The Village Lies, the People Lie…

I am surprised that a spokesman, whose only job, obviously, is to write instead of the minister, allows himself to enter a personal debate.

I am surprised that the agriculture minister signed a commentary by his spokesman on the model of “the village lies, the people lie”. 

I am surprised that a spokesman, whose only job, obviously, is to write in stead of the minister, allows himself to enter into personal polemics with opponents, instead of facing them with arguments, if he has any.

Why did the minister lie?

The minister most probably did not read either his or my commentary, because if he had, he would surely have written why he had lied that the cow Sana was mad! Minister Petar Cobankovic would then have written why the Croatian farmer cannot sell his products on the market, while various “junk” is being imported and sold as food!

Had he written his own commentary, the minister would have written why he lied when he said that he would carry out a revision of the managing of agricultural land and to this date there is not one act regarding this, as well as why he endorsed bids with which “small local sheriffs” take land from farmers and give it to chauffeurs or (ruling Croatian Democratic Union) HZD personnel!

Although from the country, he forgot the country way of life

The minister of agriculture does not necessarily have to be from the country to know how difficult life in the country is and how hard money is earned. But this minister is from the country, but has forgotten the hardships of the country way of life.

I am saddened that Minister Cobankovic decreased, even rescinded, some subsidies, that he did not establish a very necessary chamber of agriculture, that, despite the Croatian Peasants’ Party (HSS) as an opposition party support to earmarking five million kuna necessary for the reform of agriculture he had not done so, that the profession is contesting the laws he passes, that he is destroying 140,000 family-owned agricultural land to financially aid a mere 6,000…

One does not have to be a minister in order to see the alarming state of agriculture. One must only go among those involved in agriculture and living off it to understand that we need Matija Gubec and a peasant rebellion to restore a peasant’s dignity stripped by the HDZ.

Marijana Petir