The Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) is continuing with its field visits around Slovenia even when it is not part of the government. Unlike the Prime Minister, who is building his online image on Instagram and TikTok, the SDS party is building and investing in Slovenia. This time, they went to the Podravje region, where they met with entrepreneurs, representatives of local communities and residents. As the Members of Parliament said, what they heard on the ground was: “Robert Golob’s government is not listening to rural municipalities. We want a stable business environment. We have seen a lot of things, but it has never been like this before.”
Member of Parliament Anja Bah Žibert pointed out that they are committed to staying connected to the people on the ground: “Today, in the Slovenian Democratic Party, we are continuing our successful field visits. We divided into three groups – one group visited the area around Slovenska Bistrica, another visited Ptuj, and our group visited Lenart, Pesnica, Cerkvenjak and Maribor. The visits are really intense because we want to hear from people and listen to their stories.”
They visited many places, including Starše, Oplotnica, Slovenska Bistrica, Rače, Fram, Ormož, Cirkulane, Ptuj, Maribor, Pesnica, Malečnik and Lenart.
Projects from the Janez Janša government
During their visit to the Podravje region, the MPs also visited several infrastructure projects that were implemented during the third government of Janez Janša. These included the upgrading of the residential unit of the Hrastovec Social Welfare Institution in Lenart, a new sewerage treatment plant and an extension to the Lenart Primary School. “In the third Janša government, we implemented more than 40 million euros of projects in this area. We are proud that together with the mayors and our colleagues in the government, we have implemented many projects that we sometimes almost forget about,” said SDS MP Franc Breznik.
In this context, he highlighted the successful establishment of the Hrastovec Social Welfare Institution, the largest of its kind in Slovenia: “This is an example of good practice, where we have moved part of the population with intellectual disabilities from a damp castle to the central town of Lenart, where they coexist together with a kindergarten and a home for the elderly. Here, we do not discriminate against people, but provide them with better living conditions.”
The SDS MPs also visited several companies, including the Puklavec winery, GT Gorsko, the Ptuj Dairy Cooperative, the company Žipo and the AJM company.
According to them, it was during the period of the Janša government, despite the epidemic of COVID-19, that we saw the most investment in this region. “The fact remains that the former government, despite the COVID-19 epidemic, worked as hard as it possibly could. It did not just stand by and wait for the disease to pass, but encouraged investment, built a progressive Slovenia and invested in new skills for our children,” they stressed.
MP Franc Breznik added: “Today, I am leading my colleagues through a part of the Podravje region, from Maribor through Pesnica to Lenart, where we will see four major projects that were implemented during the third Janša government.”
What about today?
SDS MPs pointed out that little has happened in the Podravje region since the end of their mandate. “There is some flood reconstruction going on, but there are practically no major development projects happening. During the epidemic, despite the state of emergency we were in, we built, developed and worked for the prosperity of Slovenia. Now we are stagnating,” they added. The SDS party is not only concerned about its image on Instagram or TikTok, like the Prime Minister is – instead, it goes out into the field and talks to real people, not just to people online.
The MPs also posted about the visit on social media – namely, the SDS party parliamentary group posted on its X profile, writing: “Today, we are on our second parliamentary visit to the Podravje region. We started our visit at the Slovenska Bistrica Castle, where we were welcomed by the Mayor, Dr Ivan Žagar, and the mayors of surrounding towns. They highlighted a number of current issues – from uneven funding for municipalities to the restrictions imposed on local development and entrepreneurship by the Water Act. Municipalities need to be heard more, and they especially need fewer bureaucratic hurdles if we are to boost the development of the whole region.” They then tagged the MPs who came to the visit and added the hashtag #ListeningToMunicipalities.
In the following hours, they posted photos from their visits to the Hotel Arena in Maribor, where they spoke with several mayors from the region and listened to the issues they are dealing with, and photos from a working breakfast meeting with the mayors of Markovci, Sv. Andraž v Slovenskih Goricah, Kidričevo, Hajdina, Ormož and others. MP Jelka Godec commented on the meeting, saying: “We have listened to the challenges and problems that the mayors are facing on the ground. They are hoping for more support for agriculture and the economy, and point to lump sums that are not meeting the needs of local communities.”
In Oplotnica, the MPs first stopped at a bakery and then went to visit an unfinished section of the Cezlak-Pesek road, which poses a serious danger to the local residents. They called for it to be finished as soon as possible.
Some of the MPs also stopped at the Borl Castle, where they met with the Mayor of Ciskulane and spoke about the state of the castle, which was supposed to be renovated. The project was planned out under the previous government, but was then halted under the current authorities.
In a company called Mojstrovina d.o.o., the employees pointed out that funds are distributed unfairly and that Slovenia is unattractive and uncompetitive for investors, noting that business people are often unwanted in politics – even though it is their voice that could bring solutions. Director Gorazd Tušek of the company GT Gorsko, meanwhile, pointed out that they are facing serious problems in getting labour, as people come here from abroad but do not have the right skills to work here.
“The company does not have mass production, but individual – they try to tailor everything to the customer. Great opportunities are opening up in the Croatian market, and also across the pond in America, where they are gaining interest in modular timber construction. One of the biggest fears for the future is financing, which is questionable in the current tax environment. Banks are also often scared because there is no specific guarantee for large investments,” the SDS party parliamentary group wrote on X.
The MPs also stopped in the emergency centre Ptuj, where they are facing a shortage of doctors, and finished their visit to the Podravje region in Rače – Fram, where the Mayor presented some key infrastructure projects for the municipality that the latter cannot finance on its own. Cooperation with competent authorities is thus urgently needed, as such projects are crucial for the further development and quality of life of the citizens. “We will conclude the day with a working lunch, where we will summarise our impressions and highlight the key themes of today’s visit. Such field visits are important to understand the needs of local communities and to design better solutions at the national level,” the SDS MPs concluded.
A. G.
