SDP Appetites Will Grow

Due to topic sensitivity, Sanja Mikleusic`s guest walked on egg shelves, not wanting to hurt anyone, even themselves.

In last night`s TV-show Otvoreno (Open) with the topic of Ivica Racan`s disease and the way media cover the entire situation development, all participants agreed this was a delicate situation and how the possible departure of the Social-Democratic Party (SDP) head would mean a great loss for Croatia’s political scene.

-Racan is the first politician of such caliber who is spoke in public about his illness willingly and I consider this to be a praise-worthy move- said journalist Anita Malenica, remembering hiding of first president Franjo Tudjman or Gojko Susak`s medical conditions, which were informed by the foreign media.

Media Correctness

According to her, the media acted correctly in the entire case, with which Member of Parliament Furio Radin disagrees, believing journalists reach too deep in the private sphere of the individual, although in some cases, at some politician`s insistence.

Judging by the referendum question, Radin`s side took the public because 62 percent of the viewers decided the privacy of Ivica Racan is violated.  

Citizens should know their leader is ill, as well as voters because it is not fair towards them- said the Faculty of Political Science professor Branko Caratan, pointing out that the entire case caused a specific turn of opinions.

-Critics insisted Racan was complicating the party`s work, and now they claim the party will collapse due to his departure- said Caratan, stressing Racan was a key figure who is in the very top of politics since the 90`s.

Bandic vs. Antunovic

On the possibilities who might take Racan`s seat, the invited guests did not wish to speculate, stressing it was too early for this kind of talk, but some names were still mentioned.

-Of course the appetite of others in the party will grow because nobody had the authority, or something else, in SDP like Racan did- said journalist Ivan Zvonimir Cicak, who considers this is an open conflict on the line Bandic-Antunovic.

-SDP does not benevolently see Bandic`s decisions like the handball law or the Cvjetni square project, which could be the spark to ignite the whole party- vividly said Cicak, with whom Caratan disagreed, claming there were no fractions in SDP, only dissonant tones.

-When Franjo Tudjman was ill, the Croatian Democratic Union members were gnawing themselves for power, politics is still struggle for power. Decided Malenica.

Examples from abroad

But, for the most part of the show, examples of ill politicians from foreign countries were given and the ways the media covered them. From Berlusconi’s illness, Janez Drnovsek, to Ronald Reagan, and the issue of a contemporary illness which is seldom discussed was brought up, meteropathy.

-In the past the Dubrovnik Republic even had a law which honored the influence of the southern wind in crime cases- Cicak reminded.