By: Dr. Andrej Umek
As elections, regular or preliminary, approach, the basic electoral strategies of individual parties and pre-election coalitions that are being formed or indicated are also becoming clear. Practically everyone is committed to democracy, and in the case of concrete problems they are looking for their own solutions, which they want to implement through the democratic process. Among all these parties and coalitions, the KUL coalition stands out. This, at least in my opinion, clearly advocates a Slovene schism, if I use the title of the book by Dr Jože Možina for a general description of their goals. However, I hope that the Slovenes have already realised this on the basis of the events of the last century, the national schism can only lead to a revolution and if it succeeds in the dictatorship of the proletariat. The latter, of course, means communist totalitarianism.
I note with regret that for the first time a group of parties, the KUL coalition, is appearing in the parliamentary elections since 1990, which, at least in my opinion, has set itself the goal of re-establishing the communist totalitarian system in Slovenia. To substantiate this claim, I will set out a few facts below. I hope that I will be convincing enough, at least for all democratically oriented Slovenes.
First of all, I would like to mention the spring homage of the leaders of the SD and thus the KUL coalition to the mass, communist murderer Boris Kidrič. In this way, at least in my opinion, they also clearly expressed their affiliation with the policy he represented. This was a policy of genocide and communist totalitarianism. In order to shed light on this move by the leaders of the KUL coalition from another angle, I will draw an imaginary parallel. Can any of the esteemed readers imagine that anywhere in Germany a monument to Himmler would stand and that the leaders of the German Social Democrats, the SPD, would go pay homage to this Nazi criminal. For all democratically oriented people, this is unimaginable. I am convinced that it is necessary to interpret the tribute of the leaders of the Slovenian SD to Boris Kidrič in this light.
Another important indication of what the basic goal of the KUL coalition is, is the statement of one of the SD leaders, who was also among those who paid tribute to the criminal Kidrič, that the SD is the proud successors of the League of Communists. This statement can only be interpreted as meaning that the SD and with it the KUL coalition are pursuing the same goals as the Communist Party. These, I hope, are clear enough: the revolution and the establishment of the communist totalitarian system.
The media supports the national schism
As the last such indicator for this column, let me state that the KUL coalition follows the basic strategy of the pre-war Communist Party. That is a national schism. The Communist Party made this strategy clear in the 1930s and 1940s with the slogan: Whoever is not with us is against us. KUL still hides this basic strategy of the national schism and uses another slogan: “Death to Janšism.” This means that the KUL coalition does not talk or cooperate with the SDS party, the party that received the most support in the last democratic elections, and its equally democratically elected president Janez Janša. Moreover, they do not talk to or cooperate with all parties or individuals who have contacts with the SDS in terms of a democratic state. So, they follow the basic strategy of their role models, the pre-war communists, that is, the strategy of national schism. And we all know where this strategy, if successful, leads. It leads to a bloody revolution and dictatorship. Obviously, I am not the only one who sees the national schism as a threat to European Slovenia and Slovenian democracy. Opposition to the national schism was also expressed, among others, by a group of prominent Slovene intellectuals connected in the Cathedral of Freedom. However, I am disturbed by the response of the leading Slovene media to the basic question of current Slovene politics: another national schism, yes or no, Slovene democracy yes or no. They give all too much support to the national schism, but they do not see or do not want to see that the national schism also means a dictatorship and a totalitarian system. The strategy of the national schism in the Delo newspaper was most strongly supported by Bojan Rajšek in the article: Nobody believes in Slovenian reconciliation anymore. Since I am convinced that the national schism is harmful for Slovenes, and it is even more dangerous, I have prepared a response to Rajšek’s article, which I summarise below:
I think Mr. Bojan Rajšek should not speak on behalf of all Slovenes. His basic idea, which he already expressed in the title of his article (Delo, November 8th), that no one believes in Slovene reconciliation, is not accurate. Namely, some of us still believe in Slovene reconciliation, or at least in a normal political dialogue for democracy without prior exclusion. I am aware, however, that reconciliation based on the agitprop interpretation that appears in the above-mentioned article is difficult, almost impossible to achieve. National reconciliation requires a revision of history, as written by one of the victors. In order to achieve national reconciliation, it is necessary to look historical truth in the eye.
In the second half of the 1930s, three blocs were formed in Europe: democratic, Nazi-fascist and communist. Each of these blocs was aware that it could not destroy the other two on its own. First, there was an alliance between the Nazi-Fascist and Communist blocs. In September 1939, they divided Poland. In the spring of 1940, the Nazi-fascist bloc, with the considerable help of the communist bloc – oil, food, rare metals, etc. destroyed the democracies of Western Europe e.g., France, the Netherlands, etc. At that moment, Stalin judged that the Nazi-Fascist bloc had become too powerful and switched sides. He stopped all vital supplies to Germany. Hitler then responded by attacking the Soviet Union. In making their decisions, however, both Hitler and Stalin underestimated US industrial and military power. The New Alliance first destroyed the Nazi-Fascist bloc. Some therefore celebrate May 9th, 1945, as Victory Day and the end of World War II. In fact, the war then only continued in a different form, as a Cold War between the Democratic and Communist blocs. As the end of World War II, it makes sense to take the fall of the Berlin Wall, which symbolised the victory of the democratic bloc over both totalitarian ones.
I am convinced that it follows from what has just been written that the struggle against Nazism does not automatically mean the struggle for freedom and democracy. People in the occupied countries and exposed to Nazi terror defined themselves one way or another. In any case, we must consider partisanship and the National Liberation War, perhaps not quite from the beginning, but towards the end, as a part of the communist bloc. Their goal was not the freedom of the Slovenian nation, as freedom also means democracy, but the establishment of a communist regime – the dictatorship of the proletariat. The events after the formal end of World War II prove this: the lynching of opponents, concentration camps for “non-believers”, staged trials, etc.
I am still convinced that national reconciliation can be achieved with a more objective view of what is happening in the turbulent 20th century. I am convinced that a more objective look back will enable a dialogue for the future and thus consolidate Slovenian democracy. This answer of mine is also aimed at this goal.
Unfortunately, Delo newspaper did not publish this answer of mine for reasons unknown to me. It is clear, at least in my opinion, that national reconciliation, which is not based on imposed truth but on understanding reality and mutual dialogue, provides Slovenes with democracy and national development, on the other hand national division means revolution and totalitarianism.
Let me conclude this column by stating that the just presented analysis of the indicators of the political goals of the KUL coalition leads me to the conclusion that they follow the goals of their role models, the Communist Party of Slovenia, i.e., revolution and communist totalitarianism. I hope that the vast majority of Slovenes will be aware of this unpleasant fact before it is too late. This column is supposed to be a contribution to this awareness.
Prof. Dr. Andrej Umek is a member of the SLS Supervisory Board, a former minister, professor, and a member of the European Ideas Network and the editorial board of European View.