CROWN - Croatian World Network - http://www.croatia.org/crown
(E) Should Croatian Diaspora participate on the Board of HRT ?
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/7052/1/E-Should-Croatian-Diaspora-participate-on-the-Board-of-HRT-.html
By Nenad N. Bach
Published on 12/15/2002
 


Should Croatian Diaspora participate on the Board of HRT ? 

International Club of Croatian Immigrants, Returnees and Investors from the Diaspora

Public Announcement

In response to the official letter that was sent to the Government of the
Republic of Croatia, in particular to the Minister of Culture of the
Republic of Croatia, with regard to our request to having a representative
from the Croatian Diaspora participate on the Board of HRT, we received a
negative response from Mr Antun Vujic. From the response signed by Mr Vujic
one can conclude that the Diaspora should not have any influence on the
programming orientation of HRT as if the media house is someone's private
company, not a public entity serving the needs of Croatians at home and
aboard.

The stance of Minister Anton Vujic unfortunately did not surprise us, rather
it just went to prove that no-one is concerned with the Croatian Diaspora or
their needs, nor in uniting Croatians abroad and at home. The Croatian
Diaspora is, obviously, experienced as a foreign body that needs to be
eliminated, of whose interests and requirements its not necessary to pay
attention to, because they do not live in Croatia, but who might have some
influence on the political program or the country's social and business
arena.

However, the nation's memory is a lot longer than those who think they speak
in the name of the people but who, however, work against its real interests.
They are forgetting, as does Mr Vujic, that in the creation of the Croatian
nation, the immeasurable contributions of those which today they coldly
ignore, not wanting, in any way in the field of their activities, tooffer
to finally unite Croatians abroad and at home to become on body, one soul.

The Minister points out how it is not necessarily needed to include two
representatives from the Diaspora on the Board of HRT - and would require a
change in the laws that he does not even want to consider. In an era of
many significant changes to the law, changes and additions to the laws of
HRT would be a painless activity that would have the support of both the
Government and Opposition parties. In short, the proposed changes would be
supported by those who breathe Croatian. We don't know how the department's
minister breathes, however its clear that something is not OK with his
breathing. Likewise, its forgotten that the Diaspora, in defiance of the
UN's embargo, and with that defiance armed the Croatian army and police, and
before that act didn't doubt that it needed to do it. It was not a question
of the legality of, but the moral responsibility to the country from where
they came and to the people they belong to. The Croatian Diaspora does not
deserve that kind of response from a Government official, if not for any
other reason than that she is not Albanian, Italian, Irish nor Israeli
rather she is the Croatian Diaspora. We hope that nationalistic signage is
not what is bothering Mr Vujic, which would humor us even more!!!

The fact is also forgotten that a large number of Croatians in the world
follow the programming of HRT and for that spends not a small sum. And that
is one reason why the Diaspora, the Croatian Diaspora, wants their own
representatives and its own influence on the Board of HRT. We want quality
programs and broadcasts that would be for the Diaspora, we want our voice to
be heard by the numerous Croatian souls across this entire planet who live
their dreams, who work hard to earn their crusts and who dream their dream
to return to their homeland, their hearth.

Its because of them that we ask this for, and not because of anything else.
We hope that we have in this communication in some way directed attention
publicly to the facts and that the Minister will nevertheless rethink and
take appropriate measures to engage representatives of the Croatian Diaspora
on the Board of HRT. Also the number of representatives (and the talk is of
2 representatives from the Diaspora) should not be the balance in any
weighting, but can be regarded as a constructive force inside the Board that
would openly speak for and protect the interests of the Diaspora in the
national media house.

With personal respects,

Club Coordinator
Niko Soljak


(E) Should Croatian Diaspora participate on the Board of HRT ?


Should Croatian Diaspora participate on the Board of HRT ? 

International Club of Croatian Immigrants, Returnees and Investors from the Diaspora

Public Announcement

In response to the official letter that was sent to the Government of the
Republic of Croatia, in particular to the Minister of Culture of the
Republic of Croatia, with regard to our request to having a representative
from the Croatian Diaspora participate on the Board of HRT, we received a
negative response from Mr Antun Vujic. From the response signed by Mr Vujic
one can conclude that the Diaspora should not have any influence on the
programming orientation of HRT as if the media house is someone's private
company, not a public entity serving the needs of Croatians at home and
aboard.

The stance of Minister Anton Vujic unfortunately did not surprise us, rather
it just went to prove that no-one is concerned with the Croatian Diaspora or
their needs, nor in uniting Croatians abroad and at home. The Croatian
Diaspora is, obviously, experienced as a foreign body that needs to be
eliminated, of whose interests and requirements its not necessary to pay
attention to, because they do not live in Croatia, but who might have some
influence on the political program or the country's social and business
arena.

However, the nation's memory is a lot longer than those who think they speak
in the name of the people but who, however, work against its real interests.
They are forgetting, as does Mr Vujic, that in the creation of the Croatian
nation, the immeasurable contributions of those which today they coldly
ignore, not wanting, in any way in the field of their activities, tooffer
to finally unite Croatians abroad and at home to become on body, one soul.

The Minister points out how it is not necessarily needed to include two
representatives from the Diaspora on the Board of HRT - and would require a
change in the laws that he does not even want to consider. In an era of
many significant changes to the law, changes and additions to the laws of
HRT would be a painless activity that would have the support of both the
Government and Opposition parties. In short, the proposed changes would be
supported by those who breathe Croatian. We don't know how the department's
minister breathes, however its clear that something is not OK with his
breathing. Likewise, its forgotten that the Diaspora, in defiance of the
UN's embargo, and with that defiance armed the Croatian army and police, and
before that act didn't doubt that it needed to do it. It was not a question
of the legality of, but the moral responsibility to the country from where
they came and to the people they belong to. The Croatian Diaspora does not
deserve that kind of response from a Government official, if not for any
other reason than that she is not Albanian, Italian, Irish nor Israeli
rather she is the Croatian Diaspora. We hope that nationalistic signage is
not what is bothering Mr Vujic, which would humor us even more!!!

The fact is also forgotten that a large number of Croatians in the world
follow the programming of HRT and for that spends not a small sum. And that
is one reason why the Diaspora, the Croatian Diaspora, wants their own
representatives and its own influence on the Board of HRT. We want quality
programs and broadcasts that would be for the Diaspora, we want our voice to
be heard by the numerous Croatian souls across this entire planet who live
their dreams, who work hard to earn their crusts and who dream their dream
to return to their homeland, their hearth.

Its because of them that we ask this for, and not because of anything else.
We hope that we have in this communication in some way directed attention
publicly to the facts and that the Minister will nevertheless rethink and
take appropriate measures to engage representatives of the Croatian Diaspora
on the Board of HRT. Also the number of representatives (and the talk is of
2 representatives from the Diaspora) should not be the balance in any
weighting, but can be regarded as a constructive force inside the Board that
would openly speak for and protect the interests of the Diaspora in the
national media house.

With personal respects,

Club Coordinator
Niko Soljak