By: Nova24tv.si
If the mainstream media practically react to every word spoken by the opposition leader Janez Janša and twist it to fit their narrative, it is entirely different in the case of the current Prime Minister Robert Golob. They are not even bothered by false statements, so instead, the role of the “watchdog” must be played by platform X.
“The abolition of supplementary health insurance is one of the decisive and successful measures of this government, which we committed to when signing the coalition agreement,” said Prime Minister Robert Golob during parliamentary questions, the last before the parliamentary recess. These words were specifically uttered when the leader of the NSi parliamentary group, Janez Cigler Kralj, warned the Prime Minister about the risks to public finances caused by the purchase of the unapproved court building on Litijska Street and 13,000 computers, as well as the reformation or scam involving the reformation of supplementary health insurance into a mandatory contribution.
Platform X reacted
Although Golob and the coalition insist that the supplementary insurance has been abolished, the fact is that this is not the case at all, as it is still being paid, and payment is even mandatory, which was not previously the case. Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that due to the scam with the transformation of supplementary health insurance, €33.5 million will be paid from the budget reserve to insurance companies that were harmed. Platform X reacted to this specific case, explaining to users of the popular social network: “The post is misleading as the Government of the Republic of Slovenia has not abolished supplementary health insurance but has merely transformed it into a mandatory health contribution, which is identical in amount and content.”
The misleading statement did not go unnoticed among X users, as evidenced by the telling comments that appeared under the mentioned government post. Among them were: “What abolition? You are lying again. The non-mandatory insurance has become mandatory, while 200,000 people still do not have a doctor, surgeons are resigning, women are without gynaecologists, the health system is collapsing, and you are ‘saving’ healthcare with communist nationalisation?”; “What abolition? You transformed voluntary health insurance into mandatory.”; “Oh, really? You abolished supplementary insurance, a year later raised the insurance for the same €3 again. Now we are paying €33 million more to private insurers for the ‘shortfall’… So, we are paying the same thing twice, and citizens are worse off again. Why are you making fun of us?”; “Yes, this is your most successful measure. Previously voluntary has become a tax. You are scum.”; “If it is abolished, why do I still have to pay it?”
Lies are part of his political career
Since many have concluded after two years that Golob has already made quite a few false statements, we asked political analyst Dr Matevž Tomšič why he does this and why such statements go unnoticed by the media, while every word of Janša’s is scrutinised. “Nothing new. This has been his way of operating throughout his entire political career,” emphasised Tomšič, adding that “the list of these lies is indeed so long that you could practically dedicate a book to it.”
This seems to be part of his modus operandi. According to Tomšič, Golob somehow believes “that he can afford it because he is so exceptional, and that everything is relative, everything is a matter of his judgment, which fits well into the post-truth phenomenon, where everything is a matter of interpretation and can change from moment to moment.”
Professional media would have already brought down Golob
Tomšič noted that such behaviour was often attributed to Donald Trump. However, he finds it interesting that Slovenian media or commentators, opinion leaders who criticised Trump for this, do not criticise Golob. “Another reason why he does this is because he can afford it. He has the media on his side, they do not highlight these statements, and if they do, they somehow relativise them. The media support he has allows him to behave this way,” he emphasised, reminding that with Janša, even if the matter was true, the media often turned it around to make it appear as if it were not true. “If the media had approximately the same standards, they would have already brought him down,” he concluded.