TERAZ VÝNIMOČNE TROCHU INAK

Zmieta mnou bohužiaľ silná viróza, v núdzi preto využijem nejaké moje staršie veci, ktoré tu pre zaujímavosť ponúknem, kým sa dám trochu dohromady. Považujem za užitočné, ak o nich bude vedieť viac ľudí aj na Telegrame, lebo sem tam sa nájdu takí, ktorí sa ma pod videami na YouTube pýtajú „Pán Zoldy, kde ste boli doteraz…..“? Nuž, „pán Zoldy“ je tu, som tu stále, nesedím a nesedel som so založenými rukami, lebo v roku 1990 som okamžite prehodil výhybku z profesie prekladateľa odbornej literatúry do angličtiny na novinára, píšuceho v oboch jazykoch, teda aj články, komentáre a hlavne reakcie v angličtine na negatívne články o Slovensku a Slovákoch v zahraničnej tlači – hlavne v americkej a v britskej. Niekto zo Slovenska predsa musel do zahraničia autenticky reagovať aj na to, čo sa tam o nás písalo, často na základe jednostranných informácií, správ a citácií od Martina Šimečku, preto som to považoval za svoju občiansku povinnosť.

Ako prvú tu dnes ponúkam moju vlaňajšiu okamžitú (decembrovú) reakciu na kritiku novej slovenskej vlády zo strany neslávne známeho eurokomisára D. Reyndersa. Môj list, ktorý som poslal všetkým komisárom, vedeniu Európskeho parlamentu a viacerým europoslancom, som následne preložil do slovenčiny a ponúkol ako petíciu, ktorú podpísalo 7 000 občanov. List som samozrejme poslal na vedomie aj tunajším zahraničným ambasádam. Áno, na Slovensku po anglicky! Tu je jeho úplné znenie – vysvetľujeme v ňom s priateľmi, čo sa u nás dialo v rokoch 2020 až 2023 – takto išiel list do Bruselu na vedomie aj americkému veľvyslancovi Ranovi a dolu v linku je jeho preklad:

SLOVAK CITIZENS WRITE TO BRUSSELS AND THE HEAD OF MISSION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN SLOVAKIA

Excellency, December 12, 2023

As you will know, the three and a half years during which as many as three consecutive governments took turns to run Slovakia in the wake of the 2020 parliamentary elections ended recently when a new governing coalition was formed after the September 30th parliamentary elections. A huge sigh of relief could be heard across the tormented Slovakia as the results started pouring in from the polling stations, bringing the disgruntled electorate much needed new hope and promising a return to normalcy after the political bedlam, mismanagement of the nation’s economy and total chaos that eventually turned the country, prosperous and functioning reasonably well just 1,300 days before, upside down.

One of Europe’s star performers just four years back, after the February 2020 elections Slovakia started to see dramatic worsening of all key parameters and indicators that put the country among the EU frontrunners as recently as by the end of the 21st century’s second decade. Nothing, not even the reshuffling of cabinet members and prime ministers seemed to work and the situation just continued to go from bad to worse at a breathtaking rate. Eventually, the ruling coalition of Eduard Heger and Igor Matovic started disintegrating, only to collapse and crash-land amidst fierce infighting, ruthless back-and-forth mud slinging, political chaos and economic recession that resulted in Slovakia’s inevitable decline among EU’s least successful performers.

Worse still, it was not just the economy, the political culture, the inflation, the living standard and the alarming social situation that deteriorated beyond recognition. Hand in hand with overall instability and chaos also the rule of law started receiving one serious blow after another when police measures were taken and attempts were being made on a daily basis to criminalize the opposition and detain and charge its representatives with all sorts of made up crimes. This was usually done by the controversial National Crime Agency (NAKA) and its preferred method of forcing their way into the front yards and homes of alleged suspects of crimes to detain them for unspecified periods of time, often without the detained persons even knowing what they were being charged with. As a rule, local media were always tipped off to be on the site in the small hours, too, to take pictures and report the police raids and the detaining in vivid detail. This has led to multiple cases of violations of human rights, confirmed by twenty-six rulings by the nation’s Constitutional court and four rulings by the European Court of Human Rights (in the period of 2020-2021 alone). Several detained people died while in custody under circumstances which remain to be thoroughly investigated. All this, and much more, did not go unnoticed by the nation’s Slovak Information Service (SIS) which issued a highly concerning classified report of foul police play in numerous instances and of murky police practices in striving to prosecute and sentence people purported to be in any way associated with the opposition. One would have to be deaf, blind and unconscious not to see that the aim had been to maim the opposition and, preferably, destroy and get rid of it altogether in the end, thus transforming the nation’s political landscape into a pitiful semi-desert. Luckily, the September elections put a stop to that effort at the eleventh hour.

The Office of the Special Prosecutor, led by a former politician convicted of killing a man on a pedestrian crossing in downtown Bratislava while driving, has been widely criticised for being instrumental in these practices. It would far exceed the scope of this report and appeal to go into many dismal details of both NAKA and Office of the Special Prosecutor actions. Suffice it to say that the general public got increasingly concerned. Its discontent eventually grew to reach the boiling point and the Slovak people acted accordingly in the September 30 elections. Most people stand firm in their support for the new government’s intention to scrap the controversial Special Prosecutor’s Office. Now even more than at the time of the election.

Under the nation’s Constitution Slovak democracy is based on rule of law and justice, rather than on anyone’s wishful attempts at abusing the principles of rule of law in pursuit of partisan goals. The new government, though it may not be perfect since no government in the world can claim to be perfect, has been
elected by the voters who have entrusted it with putting Slovakia back on track also in respect to democracy, freedom, human rights and rule of law. We would therefore urge you to reconsider with due care, thorough knowledge of facts and proper respect any one-sided criticism of the actions and intentions of the new Slovak government. No amount of feverish political proselytising by a bunch of frustrated discontents can mask, hide or put a plausible makeup on the gross violations of rule of law and principles of democracy under the previous governments.

Bearing all this in mind, we call on you to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Slovakia in a patronising manner. It is us, the people of a sovereign Slovakia, who hold the government to account on a democratic, consensual majority basis. History has taught us valuable lessons to be vigilant and reject any intervention in our domestic affairs. Friendly exchange of opinion will always be welcome and appreciated, if it stays within the limits and standards of civilised, partnership-based coexistence of independent nations.

(This letter is identical with the text of a petition that is now well under way and signed so far by thousands of Slovaks)

Yours sincerely

Michal Z o l d y (interpreter & commentator)
with thousands of friends all across Slovakia https://www.peticie.com/otvoreny_list_predstaviteom_ek_na_podporu_krokov_vlady_r_fica