Impertinent Fico

Today a press conference was called - looks as if prime minister Fico would announce that the whole millions of Euro draining Interblue emissions scandal will be finally unravelled, or that extraterrestrials have landed in Slovakia. The seriousness must be unsurpassed.

Mr Fico, at a level of a 10 year old schoolboy, giving a class-presentation on colourful autumn leaves, holds up a printout of two pictures - one a picture of the SDKU-DS election campaign billboard with leader Iveta Radičová and one picture from a meeting of the Czech and Moravian Communist Party. The bottom-line was, that Ms Radičová is, according to schoolboy Fico, committing plagiarism by using the same slogan (but in Slovak of course) as the mentioned communist party. A matter of highest priority to the prime minister and "unheard of" in today's politics.

Schoolboy Fico, forgot to do his homework thoroughly, as the slogan used on the billboard was in fact the title of a publication Ms Radičová herself (published in 1995). A fact, which fully entitles Ms Radičová using the slogan, and which is irrelevant that the CMCP uses it nowadays as well. In school Robbie Fico would get some feedback and he would be sulking for the rest of the day.

The reality is, that Mr Fico is the prime minister. The sad reality is that the prime minister is using his government office, to rant about party campaign matters, which have no place there. The strange reality is, that when asked about current scandals - the social inclusion projects of his party minister Tomanová, EU-funds which are cut off because of serious doubts, outright tunnelling and nepotism, the prime minister does not have even the decency to answer the journalists - evading the questions by either insulting, hammering on vague accusations at the address of the opposition, while his scandals are of a much graver nature, or his arrogant pedantic remarks that this press conference is about a different issue.

The whole issue about Mr Fico is, that he is not capable of bearing his political responsibility; while the questions asked are relevant enough as they address current political relevancy (at least of higher relevancy that falsely alleged plagiarism of Ms Radičová billboards), he never answers them. Not so much for an individual journalist, but de facto the public has a right to know about them. 

In Soviet-controlled times, leaders of the politburo also never answered critical questions on the truths behind their happy proletariat paradise, and Fico is behaving in the same fashion. If Fico feels a psychological need to revive Soviet totalitarianism, he may do so - monitored by doctors. Not as being a political leader - a prime minister - of an EU country. It undermines not his political capability, it undermines not only democratic principles, it undermines even the Slovak Constitution. Fico is playing an arrogant game, and the bottom line is; making fun of Slovakia's citizens. It is the face of a complexed little boy, who cannot stand the big world around him. In my view, Fico has shown ultimate impertinence and there is only one possible answer to that...

MS