“Tito is in Hell” – Stjepan Mesic, 1992

When children know or think someone is telling lies they shout: “Liar, liar, pants on fire”.  I’m not a child, I’m a well informed adult and, indeed, was present when in 1992 Croatia’s former president Stjepan Mesic visited Australia in his capacity as one of the leaders of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and in his speeches he, in no uncertain terms praised the WWII pro-Nazi Independent State of Croatia as well as WWII pro-Communist Partisans, placing them on equal footing as victors for Croatian state.  Now Mesic is denying this even though irrefutable evidence exists.

I shout: Liar, liar, pants on fire!

When one of these speeches appeared on Youtube some seven years ago, Mesic first said it was a political stunt by his opponents, that the film was doctored, that he never said those things … when truth struck and the authenticity of the speech video was confirmed, Mesic as president of Croatia actually appeared on a televised address to the nation saying that he had to talk like that because Croats in the diaspora were all fired-up on fascism (Ustashism)!

Furthermore he said that the 30-second video was taken out of context and that he could not remember if he made such a speech, or where, that he does not know if the video is authentic!

This history has repeated itself last Sunday, which suggests that the man is not to be trusted with what he says is the truth.

Mesic appeared on Croatian TV last Sunday 6 October on the On Sunday at Two program. The TV interview by Aleksandar Stankovic was particularly organised around the issue of bribes for armoured military vehicles deal with Finland’s Patria about which I wrote in my previous post.

At 43.46 minute of this HRT TV interview Mesic was asked: “How could it have happened to you to praise the Independent State of Croatia (NDH)?

Mesic replied: “I never praised NDH”

Stankovic: “Well OK, you said that it was an expression of historical aspirations …”

Mesic: “I did not say …”

Stankovic: “Well OK, you said over there at the assembly in Australia…”

Mesic: “Never… no aspirations, you have falsified that a little but probably because you are not informed.”

Stankovic: “Well, I’m not uniformed … the speech from 1992 exists…”

Mesic: “Well, the speech exists and you find it and then we can…”

Stankovic: “We have spoken about that before, you do not need to deny it now, I remember you told me in the program that your theory was that Croatia was being created then and then one said what one didn’t mean …”

Mesic: “No, no, I said that what I thought but I would now perhaps reformulate but also say that what I thought, that is what did I say, I said that Croats won twice, the first time the Kingdom of Yugoslavia disappeared because we were all against the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Ustashes did not topple Kingdom of Yugoslavia, it disappeared by the will of the occupying forces but it was of benefit to us because Yugoslavia disappeared, and the real victory we won was with the NOB (National Liberation Movement) victory in 1945 when we came on the side of victory and were on the side of victory … that is what I said”.

So, Mr Aleksandar Stankovic and the world’s public, since Mesic asked for the speech to be found I have made the effort in finding it – for truth’s sake!

Here is what Mesic actually said in 1992 (and I personally remember he said the same on a number of occasions and in the video below there’s a glimpse of me in the background at the end of the video, so it is authentic 100%): “Those who are older remember that in 1971 Tito, who created Yugoslavia, which was not Croatian but Croatian only in that Croats lived in it but did not rule in it, said that river Sava will flow upstream before Croatia will have its army, and now if he hears me from Hell I must tell him that as far as we are concerned Sava can flow even sideways but Croatia has its army and its state.  We have created a state after 900 years, but during those 900 years Croats did not stand still, they were always determined for the Croatian thing and Croatian state. Even in the Second World War Croats were victorious twice and we must tell that to everyone, to our friends and to our enemies.  Croats were victorious when in 1941 on 10th of April they declared the Croatian state. Because Croats did not declare that state because they were fascists, but because they had a natural and historical right to their state. But the results of WWII are known and it’s also known that Croats won for the second time in that war because they found themselves at the table together with the Allies and to those who consider that Croats were on the other side, who want to win over those Allies and muddy the Croatian deed, we must tell them that Croats were for a Croatian state, and Croats did not fight for the white or the red flag but for the red-white-blue flag”.

The point of this is not just what Mesic said but also how he attempts to discredit the truth and make up stories as he goes; even attack those who put out the truth if that truth goes against him! It transpires from all this that the man was never to be fully trusted and his stories and spins should be put aside and the Croatian office of state prosecutor must seriously investigate the allegations against Mesic that suggest he may have been involved in serious corruption in the Patria case of armoured military vehicle supply from Finland.

I, for one, am disgusted at the reality that Croatian taxpayers and deficient government budget keep funding Mesic’s office as former president, with all the trappings that cost millions every year and yet Mesic has the hide to lie like this to the very people out of whose taxes his office is funded! I guess corrupt practices and political underground that keep the so-called antifascists or communists like Mesic afloat in the public arena are strong in Croatia.

Mesic who places himself at the helm of antifascist movement in Croatia says that Josip Broz Tito went to Hell after he died.

Therefore, as I see it, he subscribes to the ideals of those he himself considers went to Hell after they died! Will he now may say that the above video from 1992 when he said Tito was in Hell is also a falsehood! What will his antifascist association say when they hear what he said about their celebrated Tito? Will he also now say that he had to speak like that in the diaspora because the diaspora did not like Tito? Well, let him try – he will not succeed because there were multitudes of persons in his audience then who came from the so-called “Yugoslav” (as opposed to Croatian) clubs in the diaspora. They were all there because Franjo Tudjman managed to reconcile both sides of Croatian WWII politics into one single aim: independent and democratic state of Croatia. Ina Vukic, Prof. (Zgb); B.A., M.A.Ps. (Syd)