By: Žiga Korsika
“If you do not talk about peace, you cannot achieve it.” These words were spoken by Finnish President Alexander Stubb at a peace conference in Switzerland, attended by nearly 100 state delegations. As the Finnish President said, the conference was a step in the right direction, even though it did not bring peace. Before peace can be achieved, many more such steps will need to be taken. Most countries, almost eighty, including Slovenia, signed a statement that the only basis for lasting peace can be the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
However, you would look in vain for the Slovenian Prime Minister among the signatories. He was replaced at the conference by the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, with considerable reluctance. She said, “I am very well aware of how important this peace conference is. I took this responsibility seriously and of course decided to postpone all the commitments I had for these two days”. The President of Slovenia implied that Golob does not understand the importance of the peace conference. And she was right.
The President had no significant commitments. He went across the ocean, on vacation. Rather than speaking and trying to contribute to peace in Ukraine, he talked about basketball and Dončić. Instead of the basketball star visiting the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister visited the basketball star. Instead of addressing the waiting lists in healthcare, he and his partner stood in line outside a sports arena.
By taking a vacation in the USA after the severe electoral defeat in the European elections, the Prime Minister once again confirmed that his critics are right. They accuse him of a series of mistakes, including lying, living in a parallel reality where “freedom” brings milk and honey, unfulfilled promises, authoritarian outbursts, lack of ideas, disinterest in state affairs, wrong priorities, and finally, what is most damning for traditionally hardworking Slovenians, laziness. At this point, even his biggest supporters must admit that the criticisms levelled against him are not just caricatures of his work and public image. On the contrary, the Prime Minister has personally equated his public image with a caricature of himself. To a large extent, they have become one and the same.