By: Sara Kovač / Nova24tv
“The Act on the Provision of Funds for Investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces does not provide for the purchase of tanks, but for the purchase of modern vehicles for the transport of units, with a high level of protection, that will protect the lives of soldiers,” the Ministry of Defence responded to the SD party, which has joined the campaign of collecting signatures for the referendum, in which they are misleading the public by claiming that 780 million euros will be spent for the purchase of tanks. In reality, the act does not provide for the purchase of a single tank.
On Friday, the National Assembly approved a bill which ensures the investments in the Slovenian Army in the years 2021 to 2026. The bill envisions 780 million euros in additional funds for military investments in the next six years, most of it for the purchase of armoured vehicles and the establishment of a middle battalion battle group.
The Social Democrats, along with the Levica, the LMŠ and the SAB parties, jumped at the opportunity to oppose the adoption of the Act on the Provision of Funds for Investments in the Slovenian Armed Forces and used this matter to collect signatures for a legislative referendum.
They have degraded all the basic state systems
But it seems that they already failed at the very beginning of the campaign, as they made a mistake when they went after the “tanks.” “780 million euros for tanks? No, thanks! Sign the request for calling a referendum!” they called on their followers on social networks. Then, it turned out that the Investment Act does not provide for the purchase of new tanks at all but allocates one percent of the GDP for the most urgent investments, namely, for appropriate equipment, decent construction of barracks, purchase of transport helicopters, a transport aircraft and armoured vehicles, which will contribute to greater security and survival of Slovenian soldiers on missions.
Furthermore, the Social Democrats are trying to mislead the public, as they are convincing it that the government will spend 780 million on weapons, instead of on health, jobs and care for the elderly. What they are not telling the public, however, is that they are the ones who are responsible for the dismantling of healthcare, the labour market and homes for the elderly, as they have been in power and the members of all governments for the 10 out the last 12 years. And above all, they are also responsible for the planned dismantling of the Army, which is now slowly getting back on its feet. During the last 12 years, they even headed the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, and during this period, they did not build a single home for the elderly, which says enough about their care for the elderly, and especially about their (non) competence. And to make matters worse, they even compared the new act to a third arms affair.
Minister of Defence Matej Tonin told Nova24TV that this is a very low political campaign, with which the left wants to upset the people and bring more ire into society, especially with their demagogic depictions of how there is no money for one thing, but there is money for another.