President Milanović in Vela Luka: Croatian Parliament is above Response Team
President Zoran Milanović attended a formal session of the Vela Luka Municipal Council on the island of Korčula, prior to which he viewed the exhibit “Oliver u Luci / Luka u Oliveru” [Oliver in the harbour / the harbour in Oliver], dedicated to the late singer Oliver Dragojević, at the Cultural Centre.
Congratulating the Day of the Municipality, in his address the President said that he remembered Vela Luka more as an industrial, blue-collar town and less as a tourist destination, noting that a lot has changed in the last 20 years – for the better. “A long time ago people laboured, sweated, earned their bread the hard way, and today Vela Luka has succeeded in securing a good, quality life, while preserving its environment, from tourism, its location and from the value, diligence and talent of its people. It is a cultivated environment – and the same is true for Korčula and Blato, and for most settlements on the island of Korčula,” said President Milanović.
In his statements to the press, President Milanović also commented on the claim made by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who had previously labelled the President’s criticism of the National Civil Protection Directorate’s COVID response team as “recycling.” “I view this “recycling” claim as a compliment because that is a form of awareness. Yes, we live in a time of recycling, especially if the most obvious things need to be repeated to someone ten times,” President Milanović said after the formal session of the Vela Luka Municipal Council.
President Milanović reiterated that he advocates “that the current decisions of the response team, which are being made and imposed on the people, be given credibility by a Parliamentary decision. Parliament is above the team.” He does not think the Government is introducing autocracy, but added: “There is something called the encroachment on other people’s rights. This right belongs to Parliament and Parliament must decide on it. It is my duty to say this publicly. As President, I will always warn of situations that are borderline and potentially threatening, in the sense that a group, not to offend anyone, of anonymous people manages your life. It can, for a short time, and every time by a Parliamentary decision. I say this slowly and repeatedly so that the ‘smart guys’ who twist my words get tired of recycling.”
Referring to Operation Storm anniversary celebrations, and who should be present, President Milanović said: “Everyone should come. I think it would be better to hold the main event at the Knin Fortress because it is a symbolic place. The Croatian flag is flying there and it was the fortress of King Zvonimir – the last Croatian king, according to historical sources.”
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas