By: Moja Dolenjska
In the municipality of Slovenj Gradec, the Stropnik family was handed the keys to the first house built since last year’s floods. This house was constructed by 41 donors, led by the company Pergola. Prime Minister Robert Golob shamelessly used the key handover for his own promotion.
The government, in fact, had no role in the construction of the first house. It was built entirely through donations from Slovenian companies, while the state has been significantly delayed in its flood recovery efforts and has not built a single house to date. Moreover, more than a year after the floods, it is still unclear which houses need to be demolished and which do not.
Despite this, Golob boasted without shame in Slovenj Gradec about what the government had supposedly already done for flood recovery. He claimed that the measures they are implementing for post-flood reconstruction are heading in the right direction. He told the locals, who are waiting in vain for faster government action, that “a bit more patience will be needed for the experts to do their work”.
Golob’s presence at the key handover caused a great deal of outrage among people. “If this is not the height of callousness and hypocrisy, then I do not know what is… It is a wonder none of the flood victims spat in his face,” wrote journalist and well-known X network user Johanca on the platform. “I would be ashamed to go there,” wrote well-known Finance journalist Petra Sovdat under a post discussing Golob’s presence at the handover.
Journalist Bojan Požar reminded that Golob had publicly promised to build up to 100 houses per month, but Golob’s administration has not built even one.