VIDEO:Nobody In Croatian Politics Congratulated Me

The discovery will have an exceptional role in fighting cancer, but nobody from the state top congratulated Djikic.

ZAGREB, CROATIA -  News of an exceptional discovery by a group of scientists, including Ivan Djikic, which might help fight tumours and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson`s and Alzheimer`s, resounded in Croatia before it was supposed to.

13 scientists from 5 scientific institutions worked on the project which discovered the key Rpn13 protein. The results were published in the latest issue of Nature magazine, which has set an embargo on the news.

But Rijeka-based Novi list daily ran the story of the discovery before the embargo`s end, angering Djikic. He announced on the science Connect web site that the Croatian Association of Journalists will be notified of the move and he will start appropriate sanctions for the responsible parties in Novi list with his attorneys.

Scientist Djikic, unfortunately  known to the public because of his conflict with Croatian Education Minister Dragan Primorac, spoke with Javno web site about his exceptional discovery, as well as the way Croatian politics treat him.

“Almost an entire range of various diseases is linked with the discovery”

- The greatness of this discovery is in its very base. We have discovered the mechanism with which our cells remove waste. This is the principle of a cell`s life, if you do not remove the bad cells, they will die and an illness will occur – Djikic said.

It is hard to estimate, even for Djikic himself, how many lives the discovery of this key receptor will affect, but surely a great number is in question.

- We can say that removing harmful components in a cell is the general mechanism which functions in all cells. I believe that almost the entire range of various diseases is directly or indirectly linked with it – Djikic said.

No congratulations from Minister Primorac

According to Djikic, this discovery was presented in the world as a Croatian discovery.

- Croatia, especially Split, have been put on the map of world science. Publishing results in Nature magazine does not happen often – Djikic said.

Many citizens from Croatia and abroad congratulated Djikic for this extraordinary discovery, significant for Croatian, as well as world science, but Croatian Minister Dragan Primorac has not yet congratulated him. Primorac sued Djikic for lies and libel said during the Croatian Television show “Nedjeljom u 2”, when Djikic said Primorac offered him 5 million dollars for research, asking him to work against a Croatian scientist in return. Supposedly, academician Miroslav Radman was in question.

- Nobody from the Croatian so called politics has contacted me and in a way, I am pleased. I function and collaborate with scientists in Croatia and their word is what makes me happy – Djikic said, answering to the question if Minister Primorac has congratulated him.

Djikic on Primorac: It is hard to be an expert and a politician

Djikic has no words of praise for the minister who also lined scientific successes before his political engagement.

- When an expert enters politics, it is hard to be an expert and a politician because these are two conflicting situations. A scientist has certain moral norms to honour and a politician has different ones, but this is another topic – Djikic explained his view on Primorac as a scientist and a politician.

While Djikic points out nobody from the Croatian politics has contacted him, Duje Bonacci, spokesperson of the Education Ministry, who is also a scientist, tells us that he has already congratulated Djikic, informally though, via the mentioned Connect portal.

- Djikic clearly understood my congratulations as congratulations from a scientist and not a man from politics – Bonacci said, announcing that Minister Primorac is set to officially congratulate Djikic.

Scientist Ivan Djikic Discovers Key Receptor