Almost everybody has ever heard of the famous phrase "divide and rule" (divide et impera), already applied by Julius Caesar in antiquity. While this was in fact a strategy to ensure that consolidation of forces against the Romans would not pose a threat, we can witness a kind of self-imposed divide-and-rule status within Slovak society. A trend, which is making public static, to the extent of appearing completely apathic.
It can be demonstrated, that Slovaks have been subjected to a number of decades of forced silence. where communist leaders would eagerly demonstrate consent from the proletariat, but the population equally understanding that keeping hush-hush posed the least trouble to your every day life. Criticism didn't pay, unless you had relentness courage to withstand continuous intimidation, imprisonment, hard labour, and in the 1950s even the gallows. Concurrently, anybody with a slight intellectual inclination, was per definition suspicious; being born into an old-bourgeois family was a guarantee for harassment from above. The prevailing attitude "I know nothing, I only work here" was the safest excuse.
As we are 20 years down the line, since the Velvet Revolution, the present government has trespassed several borders, which in a modern western, democratic and open society would never be maintainable. It is not to say that western democracies never face government crises; there is only a huge difference, how society as a whole is aware of its rights to act. Here we have a paralising discrepancy, which is gratefully exploited by those who have an interest to remain in their warm seats.
The recent spontaneous demonstrations have become a sign, that society is not completely apathic. We can detect a strong sense of disgust, which sometimes does lead to quite emotional debates. These debates are however too virtual. Facebook (noticeably Twitter being much less used than in other countries) seems to be the principle platform of most of the opponents. But we see a disturbing trend:
Through the political terror of the past totalitarian regimes, open discussions and debating skills are somewhat absent. What strikes me most, is a lack of a sound respons on analyses. Not stating that it is completely absent, since there are definitively some capable minds. Yet, the difference in wavelengths is disturbing. In other words; some organisations and institutes, which profess certain ethical values, seem not to be able to deliver their message to those for whom it is intended.
The other group of opponents, realising the depths of the situation, act for a great part purely emotionally. Emotions are strong mechanisms in people's reasoning and actions. Not only can they create e.g. the most beautiful symphonies they have also the power to instigate genocides. There is therefore a division between what one feels and what can be said. Upfront using invectives does not create much room for sensible and constructive dialogues. In addition, readily accepting a possibility that one has made a mistake, accidentally made a wrong evaluation of the situation, and the like, is equally difficult a task to some. It must be said, that being lead by emotions, is a general observations and is as much widespread among those who currently criticise and those who defend the government.
Furthermore, Slovaks have - from the aforementioned experiences from the past - much distrust in politicians, generally speaking. Regardless, whether a politician is without any blemish, his party-membership puts him into a negative light. Purely from an emotional point of view. Mistakes made by former (post-1989) governments are still in the minds of the people. Any government makes mistakes, but such an analysis mostly lands on deaf ears. Some of the already mentioned organisations and institutes usually have a certain link with political parties, which a priori builds a wall of distrust around them.
Finally, while every day several new discussions start on Facebook, or even new groups are set up, this also adds to the division in society; While on the one hand, the environment, where even the most remote corners of the country can be accessed (provided internet access is available) so costly travel is involved therefore, the ease becomes equally a threat, as a hundred uncoordinated groups of opponents compete with eachother, like a shouting crowd that cannot hear what is said. There is hardly any unifying channel, like a civic movement - free from any political party - which could have been the only way forward to unite the population. To find the greatest common denominator, basic and realistic principles acceptable to any morally thinking person instead of offering every day a new sub-group only to become an administrator of an own page.
Therefore, Slovaks will to a high degree remain divided, where the leadership will continue to rule over them, as there is no majority alternative. Why none of the many movements has grasped the right momentum now in an effective way is hereby explained. What society would need is (to refer to Jane Austen's novel) sense and sensibility. Understanding what and knowing how. That will be a question of time, patience and education.
MS
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