President Milanović: Let us be wise, smart, and prudent when making important decisions; this has safeguarded us throughout history
“Let us be wise, smart, prudent, and sceptical when making important decisions, because only that, as history tells us, has safeguarded us,” said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović from Makarska, where he participated in a special session of the Town Council held on the occasion of Municipal Day.
In his address at the ceremony, President Milanović stated that in today’s world, we should be selfish and, in certain matters, consider our own interests, and “think in a way that only we, and only we, care about this country, about the people who live in it, about its citizens.” “Croatia is the state of the Croatian people, the only one after hundreds of years, but it is also for all others who live in Croatia, who share the same fate, see the same path, and desire the same happiness, security, well-being, and that blissful peace in which freedom will not just be another word when you have nothing left to lose. Croatia is a country with much to lose if it is not governed wisely and if careful thought is not given before making many decisions,” emphasized President Milanović.
Raising the question of what freedom represents in Croatia in 2024, what it means to us, and how it was achieved, President Milanović said: “We know how Croatia won its freedom, we know who made sacrifices, we know how unique this story is, and we know how unrepeatable it is.” He emphasized that because of this hard-won freedom, we must be proud of ourselves and remind ourselves that we are different and special.
In this regard, President Milanović stated that we must preserve what we have and that “in all matters of statecraft – as well as those concerning the environment and urban planning – care must be taken, above all, to preserve it, not to devalue it, and not to put it in jeopardy or at risk.”
“Only in this way can we truly be our own bosses, creators of our own money, wealth, and security. There is no other way, and that decision can only be ours. Whenever I come to or pass through certain ‘checkpoints’ of our identity and homeland – when I descend from Jelenje toward Rijeka, from Vratnik toward Senj, and now through this tunnel – each time, I stop everything I’m doing to look around and remind myself of how unique and beautiful it is, how much freedom it represents to have it, and how we must do everything to ensure it is neither endangered nor lost,” said President Milanović.
In addition to President Milanović, the President of the Town Council Gordana Muhtić, Mayor Zoran Paunović, Head of the Municipality of Stari Grad Sarajevo Irfan Čengić, Mayor of Ogulin Dalibor Domitrović, and Deputy Prefect of Split-Dalmatia County and delegate of the Prime Minister of Croatia, Anto Šošić, spoke at special session of the Makarska Town Council. Public awards were also presented to the most deserving individuals for their contributions to the town’s development.
Melita Mulić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Human Rights and Civil Society, accompanied President Milanović in Makarska.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta