publication of this post 23 April 2013).
How cruel can the journalist be! How cruel can the BBC be for allowing such hateful garbage.
For the record of truth: there were Serbs in Croatia’s government during the Tudjman years. For example, Zivko Juzbasic was a Minister between July 1991 and May 1992. As for the Croatian Parliament, Serb People’s Party had three members of parliament between 1992 and 1995, with Milan Dukic serving as deputy Speaker as well as assistant minister of interior and served as advisor to Tudjman.
The mind reels with anger amidst such hateful gargle and from Tim Judah and the BBC (who published Tim Judah’s article).
As any truth respecting person would, I complained to BBC regarding the untruths in Tim Judah’s article and alerting them to the fact that there were Serbs in Croatian government during the times of Tudjman. I did receive a reply from BBC and it seems now that Tim Judah has his own opinion as to the credibility of those Serbs who were in the Croatian government during Tudjman’s times. BBC has, 26 April 2013, changed the sentence in the article to this:
“Mr Sanader also brought Serbs with political credibility and clout into his government, something unimaginable in the Tudjman years.”
I wonder what Judah’s definition of “Serb” political credibility and “Serb” clout is!? No doubt, I will be visiting this issue soon on this blog.
“The best ammunition against lies is the truth, there is no ammunition against gossip. It is like a fog and the clear wind blows it away and the sun burns it off,” Ernest Hemingway once said. And so, in the light of all of the above I was compelled to write this post. For truth’s sake. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)
Related post: Timeline Croatia: Back to a-b-c with BBC
Timeline Croatia/ comparison with BBC’s one can be accessed via the link on the right hand margin of this website (under the photograph of Korcula)