The central ceremony marking Slovenian Statehood Day, which took place on Monday, the 24th of June in Ljubljana’s Congress Square, was attended by many politicians who have marked the period of recent Slovenian history since the country’s foundation. Among them were Borut Pahor, Danilo Türk, Janez Janša and Milan Kučan.
Borut Pahor, former President of the Republic of Slovenia, said that Slovenians have every reason to be proud of how far we have come, “but as an ambitious nation, we need to ask ourselves the question of whether we could not have been better, and I think we could have been. If you ask me about one such ground-breaking change that we deserve for a better future, it is certainly the rise of entrepreneurship. In 33 years of history, we have somehow not been able to do that or even wanted to do that, I think, because at the beginning, in the 1990s, we somehow relied on the fact that we could achieve more and achieve it more easily by taking incremental steps than by going for some more radical change. Well, 33 years later, it seems that we need such ground-breaking changes, and the sooner we implement them, the better. Good luck.”
When asked whether we are united enough, Janez Janša, Minister of Defence at the time of independence and three-time Prime Minister of Slovenia, said, “The question is whether we are united enough. In any case, we are independent, we decide things for ourselves. We have our independence, the museum can be abolished, but our independence cannot disappear. So, today is a holiday and I want to offer my sincere congratulations to all who celebrate it with joy. Slovenia is independent, there is no denying that. Museums can be abolished, holidays can be abolished, but Slovenia’s independence cannot be denied. It was the culmination of everything that has happened in Slovenian history in terms of the desire to have our own country. We have had many great events happen even before that, but none of them resulted in this final act, and our generation has shared that thought and we are glad to have them.”
As for the alleged bipolarity of the political space, Janša said, “Well, I don’t think there is a bipolarity between the left and the right poles. Now, when we talk about these holidays, it is about the difference between those who fought for Slovenia and those for whom it was never the preferred option.
This difference, or rather this rift, continues, it has been given various political accelerations, but Slovenian independence has succeeded, and the transition will also be over one day.”
Türk criticises government over strikes
Danilo Türk, former President of the Republic, said the following: “So we can certainly be proud of our country, but the question is whether we can be proud of the government that governs this country. There are, of course, very unpleasant congestions. I am personally worried about all these strikes that are happening. There is no end in sight. I think that the government will have to make sure that these strike processes come to an end and that some agreements are made soon.”
Kučan believes it is nice to be young
“It is nice to be young in our country,” Milan Kučan, former President of the Republic, was brief in his statement. But how would you assess the situation after 33 years, insisted a reporter for the Slovenian Press Agency (STA): “It is nice to be young in this homeland …” he repeated.
Moja Dolenjska
