The lie that is actively being spread by Prime Minister Robert Golob and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Nataša Sukič, has been met with a new denunciation. This time, it was debunked on the show Tarča (Target). On the programme, Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, Matjaž Han, admitted that he does not know whether pensioners would live better in the future, while MP Cigler Kralj said that foreigners would also have to pay for pensions. The programme also highlighted the story of how the Golob government has used the wage reform to double-cross some public sector employees.
The fact that Golob and Sukič were lying was proven once again by a clip at the very beginning of the show, and then by the evasive answer of Finance Minister Boštjančič, who represented the largest coalition party on the show.
The public was also able to see that the Pension and Disability Insurance Act 2 (ZPIZ-2), which was adopted by the Janša government, saved pensioners from falling pensions under the previous law – the Pension and Disability Insurance Act 1 (ZPIZ-1), which was adopted by the Drnovšek government.
The opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) was represented by Zvone Černač on the show, where he also had to face some misinformation: “What you are saying is not true. In the first government led by Mr Janša (2004-2008), pensions grew by 21.3 percent, and in the third term (2020 and 2021), when there was a crisis, with inflation at 1.8 percent, regular pension growth was 3.5 percent in 2020 and 1.5 percent in 2021 – a total of 5 percent. In the face of deflation in 2021, growth was 2.5 percent, and in the face of inflation of 1.9 percent in 2022, pension growth was 4.4 percent. So, we can’t lump everything together.” He added that in the future, we will also have to focus on pensioners with the lowest pensions.
Černač also explained on the programme why an interpellation had been lodged against the government of Robert Golob, saying: “We responded to the gross manipulations and lies of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, demanding that they apologise to pensioners for lying and manipulating with claims about them – they have not done so, which is why we have lodged an interpellation against the Government of the Republic of Slovenia led by Mr Golob, where there will be an opportunity to talk about how and in what way this government envisages the pension reform that it is obliged to implement by the middle of this year, because of the links to the Resilience and Recovery Plan and access to grants from European funds.”
The Left still refuses to admit to the lies
Despite repeated revelations by the profession and the media, the Left party (Levica) is still not prepared to admit its lies. The party was not represented by Sukič on the show, but by the party’s coordinator, Asta Vrečko. Like Boštjančič, she was not prepared to directly address the lies of her party colleague, but instead resorted to political platitudes.
The lie was also highlighted on the show by MP Janez Ciglar Kralj of the New Slovenia party (Nova Slovenija – NSi): “It is clear that the Freedom Movement party (Gibanje Svoboda) and the Left party lied about the effect of Vizjak’s Pension and Disability Insurance Act 2 (ZPIZ-2). This is a fact; it is now settled. I think we all understand.”
Is Smrekar ashamed of the artistic breastfeeding of dogs?
Černač also responded to criticism about the SDS party’s public campaign to collect signatures for the referendum, in which they used a picture of Maja Smrekar breastfeeding a dog. The Left party has announced its intention to press criminal charges against the SDS party over the campaign.
“This is not theft of copyrighted work. This prize has been published on all possible web portals in the last seven years, and I am surprised that a prize-winner is not happy that her prize and her prize-winning work are being popularised. Perhaps now, after seven years, she is ashamed of this work? Forgive me, but breastfeeding a dog is not a work of art worthy of the Prešeren Fund Award – even though Maja Smrekar actually won the 2018 Prešeren Fund Award, which will entitle her to an extraordinary pension of between 2 and 3 thousand euros,” said Černáč. As for the Left party’s criminal complaint, he said it was a false complaint and an attempt to divert public attention.
Han: I don’t know if pensioners will live better
The programme also featured the President of the Social Democrats party (Socialni demokrati – SD), Matjaž Han. When asked by the presenter whether the pensioners will live any better or whether they will continue to be poor in the future, Han replied, “I don’t know whether they will live better. Especially not in the current security situation that we are in, because we will have to ask ourselves in this country and in Europe – on the one hand, about the security, and on the other hand, about the social security of this country. Unfortunately, this country has only one budget of money, which is filled with taxpayers’ money.”
Both Han and Boštjančič were unable to answer the question of whether the pension contribution should be raised.
Janez Cigler Kralj: We will need some foreigners
Commenting on the prospects for the pension reform, the NSi MP also expressed the view that the demographic problem will have to be solved by importing foreigners. “Look, regarding the pension reform, we have to do our homework on demography. If we don’t have people in Slovenia who will work, who will contribute, no one will have a pension,” he said. Then Han jumped in: “Then we’ll need foreigners to do it, you know?” To which Cigler Kraj replied, “We need some foreigners.”
How the government has double-crossed public sector workers
On the show, the interlocutors also talked about how the government’s public sector wage reform has reduced the salaries of some public sector employees. Barbara Premrl, head of the kitchen at the Kočevje Home for the Elderly, appeared on the programme. She made her statement after receiving her first salary under the new wage system. “I felt left out. Literally played. I have the feeling that the government is making a fool of us. Humiliated, really humiliated. You really can’t survive a whole month with that,” she said. She expected to receive at least a 100-euro-net pay rise under the new wage reform. But she received 60 euros less than last month, including all allowances and meals. In December, she received a net salary of 1,318 euros, compared to 1,260 euros in January. Several other testimonies were recorded, with similar experiences. The Golob government has taken more from public sector employees than it has given. However, this is not the case for the political caste. They highlighted the case of the payment of allowances for increased workload in the Ministry of Infrastructure, headed by Alenka Bratušek.
S. K.
