A Social Democratic Party-led government is a guarantee of a better Croatia, the strongest opposition party's leader, Zoran Milanovic, said on Saturday at a convention of the party's Zagreb branch, telling members they must convince citizens that the SDP deserved their trust, as without it, nothing had been done, even in case of winning forthcoming parliamentary elections.
"If we don't convince citizens that we are telling the truth, that we believe in what we do and do what we believe in, we have done nothing, even if we win the election. We bring change in Croatia, nobody else does," said Milanovic.
"Such a party deserves the Croatian trust and the trust of all Croatian citizens, such a party will lead Croatia to Europe, make sure that in Europe Croatia is not a state begging for cheap or any other loans, a state whose irresponsible government and apathetic citizens are saved from crisis by international donors and creditors. We don't want that, that's not why we are entering the EU. We want a strong and stable Croatia and the SDP is one of the guarantees of such a Croatia," said Milanovic.
"An SDP-led government is a guarantee of a better Croatia. Those are our values. We treat everyone equally and fairly. And it is with that in mind and heart that we are running in this election," he said, adding that the SDP, in coalition with other opposition parties, was ready and unafraid of taking responsibility for Croatia.
Milanovic said he felt support for the SDP in all regions and all social groups, adding the party must focus more on the young, who he said were the biggest losers of globalisation and the "brutal" neoliberal capitalism. "That's the stratum on which the foundations of this state rest because in 10 years, their intelligence, ideas and brilliance will define Croatia's position in relation to the region and Europe."
The young generation is the most sceptical about Croatia's EU accession, the most revolted by the current situation, he said. "This election is a battle for their trust, their optimism, their chances. We don't want a Croatia that is a small limpet of the EU, but a small giant, a small dragon of the EU."
Milanovic said only the SDP was capable of the necessary changes in Croatia. "Because the SDP doesn't punish its people, the SDP learns lessons from its oversights and mistakes. The SDP is a party for man, a party in which the conversations of county and city branches aren't taped so that they can be dissolved. The SDP is just a human party, with all its mistakes, advantages and strengths. The SDP is actually Croatia in a nutshell," he said.
