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Meciar: HZDS Will Have a Say When Future Government Will Be Formed
Sunday 13 December 2009 Zoom in | Print page
(Markiza, Na Telo, December 13)
After the parliamentary elections set for 2010, LS-HZDS will not only make it to Parliament but will be stronger and will decide about future ministers, said LS-HZDS chairman Vladimir Meciar on TV Markiza's politics discussion show 'Na Telo' on Sunday.
Ethnic-Hungarian SMK leader Pal Csaky, also taking part in the show, expressed his conviction that his party has quite enough voter support as well. "Of course, SMK will make it to Parliament," he stressed.
The two politicians discussed the Slovak National Party's (SNS) bill on bolstering patriotism in Slovakia, which is now heading for second reading in Parliament. Meciar said he doesn't see anything negative about the fact that pupils would start their lessons with the Slovak anthem. At the same time, he noted, however, that it is not possible to ensure patriotism by law. "Patriotism must be rooted in the inner values of one's upbringing - from childhood to adulthood," said Meciar.
"I agree that patriotism can't be extorted by law," said Csaky, adding that the proposed law as such has a violent character. "We think that this is an unnecessary law, characteristic of totalitarian regimes," he thinks.
Asked about his personal feelings in terms of patriotism, Csaky answered that he views himself as a patriot. "I've already put something on the table, I've helped Slovakia to get in the EU. SMK has always been defending democratic principles. And that is patriotic," he specified (dodging the issue of whether he felt himself to be Hungarian or Slovak).
Another issue discussed by the Coalition and opposition politicians was MPs' immunity, especially the proposal submitted by Smer-SD MP Renata Zmajkovicova to Parliament last week, though withdrawn when it became apparent that there weren't the 90 MPs required to pass this constitutional Act. Csaky considers the motion as a "disgusting game", inappropriate before the general elections. According to him, SMK was ready to support the proposal.
Meciar countered that 99 percent of the discussion that is being led about the MPs' immunity is non-qualified and silly. The purpose of immunity is protection against the misuse of judicial power against MPs. According to Meciar, immunity is a principle that "requires (Parliament) to discuss (a specific case) before the police or prosecutor's office takes steps, so that a political motive can be excluded and MPs are protected - parliamentarism is protected, not a person".
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