How They Tried to Depose Tu?man

When it comes to the political processes that in the period between 1989 and 1992 led to the establishment and full international recognition of the Croatian State, it is primarily necessary to consider the political forces existing on the Croatian stage, and the individuals who had a decisive influence on everything that was happening. Among them, the name of Dr Franjo Tu?man (1922-1999), founder and leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), then President of the Croatian State in the period of its emancipation, war and international recognition, will without doubt be the name that marked this period of Croatian history. It is therefore also understandable that all political factors in Croatia in that period, as well as in the territory of disintegrating Yugoslavia, and even around the world, had to somehow relate to the appearance of Dr Franjo Tu?man. An anti-Fascist partisan during the Second World War, then Tito's youngest general, a historian, later also a prisoner in Tito's Yugoslavia because of his 'Croatianhood', he became a cornerstone for some and a stumbling block for others, depending on how they imagined that future of the Yugoslav Constituent Republic of Croatia to be. Many would have been happy had Tu?man not existed; many have long hoped to eliminate him from the political game by trying in various ways to take away his own legitimacy, legality and credibility and that of the national movement which he came to lead. There was a whole spectrum of political views, streams and interests in the public regarding the name and appearance of Dr Tu?man and the Croatian Democratic Union, which he led from the beginning, and for whose founding he is the most deserving. A simplified categorisation of all the very disparate political forces, that is, political currents and orientations in Croatia and former Yugoslavia that were 'interested' in Croatia, could conclude that in 1989, when the HDZ originated, along with Tu?man's (HDZ's) option, another two significant political options existed in Croatia and former Yugoslavia: the (neo)communist federalist/unitary, and the Greater Serbian forces, as well as the parties of the 'Croatian option'. On 28 December 1991, Tu?man, as the President of the self-proclaimed - but still not internationally recognized - independent Republic of Croatia, said in a report to the Croatian Parliament: "The whole time, from the establishment of a democratic government in Croatia until the Constitution of the Republic of Croatia came into effect, and especially since the beginning of this year, we have been incessantly threatened by the manifest danger, even the greatest peril of the dogmatic-communist, Yugo-unitarian and Greater Serbian hegemonistic forces. They acted separately, but also joined together and united in opposing every idea of a Croatian nation and statehood, and especially the revival of a state sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Croatia. We offered a draft for a union of sovereign states in order to avoid the victims of bloodshed and war conflicts. In the attempts primarily to restore communism, but also to accomplish the goals of Greater Serbian imperialist politics, and contrary to our proposals for lasting solutions that can only be achieved by peaceful and democratically just means [which we voiced] during numerous meetings in the SFRJ Headquarters and presidential meetings at Republic level (that is, meetings of Presidents of the Presidencies of Republics), a war was imposed on us with consequences so devastating that we do not remember even in World War II." This book was first published, in Croatian, in July 1992. At that time, the author Zdravko Gavran (born 1957), a journalist and literary critic, as well as a participant in the national democratic movement, was Tu?man's advisor for public relations.