By: Gašper Blažič
Do you remember the times when Tanja Fajon, then still a Member of the European Parliament, was publicly beating the drums of the “rule of law”, claiming that Slovenia had a government supposedly ruling in a bandit-like manner? She was referring, of course, to Janša’s third government, but in reality, she was describing events that were yet to come. These events came with the arrival of the government she is now a part of (though I will leave the Palestinian question aside for now).
What is the definition of banditry? Perhaps the best approximation of banditry is that bandits do not adhere even to the laws they themselves set. No matter how crazy those laws may be, their actions essentially “create” laws. And double standards, as Justice Minister Andreja Katič might say. Thus, banditry could be compared to anarchy, but it involves more than that. It is neither anarchy nor classic banditry, but political crime under the guise of “justice”, yet without any legitimate basis. Former assistant to Ivan Maček-Matija, Albert Svetina-Erno, in his book “From the Liberation Struggle to Banditry”, vividly depicted the operations of the new revolutionary authorities after the end of World War II. In the name of new revolutionary laws (which did not yet exist), the “red star” forces looted Ljubljana and other places. The only thing that mattered was who held power and authority – post-war revolution brought the “law of the jungle”, which was later attempted to be formalised with a “legal form”. Even the laws they enacted were in the service of the revolution, and they had to be followed by “ordinary people”. For the “elite”, however, the law of the “parallel mechanism” applied. This is also why the UDBA (State Security Service) could engage in criminal activities like cigarette smuggling and gambling in the manner of a classic gangster organisation, while “self-managing socialism” applied to ordinary mortals.
Why am I writing this? Primarily because of today’s news that the police raided the premises of Nova24TV, reportedly due to a directive from a parliamentary investigative commission now led by Tamara Vonta (Svoboda), and previously by Mojca Pašek Šetinc (formerly Svoboda, now an independent MP). They claim to be investigating economic crime. Let’s see what the Ljubljana Police Directorate sent to the media today: “In the context of personal data protection, we explain and can confirm that the police, based on orders from the competent court and under the direction of the Specialised State Prosecutor’s Office, is conducting several operational activities in the area of several police directorates in connection with a criminal offense in the field of economic crime. More information cannot be provided due to the interest of the investigation.” Some media reported on investigations at Telekom Slovenija, and the STA report summarises statements from Šetinc Pašek and reports from the portal Necenzurirano. From these summaries, it is quite clear that this is an attempt to silence one of the few opposition voices and one of the few media outlets that has not yet been “depoliticised”. Of course, the aim is to put additional pressure on advertisers, suggesting that if you advertise in these media, you could also face a raid.
We have written numerous times about the activities and findings of the politically abused investigative commission, so I will not repeat the known facts about the commission and its true purpose here. However, I would like to mention the comparison with efforts to establish a parliamentary commission to investigate Golob’s dubious dealings (Gen-I and the like). As is known, the commission was only recently established because the National Council voted for it, but due to the fact that this commission will also be led by a member of Svoboda, it will essentially be investigating itself. Because, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Law enforcement agencies apparently have little interest in these matters. Just as they are not particularly interested in the dealings involving taxpayer money between Martin Odlazek, Vesna Vuković, and Robert Golob.
The whole situation is very awkward for the ruling elite. It is quite transparent that they would embark on such a project ten days before the elections, likely thinking they could dissuade voters from casting their votes for the SDS. Claiming that the case of Nova24TV involves economic crime and has nothing to do with politics is about as ridiculous as the myth that Janez Janša was arrested and convicted in 1988 because he allegedly “stole” secret military documents, and the authorities at the time had to react in an official capacity. The difference is not only that we officially had a totalitarian regime then (while now we supposedly have a democracy), but also that Golob and his cronies are not even embarrassed enough to carry out the entire process more elegantly, as Kučan’s UDBA would have done back then. In other words, Golob is beginning to behave even more arrogantly than Stane Dolanc, France Popit, and other hard-line communist bigwigs did in the 1980s. Milan Kučan was at least clever enough to monitor the creation of Stane Kavčič’s “Diary and Memoirs” through the eyes and ears of the UDBA agents, even though those preparing the project naively thought they were well hidden from the communist secret police. However, Kučan did not react with seizure and prohibition, which happened to the Mladina magazine in 1988 when SDV operative Miran Frumen marched into the printing house and personally prevented the article “Night of the Long Knives” from being included in the regular issue of Mladina.
On the other hand, today’s police – or rather, militia – action thankfully brings at least some sobriety to the Slovenian space among those who naively believed in April 2022 that the victory of Svoboda party would bring better times for our country. If, in the 1980s, the then-head of the YPA, Admiral Branko Mamula, built a villa in Opatija with the help of soldiers, Golob is building a vacation nest on the other side of the Piran Bay. And he shows Slovenians his ass (or perhaps a middle finger), as if to say, “What can you do to me?” But the time of the emperor’s new clothes is coming to an end. Golob, go home! We have had enough of your banditry.
