“The government has not revoked its decision, it has not communicated with us in any way, and therefore, we will be implementing our action plan,” the Association for the Values of Slovenian Independence (Združenje za vrednote slovenske osamosvojitve – VSO) has announced recently. Namely, Minister of Culture Vrečko and the government have not changed their decision to close the Museum of Slovenian Independence, as the Association had urged them to do.
The Association for the Values of Slovenian Independence recently announced that “If the government does not renounce its decision to abolish the independent Museum of Slovenian Independence by the 10th of February, the VSO Association will launch an action plan to defend Slovenia’s independence and its values,” the media outlet 24ur reported.
Lojze Peterle, President of the VSO Association, hinted at the first steps that could follow after the government and Culture Minister Asta Vrečko did not give in to the demands of the independence fighters.
Peterle: “We will draw Slovenia’s attention to our patriotic and state-building actions. One of the initial things will certainly be a rally in support of the museum.” More concrete decisions by the Association will follow. The implementation of the plan is scheduled for the spring.
The Minister of Culture is scared of the Association’s announcements: she attributed revolutionary methods to them
Culture Minister Asta Vrečko was clearly frightened by the independence figures’ announcements, describing them as using the “militant rhetoric”. She said she was worried about “this hateful, incendiary rhetoric, which has huge consequences.” She added: “That is why those who are the loudest and have the influence on the debate and on the creation of a clear, respectful discourse need to be all the more aware of this.”
Peterle: “I do not particularly like revolutionaries attributing revolutionary methods to us. We will act in accordance with the law and our views.” The Museum of Slovenian Independence was conceived by the patriotic Janša government, but the current one has destroyed it by merging it with the Museum of Contemporary History to form the Museum of Contemporary and Modern History. The New Slovenia party (Nova Slovenija – NSi) had planned an interpellation against the Minister, which was not carried out due to two missing votes (the NSi has only eight votes).
The new public institution has a stupid name: it’s like having a museum for “wheelbarrows” and “barrows”
On the show “Beremo” (Reading) on Nova24TV, historian Jože Dežman explained the divisive, anti-Slovenian and foolish decision of the government and the Minister of Culture by saying that the name of the new museum is something like having a museum for “wheelbarrows” and “barrows.” It is a “kind of monstrosity,” according to him. Dežman: “It’s nonsense, but at the same time, the name erases ‘independence’. However, what will be an even worse crime is the looting of the founding assets of the Museum of Slovenian Independence.”
Domen Mezeg
