Ballots for Europe                                                   29 May 1997

By Pavel Kollar

I followed this dispute in Slovakia from the very beginning with great interest and I must say that some expressions of Mr. Meciar and his close cooperators resembles and remembers too much on expressions and behaviour of some European leaders from some past times, several from more remote, others from recent times. To say cardinal lies so cold-bloodily and without any remorse was a personal feature of great totalitarian propagandists, starting with Goebels and his early communistic counterparts and ending with Milosevic, Karadzic and Mladic from recent times. This is the best manifestation of personal features of all totalitarian leaders according which a loyal member of collective is allowed to lie, to kill, to commit frauds, to steal and all this in the name of leader , collective or party ID card, and to present all this as personal sacrifice for higher social values, when these being an school examples of personal irresponsibility accusable by every democratic justice system and civil court.And the irony being greater, all this is made under the headline of democracy.

The practical results of decisions of such leaders are well known from the european history, remote and recent. And after these results usually came the justice, but only after the results were accomplished. The question is: Do democracies have mechanisms which could be implemented before the results are accomplished.

Meciar and his group in Slovakia today want to persuade the inhabitants of this country and the world's public opinion that democracy as social system is impossible and unfunctionable. Will democratic world today deliver him facts which will prove this his "theory" as right? Yes, if it will accept him as responsible negotiation partner, if the press and public opinion will accept their explanations uncritically, if the legal system will remain without reactions. The other alternative is clear. And these are the choices today.

How can opposition create a political chaos with its call for boycott when the opposition leaders are unpopular in the public? And why Mr. Meciar, whom this Slovakia's NATO membership is so laying on the hearth didn't call for contra-boycott , knowing that the public will follow him because he is the most popular personality in the country?. That this "contra" behaviour is so often in his repertoire,  is already known.  I remeber when he on JAN 17 this year, angry on opposition for its proposal of presidential referendum, reacted with words "...the initiative of opposition could turn against them, HZDS will use contra-initiative...". Several days before the referendum the slovak broadcast in its emission for Slovaks living abroad made a street inquiry, and the most people responded they will sure vote "yes" on the fourth question and only thereafter the same respond to the first question and the least were certain how to vote on second and third question. And just that question, which was in the focus of the public, was omitted from the ballots. It is clear why. And why Mr. Meciar and his HZDS, who are so stressing their commitment to democracy, proposed a constitution to the parliament in 1992 according which the president should be elected by parliament, not by citizens directly, when he knew already that time that the power division among more institutions is a basic principle of democracy and is practicized in all democratic societies in one way or another?

And next day one could hear on the same broadcast that this Gustav Krajcy, who deprived millions of voters for their right and who is Minister of Police, took part on some meeting of Interior Ministers of EU Union and the joined countries in Brussels about asylum policy in EU. I think this is for Guinness's Encyclopaedia.

And when asked about the meeting of political parties which he proposed, here is what Mr. Meciar responded on Monday evening :" ...I insist on this meeting already long time but they are not willing to accept it ...in democracy the interest must be respected ...I will not allow disintegration of basic structure ...I will apply the state power against those who will try to ...every play has some limits which cannot be overstepped ...the opposition parties has fear but I do not know from what ...". I remeber times when there circulated the joke about what is truth in communism :"when a communist aparatchik argued that white is black one had to see so, otherwise one will be class enemy". I am not surprised with the ton because I read in the newspaper that Mr. Meciar was awarded by Honourable Doctor of Belgrade University on the occasion of his visit to Belgrade in 1994, on which ceremony took part possibly Mr.Milosevic personally.

And Meciar's ally, Mr. Huska, speaking about the same theme, accused President for joining the NATO referendum to presidential referendum and found that one of the causes for failed referendum could be the fact that the Slovak folk has deep mistrust against all kinds of power associations and this mistrust being based on some bad experience with Warsaw Pact. So this being the cause for failed referendum not the appel for boycott ?! And HZDS will propose new Presidential Referendum!

God or Liberty save Slovaks!

And all this is happening in Europe on the 50-th anniversary of one Europe and on the day of birth of one New Europe which would involve also Slovakia, possible. And I would not be surprised with the news that this Gustav Krajcy or possible Mr. Meciar personally took part on the birth ceremony of this New Europe in The Hague.

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