Parliamentary majority says it is stable in spite of Dabro's antics

The fallout over a video of Homeland Movement MP Josip Dabro singing about a golden grave in Spain, in reference to Ustaša leader Ante Pavelić, was addressed at a meeting of the governing coalition on Tuesday.

While HSLS party president Dario Hrebak did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, the remaining members of the coalition said the parliamentary majority was stable. The Deputy President of the Homeland Movement Party Stipo Mlinarić: "For me the golden graves are those of Croatian veterans, who are the bedrock of Croatia, not the Independent State of Croatia, a mini-Yugoslavia or a communist Yugoslavia."

HNS Party President Krunoslav Lukačić, condemned Dabro’s antics, but noted that this was nothing unusual for the former cabinet minister: "Every action is a reflection of the person, and clearly some of his actions resulted in him being sacked as minister."

Meanwhile, senior HDZ official and Deputy Prime Minister and Construction, Spatial Planning and State Property Minister, Branko Bačić, noted that while an irritant this was hardly the kind of thing that would topple the parliamentary majority: "All members of the ruling coalition have condemned Mr. Dabro's lyrical expression. It was inappropriate and harmful, above all, harmful to the Homeland Movement, and in a way it also harms the parliamentary majority. It would certainly help if Mr. Dabro were to issue an apology."

The issue was also the focus of discussion in parliament today. Anka Mrak-Taritaš from the opposition center-left bench comprised of the HSS, GLAS and DOSIP: "Instead of a clear and definitive condemnation, Prime Minister Plenković said that he will call on Mr. Dabro to refrain from doing this in the future. As if this were a two-year-old proudly swearing and not the shameful lauding of a criminal by a Member of Parliament and former minister."

However, HDZ MP Stipan Šašlin, feels there are much more pressing issues politicians should be dealing with rather than Dabro’s antics: "As I expected, no one from the opposition has anything to say about any other issue today. As though this were currently the biggest and most pressing problem in Croatia."

For his part Homeland Movement MP Ivica Kukavica took issue with the left’s inability to put history to rest and endless need to re-live the past by conjuring up fascists at every turn: "Why are you pulling us backward? Why are you talking about 1945 and not 2041, which is fifteen years away? Why do you sully the Homeland War and label volunteers of the Homeland War Ustaše? I am a proud volunteer, and I do not like it when you try to tie me to Ustaše or Partisans, and especially not Serbian Chetniks."

Source: HRT