Inaugural Speech of the President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović
Dear Croatian citizens,
My fellow Croats,
Dear guests and invitees,
In the life of a nation or state, or an individual, the alternation of good and bad times, of gloomy and bright days, is inevitable. We must navigate with the awareness that life is not just calm seas and favourable winds. Let this awareness be our guide; it is a firm guarantee of integrity and composure, no matter the direction or the strength of the winds and waves.
The primary task of state institutions is to preserve the peace and security of citizens, and by that, I do not mean peace and security solely in the most basic, physical sense. The second, almost equally important task is for difficult times not to become dramatic. They should not weigh heaviest on the weakest and least protected, and good years should not benefit only those closest to centres of power, those who are most aggressive and most competitive. Inequality and corruption insidiously erode the social fabric like a deadly disease.
We must build and refine legal and social mechanisms that will help ensure that we do not falter – either materially or in spirit – during difficult times, and that we remain grounded and realistic in times of prosperity.
In recent years, I have often said that only we truly care about our country – no one else. I believe that all well-meaning people have understood this statement as I thought and felt it. Other states and nations, as a rule, do not wish us harm and are not working against us. However, when faced with a choice between their own interests and our well-being, they will always choose their interests. That includes our friends and allies.
This is neither a lament, nor a criticism, nor a sign of any kind of narrow-minded isolation. It is the reality of the world we live in. It is a call to let go of the illusion that someone from the outside will take care of us when we are in trouble or when we truly need help. Perhaps a little – but realistically, they never have, and they never will.
Nothing has ever been given to us. Everything Croatia has achieved is owing solely to the Croatian people, above all those who gave their lives and health in defence of our freedom. We will be forever indebted to them, and no matter how hard we try – and I swear, we will try! – we can never fully repay that debt. Only we, I repeat, and no one but us, truly care about those who saved us from the aggressor’s subjugation through their courage, sacrifice, and skill.
Our lasting gratitude to those people is not about glorifying war, triumphalism, or taking pleasure in the misfortune of others – the defeated. It is an ode to freedom and a reminder of what we, as a nation, are capable of when guided by noble motives and united by the highest ideals.
We are the only ones who truly care about the state of our education at all levels, about public healthcare and judiciary, about how justice is administered. How our people live is only our concern. And despite GDP growth, low unemployment, and even an improved credit rating, far too many of our people today struggle to maintain a dignified life or endure some form of humiliation, despite their honest work or a fairly earned pension. It is only in our interest that our institutions be independent, professional and responsible, as should be the media and journalism. That is, among other things, a prerequisite for the stability and functionality of our constitutional and legal order and democratic system. In simple terms, this serves as a shield against arbitrariness and tyranny.
Who, besides us, cares about the Croats in our friendly, neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina? Who, if not us, will stand up for their threatened political rights and defend their status as a constituent people? No one will take on that ungrateful task in our place – it is our historical, constitutional, and above all, moral obligation.
It is crucial that we be self-critical as individuals, as authorities, and as a society. And there is almost no greater weakness than hatred, chauvinism, or distrust toward those who are different from us in any of the many layers of identity we possess – toward those who are weaker, whether temporarily or permanently so. Few things are as misguided as glorifying the darkest chapters of our own history, and every nation has such chapters.
There is hardly a greater act of cowardice than denying anyone’s patriotism based on differences in opinion, nationality, religion or race. As I said here five years ago, this is a home for all of us.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, dear citizens, the world today is almost unrecognizable compared to the world of 40 or 50 years ago, when I – and many of us – grew up and came of age. In fact, it is unrecognizable even compared to the consciousness of just five, or at most ten, years ago. Change is ongoing, even in this very moment. One thing is fading away, while something new appears on the horizon – still unclear, uncertain, confusing, and frightening. It sounds like a fitting description of chaos. It sounds like the promise of an interesting and demanding era – like something from a Chinese curse.
New gravitational centres of global power seem to have emerged and are clearly continuing to emerge, and they cannot be ignored in shaping the future world. It is up to us to devise a national policy that will best serve our interests in this new world, this new context, this new paradigm. In this endeavour, we must not have any or at least not too many prejudices and dogmas. The peace, security and dignity of the Croatian people cannot and will not be sacrificed for anyone’s private ambitions or fixations.
There is no need for us to hastily take the lead on matters we cannot significantly influence or change, and which we often do not understand, not due to a lack of intellect, but because of the circumstances. Political adventurism and blind obedience have been known to hinder Croats in the past.
Our duty to Croatia’s history and Croatia’s future, to our ancestors and our children, is to advocate for peace in international relations, for good neighbourly relations, and for the diplomatic resolution of conflicts between states and nations. This is not naiveté, nor is it a betrayal of Western political and military alliances to which we belong and will continue to belong – and joining them was a good decision. It is simply a fight for our own interests. Nor is it, above all, a betrayal of Western or European values, no matter how increasingly unclear those values have become and who represents them.
War is the deepest and most poisonous social disorder imaginable – there is nothing worse. It is not without reason that people say victory is the second worst thing that can happen in war. As President Kennedy said: ‘Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.’
Peacemaking and peacefulness are not synonyms for naiveté. There is no doubt that we must strengthen our armed forces in every respect. The Croatian Army must be capable of defending our independence and territorial integrity, as well as fulfilling the commitments we have undertaken within all the alliances to which we belong. These commitments should be interpreted honestly and loyally, but always in line with our national interests. However, I disagree with the claim that ‘security has no price.’ This notion is practically unsustainable and fundamentally unclear.
The army and modern weaponry – even those that are not the most advanced – come with staggering costs, which continue to rise beyond our control, while our resources remain limited. We must not allow defense spending to consume the funds needed for everything else that gives our lives meaning and fulfilment. Should we sacrifice public investments in science, culture and artistic creativity, sports, and new technologies for the sake of acquiring weapons? What, in the end, will we be defending with those weapons – always limited and necessary though they are – if we neglect the very things that have brought renown to the Croatian name and continue to do so; the things that make us a modern, self-assured, small but historic nation?
I want us to be discerning and act deliberately. Healthy scepticism – nothing less and nothing more. Let us talk and engage the most responsible people and best minds. Let us strive to understand the nature of potential future wars so that we approach the acquisition of weapons and equipment from that perspective. Let us not be impressionable or driven by panic – those are never good allies, least of all when making decisions, especially in the interesting and turbulent times we are living through and actively shaping. Let us harness and stimulate Croatian ingenuity and industry so that we do not import what we can reasonably produce ourselves. There may not be much of it, but it exists. And this applies not only to weapons and military equipment.
Ladies and gentlemen, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, individualism became one of the defining features – the driving force – of the Western capitalist world, and naturally, it has shaped our society as well, especially over the past 35 years. It is my deep conviction that an individualized society is more humane and healthier than one built on any form of enforced collectivism, because it is freer, more democratic, more curious, and more prosperous. However, there is a flip side – and we are all well aware of it. Individualism inevitably leads to the weakening, or even the breaking, of our social bonds. And without those bonds, there can be no active solidarity. Social networks are not only an unworthy substitute – they are, in many ways, a threat.
It is vital that we remain connected – to our families, friends, relatives, neighbours, colleagues, and the communities we live in. These relationships form the most resilient barrier against social exclusion, lethargy, apathy, and indifference. The well-being of our country largely depends on our willingness to care for one another – regardless of our differences and disagreements, which, at their core, are not so insurmountable. Let us show those closest to us that they can count on our support. Life’s hardships are far easier to bear when we know we are not left to face them alone – when we know we have not been forgotten, left exposed to the cold winds of indifference. This is the most effective remedy against the fear of an uncertain tomorrow, against the chilling void of impersonality.
With the hope that we will not abandon each other in critical moments – all the best and long live our Croatia!