By: Peter Jančič (Spletni časopis)
The government proposed in an emergency law the concept of Solidarity Saturdays and a mandatory solidarity contribution from all employed individuals for the Reconstruction Fund of Slovenia. Through this, the government aims to secure long-term funds from citizens to address the consequences of floods. Following the appointment of the twelfth Prime Minister’s State Secretary, Boštjan Šefic, they are also establishing a special government agency for reconstruction and a reconstruction fund, which, however, will not be within the government structure. In simpler terms: the government requires additional funds and is introducing extra taxes, disguising them with misleading terminology, and even creating new institutions that will spend money without adhering to the typical budgetary regulations.
After the elections, we acquired five additional ministries, where the coalition hired a whole bunch of new officials, resulting in one of the most abundant governments in history and within the EU. When difficulties arise, the response is to employ more officials, establish additional offices, and impose new levies. That is how governance seems to work. In fact, it is quite strange that the ruling parties did not just create an extra ministry to deal with flood damage. If they established five more ministries to ensure jobs for party members who failed in the elections, they could have easily created one more that would actually do something meaningful.
How many loans is the Levica party repaying to the flood victims?
With the second emergency law that the government proposed to the parliament within a few weeks, the ruling parties continued their project to eliminate political plurality in the media this week as well. This week, they prematurely removed the right winged Uroš Urbanija, who in the RTVS board, headed by Goran Forbici, whose vice president is the general secretary of the journalists’ association Špela Stare, was not even allowed to answer for the accusations levelled against him with which the new head of the RTVS board, Zvezdan Martič removed him as interim director even before a new one would be chosen through a tender. The purge is happening so quickly that they could not wait for the public call. They removed him based on the logic that they have a majority and can do whatever they want. The political pressure behind this move was revealed by a post from the Levica party, which celebrated a significant victory. Almost no one voted for them in the elections, yet they now control the media that we all, the people, have to pay for.
During this significant victory, the outgoing coordinator Luka Mesec suggested implementing additional taxation on banks that are making excessive profits and not contributing enough to those affected by the floods. For instance, this could involve forgiving loans for those whose property was swept away by the water. However, Mesec did not mention how many of such loan repayments his party or he personally have undertaken. Solidarity, right? Or his Ministry of Labour. Solidarity. Banks should act. Others should. And due to the flood damages, all individuals and businesses will have to pay the mandatory contribution proposed by the government for the next two years. Despite high taxes and contributions in our country, there is not enough money in the state budget. They managed to find money for new ministries, even for the Levica party. However, they have not allocated funds for rebuilding collapsed bridges, roads, and providing loans that burden the affected individuals.
According to media reports, the government has at least refrained from an immediate substantial increase in salaries for officials, including judges, members of parliament, ministers, and the like. If they were to demand additional money from everyone while giving themselves significant pay raises, the caricature of solidarity would be all too obvious.
Solidarity in the style of Robert Golob. You give us more money, so we can raise our salaries. And perhaps even pay us substantial bonuses. Politicians have not cancelled salary increases, especially not for the highest officials, which could mean several thousand euros more per month. They have only postponed it. Temporarily. Just like they previously pushed the new two percent contribution for long-term care and the one percent contribution for retirees to the year 2025. The additional, as the government pronominalises it, solidarity contribution for the elderly will begin in mid-2025, just as the current solidarity contribution to address flood damages is set to expire. It is not even certain if this contribution will be abolished in two years. As the Minister of Labour, Mesec, mentioned, we are living in a time when additional natural disasters are possible. So, this contribution might become permanent. They might even add a few more. That is how they govern. It is easy for them.
In order not to lose public trust with such policies, they need media that are depoliticised. Nothing critical. This is behind the changes and pressures exerted by the rulers. Not all pressures are as direct and visible as the early dismissal of Urbanija this week. There are also more sophisticated methods. And different pressures on how to kindly report on the actions of the rulers.
Subcontractors of government party subcontractors
Personally, this week, I was shown by a letter I received from the Vice President of the RTVS Council, Špela Stare, who is also the General Secretary of the Journalists’ Association. She urged me to respond to a complaint before the Honour Council because I dared to report from the first session of the new RTVS Council. In that report, I mentioned that the council members, at the beginning of the session, allegedly before it even properly began, dismissed the lawyer Drago Zadergal. Later, they protested why there was no information that Zadergal had intended to present. The first session of the new council was called by the former Director General, Andrej Grah Whatmough, who the new council members did not like and still do not. Because he is from the right. In the past, he was a supervisor for the SMC party, which entered a coalition with SDS. Logically, the one who called the session should have started it. However, Grah Whatmough was absent from the inaugural session. As he communicated, he was not invited by the new members. Zadergal, with his authorisation, attended in his place. Prior to this, he had also led the legal department at RTVS. When Zadergal wanted to convey Grah Whatmough’s message, council members told him to be quiet and that he would not have the floor. Unofficially, this was because he is from the right. The SDS party even has a representative in the State Electoral Commission. When they told him he had nothing to say, he left. He was only there to relay what he had been instructed to say. They showed him the door. I described this in my article, even in the title, with the words: “They forced him out.”
The assessment that Zadergal was expelled has not been contested by the council members or their leadership, such as Forbici or Stare. They are, in fact, subcontractors of the policies of government parties within RTVS. Instead of direct pressure, subcontractors of subcontractors have appeared. The Anuška Delić Oštro portal, financed this year by the Ministry of Culture, led by Asta Vrečko with 21,750 euros, is a clear example. Delić is a quite activist journalist against Janez Janša and the right-wing. There are many similar voices in Slovenia advocating for changes at RTVS. The Oštro portal firmly asserted that my assessment is incorrect and unacceptable, arguing that Zadergal supposedly left on his own before the official start of the session. Thus, they claim, he was not forced out.
It is not disputed that these events occurred at the beginning of the session, even possibly before the official start. However, it is not true that Zadergal left without reason. In fact, that is a lie. When I responded to the Oštro portal and pointed out that they had not published my responses in full, which is easily done online, they initially demanded a correction to be published using a lawyer’s office. Now, they are proceeding with a case before the Honour Council. What could be so terribly bothering them?
It is simple. They are bothered by an interpretation of events that is not aligned with their pro-government stance. They are trying to expel that perspective from the media. In solidarity with Luka Mesec, Tanja Fajon, and Robert Golob. To claim that the Oštro portal is fact-checking is not accurate. Anyone can verify the facts for themselves, as the session was directly broadcast by the public television, and the recording is still accessible. I also shared the link during my reporting and later on. We do not need Anuška Delić and her portal for this purpose. What bothers them is the interpretation of events. An interpretation that is not pro-government. Their interpretation.
Criticism needs to be silenced. But that will not be easy. I do not hide anything and stand by what I have written. Sometimes I make mistakes, correct them, and apologise. But this time, I have not. Zadergal did not leave on his own before the session. The conflict we witnessed was important because it revealed the new RTVS Council’s attitude toward those who are not from the right three parties. You know, the government parties.