Mia Colak (1892–1975) was a Kresimirian politician who served as a Senator for District VI (Viskogorje) for thirty years, from the inaugural Assembly of 1922 until her retirement in 1952. Originally a member of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP), she is historically significant as one of the founding members of the liberal Civic Renewal Front (CRF) following her defection in 1932.
Colak was known as a fierce defender of regional culture and civil liberties. She is best remembered for her rebellion against the RPP leadership in 1925, when she voted against the Standard Kresi Act to protect the “Hill-Speak” dialect of her native mountains. Her legislative career defined the early liberal opposition to the authoritarian centralism of Filip Novak and Chancellor Kresimirovic II.
Early Life
Mia Colak was born in 1892 in Lipovljana, a garrison town in the Viskogorje mountains. Raised in a region geographically isolated by the Vjetar and Severni ranges, she grew up speaking the local dialect known as “Hill-Speak,” a distinct variation of Kresi heavily influenced by the archaic vocabulary of the Vosti Empire’s borderlands.
She worked as a teacher and translator before the Unification War. Following the establishment of the Republic, she was elected to the Assembly in the 1922 election, running on the RPP ticket alongside her district colleague Toni Uzela.
Political Career
The RPP Rebel (1922–1932)
During her first decade in the Assembly, Colak frequently clashed with the centralist leadership of Assembly Chair Filip Novak. While she supported the Republic’s economic integration, she opposed the cultural erasure of the northern districts.
The Standard Kresi Act (1925)
The defining moment of her early career was the vote on the 1925 Standard Kresi Act. The legislation mandated the use of the “Sinj Dialect” in all schools and legal proceedings, effectively outlawing the public use of the northern “Hill-Speak.”
While the RPP leadership whipped the vote in favor of national unity, Colak broke ranks. Alongside fellow liberals Eward Matek and Mil Vucic, she voted Against the act. In a passionate defense of her constituents, she argued that “unity achieved by silencing the tongue of the mountaineer is not unity, but silence.” Although the Act passed, her dissent solidified her reputation in Viskogorje.
Founding the CRF
By the early 1930s, Colak had grown disillusioned with the RPP’s drift toward authoritarianism following the 1931 Vijrje Anniversary Attack. In January 1932, she joined Eward Matek, Mil Vucic, and Vlade Koci in formally defecting from the RPP to establish the Civic Renewal Front (CRF).
This split cost the RPP its absolute majority in the Assembly for the first time. In the subsequent 1932 election, Colak was re-elected under the CRF banner, holding her seat despite the rise of the nationalist Sons of Kresimir.
The Liberal Opposition (1932–1952)
For the next two decades, Colak served as a key lieutenant to Eward Matek in the opposition.
- Media Licensing Act (1933): Colak voted Against the 1933 Media Licensing Act, arguing that state control of the radio waves would be used to suppress regional news.
- National Security Act (1933): She opposed the 1933 National Security Act, fearing the internal passport system would economically strangle the remote villages of her district.
From 1942 to 1952, she served alongside the rising RPP star Leon Rukavin in District VI. Despite their opposing parties, the two maintained a cordial working relationship focused on the development of the district’s hydroelectric potential.
Retirement
Colak announced her retirement prior to the 1952 election. Her departure marked the end of the founding generation of liberals in the district. Following her retirement, the CRF presence in Viskogorje collapsed, and the district became a battleground between the new Blue Dawn party and the nationalist Vjetrusa founded by General Dominik Loncar.
Mia Colak died in 1975 at the age of 83.