By: Ana Horvat (Nova24tv.si)
In Monday’s Arena show, former Prime Minister, and leader of the largest opposition party, Janez Janša, highlighted, “I preferred to attend events where we celebrated. Not a single municipal celebration in any Slovenian municipality on the Statehood Day was dedicated to climate change and Nelson Mandela. They spoke about Slovenia and Slovenians,” he said. He made it clear that he did not see the reason to attend a climate event where people who publicly boasted about voting against an independent Slovenia then go on stage and sing “Moja dežela” (My Homeland). “It is a deliberate provocation,” he firmly believes.
In Monday’s Arena show, where guests Jelko Kacin and Lojze Peterle joined Janez Janša, they recalled the time when the Yugoslav army occupied border crossings. “Simultaneously, while we were preparing for the solemn proclamation, tanks from the Rijeka Corps, unfortunately under the command of a Slovenian, General Čad, went to the border crossings in the Primorska region. He was so enthusiastic that he tried to fulfil the orders he received from Belgrade even before they told him to do so,” Janša emphasised. He recalled that the people of Vipava in the Vipava Valley were the first to resist. The locals, unarmed, halted the armoured columns of the aggressor Yugoslav People’s Army (JPA).
When asked about his perspective on the war and its duration, Janša replied that it lasted either a short or a long time, depending on who you ask. “The first casualty did not occur on June 27th but in May. It was Josef Šimčik in Maribor. That marked the first direct show of force through the barrels of guns,” he stated. He mentioned that fortunately, a few weeks before these events, guidelines for defence were adopted in Pekre, and a coordination group for the preparation and coordination of armed and civilian resistance was established. According to him, this group was activated during the events in Pekre on May 23rd, 1991, and has been operational since then. “There were people who monitored events in the headquarters.”
JPA was the first to use force
“When we declared an independent state, not only did we know that something would happen, but things had already started happening. We were prepared for that. The manner in which the takeover of real power was executed went according to our plans. They say that in every war, plans become casualties. There were also many positive outcomes resulting from the initiative of commanders and local authorities,” Janša explained. He emphasised that Slovenia operated as an organism at that time, with everyone striving to contribute to its defence. According to him, a crucial part of the independence plan was to effectively assume real power wherever possible without attacking anyone. “We adopted all the necessary acts in the Slovenian Assembly. Due to strategic surprise, we took control of air traffic, border crossings, and federal institutions without firing a shot. JPA was the first to use force.” He also highlighted the importance of this for the thousands of foreign news teams present at the time.
Criticism, including from the left, claims that Janša appropriates the independence process for his own public relations. When asked about who the Slovenian independence fighters were, Janša explained that, in the broadest sense, they were all those who voted for an independent Slovenia in the plebiscite. “At that time, we wrote our own judgment. The plebiscite was a command to the entire Slovenian political spectrum to fulfil the people’s will within six months. We all did our part, but it is true that those who did not consider an independent Slovenia as an intimate option did not participate wholeheartedly and were prepared for both scenarios.” Janša also mentioned President Milan Kučan’s speech at the Assembly meeting, where he spoke about immediately offering other Yugoslav nations a connection to the new Yugoslav community once we declare independent statehood. Kučan listed four conditions that needed to be met for Slovenes to join them in that union. “The calculation here was that we would declare an independent Slovenia, and we would not be able to assume effective power. The Yugoslav army would confine us within that framework, and after a few weeks, the only real option that would be taken for granted is to discuss a new Yugoslavia. That was officially stated in that session,” he recalled.
Milan Kučan is the only one who receives a pension supplement of around 5,000 euros due to his alleged contributions to independence
When asked whether the communists realised the welfare of the Slovenian people when it comes to relinquishing power or if they were forced into it, Janša explained that the relinquishment of power was planned and coordinated. “The decision was made when we had our last congress, and in the meantime, Ceaușescu was shot in Romania, and suddenly, multiparty elections became possible. However, it must be openly acknowledged that many members of that party, when it really mattered – I myself became the Secretary of Defence within the ministry – genuinely participated in the defence of Slovenia,” he said, adding that some did not. Regarding the allegations of taking credit, he mentioned that it is interesting that those accusations are most often voiced by the person who is the only one receiving an extraordinary pension due to these alleged contributions. “Milan Kučan is the only one who receives a pension supplement of around 5,000 euros for these so-called contributions to independence.”
On June 26th, 1991, Slovenia lowered the Yugoslav flag and raised the Slovenian flag. When Janša mentioned the symbolic raising of the Yugoslav flag again, he clarified that he did not make it up himself. “They wave the Yugoslav flag at practically all events of the Levica party or quasi-Left. Sometimes it is very hard to find a Slovenian flag there. This does not happen only in imagination,” he made it clear. Incidentally, he also mentioned that there were numerous celebrations throughout Slovenia on the 32nd anniversary of the Slovenian state’s birthday. At least several hundred. “I do not think there is a municipality that does not have a municipal event on the national day, the birthday of the Slovenian state, except for the capital. Since Zoran Janković has been the mayor here, we have never had a celebration. They say the national celebration is held in Ljubljana anyway, but look, that is not a municipal celebration,” he emphasised.
Janša stated that he preferred to attend events where they were celebrating. “Not a single municipal celebration in any Slovenian municipality, and there were hundreds of them, on the national day was dedicated to climate change and Nelson Mandela. They spoke about Slovenia and Slovenians. About what has been and what we wish for future generations.” He said he did not understand why he should attend a climate event where people publicly boasted that they had voted against an independent Slovenia and then sing “My Homeland” on stage. “It is a provocation that is not accidental,” he firmly believes.
There was not a single word about the C0 canal
The central Slovenian state celebration on Saturday focused on climate change and ecology. While it is important, according to Janša, to be concerned about a clean environment, he pointed out that the president dedicated the majority of her speech to this topic. Foreign guests performed songs about it in the heart of Ljubljana, where the C0 canal is being constructed. However, the canal was not mentioned at all. “It is appropriate to be concerned about chimpanzees in Africa but if a national celebration is dedicated to this topic, it would be right to mention something about clean drinking water, which has been emphasised with great pomp in the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia,” Janša emphasised.
Regarding division when it comes to the Statehood Day and the establishment of Slovenia, Janša sees far fewer divisions than are portrayed. “As already mentioned, there were hundreds of celebrations in Slovenia, but divisions are created only due to provocations at the national celebration, practically whenever the left-wing holds power.” As for the interpellation against Minister of Health Danijel Bešič Loredan, Janša stated that it is an act of desperation because they no longer know what to do, considering that despite promises and hundreds of millions provided by them for investments in healthcare, as well as by this government, which allocated millions to reduce waiting lists, the waiting times have increased by 40 percent. “People are fleeing from public healthcare. Those who speak the most about the need to strengthen public healthcare, with the minister at the helm, are implementing measures that undermine public healthcare. Hundreds of thousands of people in Slovenia, especially the elderly and the most vulnerable, do not have access to timely healthcare. That is why this interpellation exists. We are helping the government to act,” concluded Janša.