Dear sisters and brothers, followers of Radić,
Here we are again in the weeks before Christmas, the time for taking stock and adding up our successes and setbacks. On the world stage we are being entertained by Donald Trump, the worst president in American history. It seems Americans will have to put up with him for a long while yet, and the world waits anxiously to see what comes next.
Back home, the economy is slowly picking up, and our politicians at the top have gone on a strict diet: Plenković lost 17 kg in three months. President Kolinda is on the liposuction diet; they are taking the fat out from under her skin, so she has slimmed down front and back. Meanwhile, Croats stay quiet and put up with it. Young people are leaving Croatia, heading west in search of work and a better life. The birth rate is falling. Croats have no time for children.
Our small and beloved HSS, led by Krešo Beljak, has turned to the left. President Beljak announced it in the party’s new political program: “We are a left-wing party,” he said. “Radić was a leftist.”
What do we here in the diaspora have to say to that? Many of us left Croatia because of Tito and communism. The young people coming to Canada today are economic migrants, and for them Canada is the promised land.
The Radić fellowship in Canada is alive, even though young people are losing interest in Radić’s ideas. There is no doubt that his is the most patriotic ideology Croats have ever had.
As Christmas approaches, allow me to end on a hopeful note. The Croatian Peasant Party is one of the oldest political parties in Croatian history. In its 114 years it has known falls and defeats, but it has survived, thanks to the sincere patriotism of true Croats. May it always be so! As long as there is a Croatia and there are Croats, there will be a Croatian Peasant Party.
Dear sisters and brothers, followers of Radić, I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
VJERA U BOGA I SELJAČKA SLOGA!
Yours,
Ivan Vukelić, President