The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 29 October, 2021.
Mladina: Govt's epidemic strategy guided by upcoming election
STA, 29 October 2021 - Mladina says in its latest editorial that the government's Covid-19 strategy is actually "crazy business" that has nothing to do with the epidemic, because the basic premise that prevents the government from having a strategy and that steers the country's fight against the epidemic has a name - election.
"It sounds banal, and actually even criminal, but the Slovenian government today takes (or does not take) measures based on the fact that general election will be held in the country in half a year," the weekly says in Price of Pre-election Period.
Half of the voters who may take part in the election refuses vaccination, sending an indirect message that they also reject the majority of the anti-epidemic measures, which is why the government has been taking illogical and inconsistent measures.
"When it comes to all measures, the main line of thinking of the prime minister and other coalition party presidents is how possible individual measures taken by the government will impact the sentiment of voters in the upcoming election."
Taking action during an epidemic does have a political effect on the electorate, but this applies to every government, Mladina says, noting that Miro Cerar (2014-2018) had the refugee crisis and Alenka Bratušek (2013-2014) had the financial crisis.
"What comes with politics is politicians being able to look beyond the party and personal interests and take measures that will probably be damaging to them politically, but beneficial for the country and its residents."
According to the weekly, this is especially true for the current government and the time of epidemic - it is without a doubt a historical moment in which true statesmen sacrifice their possible future career in the name of higher goals.
"This government is not doing that, this is something Janez Janša is not capable of. That man continues to think only about himself, like all autocratic leaders. It is not about the nation, it is about him."
The weekly notes that Slovenia cannot afford another six months of pre-election time, because it immediately needs a government that will not look at the epidemic and measures to stem it through the lenses of the upcoming elections.
"The price of this calculating and egomaniac conduct is not counted in euros, but in lives," concludes the commentary.
Demokracija: Parallel mechanism of deep state still alive
STA, 28 October 2021 - Demokracija says in its latest commentary that the "parallel mechanism of deep state" from the period of transition is still very much alive in Slovenia and that money for completely political and ideological needs keeps returning to the country.
Today, deep state is being falsely defended by presenting the parallel mechanism as a system that benefits the Slovenian nation and as part of preparations for monetary aid during the independence efforts, the weekly adds in Parallel Mechanism.
The commentary discusses a book on the topic by economist Rado Pezdir, which talks about millions of euros disappearing abroad (mostly in tax havens) and returning in the form of various privatisation stories.
"What makes the book invaluable is that it uses concrete examples to describe how the parallel mechanism functions: from classic crime (cigarette smuggling) by the communist avant-garde and cooperation with (Italian) mafia after WWII."
The refined financial operations at the turn of the millennium show that the mechanism is very much alive and certain circumstantial evidence shows that the violent street protests in Ljubljana are financed in agreement with career criminals.
"The parallel mechanism defends what it holds dear the most: enormous quantities of money, care for heirs of communism, integrity of its (im)moral system and its interpretation of the world," Demokracija says.
It notes that the battle to dismantle this mechanism does not take place in plain daylight, but "at the most visceral levels," and in truth it is a battle between good and evil, between truth and lies.
"The left-wing experiment that has built the parallel mechanism in the first place has been taking place for more than three-quarters of a century in Slovenia, but sooner or later it will crumble under the weight of history," concludes the commentary.
All our posts in this series are here
