I did it? No way!

"There is no theoretical chance that in addition to everything we wear, we also wear the label of Ivo Sanader: no way, this is the second HDZ!"

That's right, you will remember, exactly four years ago, on November 13, 2020, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković commented on the verdict of the Zagreb County Court, according to which former Prime Minister Ivo Sanader was sentenced to eight years in prison, and HDZ was convicted as a criminal organization. "Today's leadership, as well as the membership of the party, cannot be responsible for the actions of individuals who at one point were in a position to commit such acts. As for me, I was not even a member of the party then, nor was anyone from today's HDZ leadership connected with such activities. There is no collective responsibility, and absolutely no responsibility of the HDZ leadership. I said four years ago that we were transforming the HDZ and transforming Croatia, and these processes are going well," Plenković said at the time, resolutely banging his fist on the table at the end: "There is no theoretical chance that with everything we carry, we carry the label of Ivo Sanader: but way, this is the second HDZ!"

As life would have it, exactly one year later, on November 10, 2021, Gabrijela Žalac, former minister of regional development and EU funds, who was dismissed by Plenković together with four other ministers a year and a half earlier, was arrested in her family home in Vinkovci. due to some minor misunderstandings about the origin of the property and what is called "negative media perception". "Let's calm the ball down a bit, let's not judge someone before the bodies that are responsible for that decide. This is not normal, if some people are going to hunt and look for an opportunity to throw mud at me and the HDZ, so be it. It happened, we'll see what happens," Plenković said then, swallowing a dumpling the size of a table tennis ball, and a year and a half later, already swallowing a dumpling the size of a tennis ball, he commented on the arrest of Minister Žalac: "Now it doesn't matter if I made a mistake. I'm sorry this happened. What should I be, happy?! I said that I don't know anything about it, I don't have such knowledge about anyone else. The government is certainly not corrupt."

The government is certainly not corrupt, no way, you understand, this is the second HDZ.

Barely four months later, on February 19, 2022, Plenković's Minister of Spatial Planning, Construction and State Property, Darko Horvat, was arrested in his parents' house in Donja Dubrava, Međimurje. "This is an indicative timing, the State Prosecutor's Office obviously has its own reason for such dramatic haste, so I invite the head of the DORH to explain why there is such a rush to arrest the minister. To me, this move seems disproportionate in view of the case in question," commented Andrej Plenković on Horvat's arrest, then while swallowing a dumpling the size of a sour apple announced that "the parliamentary majority is stable." "Everyone is stable with the Government and supports it. No extraordinary thing is in order."

In short, there is nothing extraordinary, no way, this is the second HDZ.

Less than half a year later, on July 7, 2022, another minister dismissed in that seasonal government reshuffle was arrested in his family home in Virovitica - the former Plenković's Minister of Agriculture, Tomislav Tolušić. When asked by a journalist how he would comment on Tolušić's arrest, the prime minister quickly walked next to the journalist, swallowing a dumpling the size of a grapefruit, and said briefly: "I'm surprised, I didn't know anything about it."

Of course the prime minister knew nothing: no way, this is the second HDZ.

Barely three months later, on October 26, 2022, USKOK filed an indictment against as many as four of Plenković's former ministers - the aforementioned Darko Horvat and the aforementioned Tomislav Tolušić, and the unsaid Deputy Prime Minister Boris Milošević and the even more unsaid Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and social policy of Josip Aladrović. "I received that information. What will the opposition do, after the survey they are upset, now they will jump on this, they jump on what the media or DORH serve them. This is only one side of the proceedings, which is called DORH, the other side is the defense, ultimately the court decides", Prime Minister Plenković wisely told the journalists then, then dead cold, swallowing a dumpling the size of a ballot, he added that "this is no burden for the government , because none of them is in the government".

None of the accused is in the government, as you already know, no way, this is another HDZ.

Almost exactly one year later, on November 11, 2023, Plenković's Minister of Defense Mario Banožić hid the traffic accident in which the father of two girls died. "We solved this big crisis due to the traffic accident so quickly that they don't know what to say," said the prime minister after he dismissed Banožić that same afternoon, struggling with a dumpling the size of a watermelon. "They didn't come to their senses. That's where you see that they are at odds, they don't know what to do either."

Neither of them know, but the third knows: a week later, Andrej Plenković dismissed the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Davor Filipović, who was celebrating his thirtieth minister in eight years of his government, because of what he called "negative media perception". "This", you understood, "is another HDZ".

No way, this is the second HDZ?!

As life would have it, these days, exactly one year later, exactly three years after the arrest of Plenković's first minister and exactly four years after the final verdict on Sanader and the "first" HDZ - exactly four years after Prime Minister Andrej Plenković solemnly announced that "this is the second HDZ" - Minister of Health Vili Beroš was arrested in the family home in Zagreb. And the Prime Minister is suddenly - "disgusted": "As Prime Minister, I am personally disgusted by the idea that anyone in the healthcare system uses their position for personal enrichment. I see this as an act of betrayal of personal trust. All in all, it's bad, if anyone is involved, it's bad, if someone from the government is involved," the prime minister swallowed a dumpling the size of a basketball. "We are embarrassed, we are very embarrassed that something like this happened. The most unpleasant. It's embarrassing that it even happened. It's not a problem now, but that this kind of situation happened, because it certainly didn't last a day."

"Surely the situation didn't last a day"?! Good morning, Mr. Plenković! This "situation", as you said, has been going on for eight years, and the "disgusted" prime minister is "disgusted that it has come to this", as if his pants had fallen in front of the journalists, and not thirty-one members of the Government: as if he, I have no idea , "came" to sneeze, and not to dismiss about fifteen ministers due to bribery and corruption.

No way, this is the new HDZ? Of course. "A new minister will come," explained a disgusted Andrej Plenković at the end, swallowing a dumpling the size of a pilates ball. "Whoever betrays trust ends up like this. That lesson should have been learned a long time ago. Whoever commits a sin must answer for it. We cannot be responsible for the actions of individuals."

Basically, you get the idea, as usual. "There is no collective responsibility, not even any responsibility of the HDZ leadership: no way, this is another HDZ!" As usual, "a new minister will come". Just like that, "As usual" - "Comme d'habitude" - was the name of the song written in 1967 by the French singer-songwriter Jacques Revaux, better known to us today by the cover written by Paul Anka, and sung by that close friend of politicians and controversial entrepreneurs, what was his name, yes, Frank Sinatra. The song was called "My way", "No way", something like that, and it went something like this, correct me if I'm wrong:

And now, the end is near,

And so I face the final curtain.

My friend, I’ll say it clear,

I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain:

I’ve lived a life that’s full?

I traveled each and every highway?

And more, much more than this?

I did it? No way!

(n1info.hr)