By: Tanja Brkić (Nova24tv)
“The interpellation is an attempt of a call for reason for those who hold the power today,” the leader of the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), Janez Janša, explained the reasons for the recently tabled interpellation of the government. Janša believes that the Golob government’s moves are “extremely harmful and undermine the foundations of the Slovenian state.”
The largest opposition party, SDS, has recently filed an interpellation with the National Assembly. The SDS party leader Janez Janša explained to Nova24TV that this is only a debate on concrete issues and problems that would “confront the decision-makers with the consequences of their actions,” as he believes that their moves “are undermining the foundations of the Slovenian state.” In addition to criticising the Golob government because of its decisions in relation to the Museum of Slovenian Independence and the Office for Demography, there are other moves which they also consider to be harmful, which represent unrealised promises which have misled the electorate. So far, only the SDS MPs have signed the interpellation, but in the coming days, it will become clear whether MPs from the New Slovenia party (Nova Slovenija – NSi) will join them.
Janša explained that the interpellation was “an attempt to call for reason as, ultimately, it is quite difficult to understand that people in their right mind and considering the consequences would vote for the abolition of the Office for Demography”, pointing out that we live in a country with one of the oldest populations in the world. “This is a threat to us all in the long term; it threatens our very existence,” he explained, adding that it is equally “difficult to understand the abolition of the Museum of Slovenian Independence, a cultural and historical institution that every independent country has.” But there are more reasons for the interpellation than these, and they are there for all to see. “This is a reaction to their bombastic promises, which have resulted in nothing yet,” Janša was clear.
The Golob government’s measures are undermining the foundations of the Slovenian state
Janša went on to explain that the interpellation is primarily intended as a debate to confront the decision-makers with the consequences of their actions, for which the proposers believe most of the government members were not aware of when they took their decisions. In addition, Janša pointed to a number of other moves by the Golob government that he considered “extremely harmful”, highlighting “the weakening of measures to prevent illegal migration at the southern border, the unreasonable weakening of the income tax law, which brings lower wages for everyone, to many things that go to the very heart of undermining the very foundations of the Slovenian state, such as the attempt to abolish gender.” The Golob government is supposedly preparing legislation on gender equality, saying that there are 48 genders, not just two. “Both sexes are equal, but they are not the same; if that were the case, we would not exist,” Janša was clear.
The debate could help to sober them up
Janša also highlighted the empty promises of the Golob government, which he considers to have been misleading, as many of the promised deadlines have already passed, in particular, the Social Democrats party (Socialni demokrati – SD) promises of a 30-day waiting period for a specialist – “we are already in the ninth month of the 30-day deadline for everyone to get to a specialist,” Janša pointed out, and he also highlighted the chaos in some subsystems. Janša believes that a full-day debate can help sober things up but stresses that the tabled interpellation is not a constructive no-confidence motion, as no change of government will be proposed. The SDS party President explained that the interpellation would list very specifically those measures that require more detailed discussion, but if this trend continues, Janša expects the government coalition itself to intervene at the top, replacing Golob and most ministries. “This government as it is will certainly not live to see the end of its mandate,” he assessed.
The bombastic pre-election promises resulted in nothing
The tabled interpellation will be aimed at debating and voting on the proposed conclusions, Janša reiterated, claiming that the SDS party “is more than strong enough not only to table such an interpellation but also to hold a reasoned debate itself.” Asked by a journalist whether he expects support from the New Slovenia party, Janša replied that their support was not necessary, but that “any help would be appreciated.”
The fact that Golob’s government has been criticised and that the protests are escalating on a daily basis is, according to Janša, a clear indication that the government should reflect on its work and actions, because it decides about all those who voted for it and also those who did not. “All these things that have accumulated are the result of a situation that is not good for hundreds of thousands of citizens, especially pensioners and young people, who are not getting opportunities because companies are leaving Slovenia,” Janša explained, adding that this is also “a reaction to the coalition’s bombastic promises, which resulted in nothing. Instead of trying to deliver on these promises, they are abolishing the most state-building institutions that guarantee Slovenia’s existence,” he concluded.