By: Gašper Blažič
Dear Matej, do not blame me for being informal, even though the protocol would require otherwise. Namely, we are old acquaintances and, although we may have exchanged some ugly looks in the past, the good remains and the bad disappears. There is no resentment on my part towards you, I can assure you of that in the beginning. And I would ask you that if I have ever been too harsh on you, you forgive me too.
No, I will not read the Levites to you. Neither you nor the party you lead. Quite the opposite. Nova Slovenija has played a constructive role in the government that is now saying goodbye, although it has also received severe pressure from various uncles, media moguls, and the like. Many expected you to be different and rebel, leave the “Janša supporters” and go into a coalition with real “patriots” who have a heart “on the left”. So far you have not let yourself be seduced and I hope it will remain so.
Now comes the time when SDS and NSi are in opposition. They are not the same, but they are equal, regardless of the different number of Members. And I am counting on both to actively present their solutions to everything that will happen in Slovenia in the future. The prospects – you must admit – are not good for now. Namely, the demolition of what the government has been building for two years is announced, as well as you and your circle of ministers from NSi. You worked a lot, you were development-oriented, and that ultimately paid off. It is a pity that a large part of the public did not know how to recognise this and preferred to reward those who had promised new taxes and the old transitional reality in advance.
Since you yourself have been the Minister of Defence for two years and at the very beginning you had to provide enough protective equipment at the start of covid19 epidemic in very difficult conditions, I cannot be a smart-arse. I also know how you faced the old transitional predators during this period, who were constantly stalking the Prime Minister and Ministers, including you. They did not spare you. They wanted you, like your compatriot Marjan, the former Prime Minister, to throw in the towel. They failed. As a Christian, I keep watching how opponents set loops. Also by introducing seeds of discord between programme-related clients and even within clients. I was pleased that the NSi leadership distanced itself from the occasional statements of former President Ljudmila Novak some time ago. You yourself have diplomatically avoided conflict by saying that you do not exclude anyone because of different opinions in the party. I do not dispute this, and it is a decision of you and the governing bodies of the party. In my opinion, however, her statements often have a devastating effect.
Many supporters of the SDS and NSi were disappointed with the situation during the distribution of leadership positions in the working bodies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. I am not happy myself; I can admit that. But this is not a central problem now. What worries me more is that such actions could become a kind of springboard for those who would like to weaken the opposition by throwing bones that would make opposition parties bite each other and transitional predators would plunder unhindered. This would be a real disaster for Slovenia, and I really ask you to prevent such attempts to introduce discord at all costs, regardless of where they come from.
I also hope, dear Matej, that you are aware of what the arrival of the new Golob government means. Your direct successor at the Ministry of Defence will be Marjan Šarec, with whom you come from the same municipality. You know him well, as do his godparents. Former Director General of the Police Tatjana Bobnar is coming to the Ministry of the Interior. You know her well, too. After all, you were the president of KNOVS during Šarec’s government. So, you know very well (also because a lot of the information circulating on KNOVS is insider and not allowed to the public), what was going on, how much spying was going on for politicians (including those from NSi!), the staffing in Sova (“Lepa Nataša”), how money was laundered, and how many police and prosecutorial officials looked away when Iranian money was laundered in the NLB. And do not forget how they also wanted to break you with criminal charges.
I am not saying this because it would lead you to revenge. However, I believe that you are now much more experienced and much less naïve than before. When it comes to the state, you must be determined. We all know that rotten compromises do not bring electoral votes.
So: I am counting on the shadow government to be formed soon, or an expert council. Maybe together with the parties (SDS, Povežimo Slovenijo), maybe everyone with their own, I do not know. I would ask you to think carefully about this possibility. As the president of the party, you also have scissors and a canvas in your hands.
And one more thing: I wrote this letter entirely in my own name. This time I am writing as a citizen and neither as a journalist (although this letter is published on the media portal), nor on behalf of the SDS (otherwise I am not a member), nor on behalf of the outgoing government, nor on behalf of any of the associations of which I am a member. These are solely my personal views and observations.
And I hope we meet for some coffee sometime.
Plenty of blessings and best regards.
Gašper Blažič