Richard Sulík





A coalition with Smer

01. 06. 2009   |   translated by Marek Zemanik


Yesterday, on STV1, the program 5 minutes to 12 saw two old acquaintances meet again, Mikuláš Dzurinda and Vladimír Mečiar. At the end of the show Mečiar asked: “When you are in coalition with Smer, what will your relationship to the SMK be?” Do you think Dzurinda said clearly that “we will never ever form a coalition with Smer”, or at least commented that they would “hold talks with any democratically elected blah blah…”? Nothing like that, Dzurinda only said that he does not perceive Mečiar’s question as provocation, but a bon mot.



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Here it is then. The times of a Smer-SD and SDKÚ-DS government are approaching.

I do understand Fico, one of his partners’ electoral base has died off and the other one is unacceptable even for people with a really thick skin and, to be honest, SDKÚ-DS is an internationally respected party with the most successful Prime Minister as its leader (the phrase ‘most successful’ should be seen as reflecting real facts as the increase in average salary, or employment). Furthermore, what Smer needs the most is at least a pinch of expertise, because what these dilettantes are doing now is a catastrophe.

I do not understand Dzurinda. He already surprised me four years ago, when he was considering Mečiar, but nonetheless the situation was different back then. Then Dzurinda was looking for a junior-partner for HIS clearly successful government to replace ANO, so that he can continue governing and stabilizing the reforms. Let’s say he was willing to “make a pact with the devil in the interest of Slovakia”. But now?

Next year Smer-SD will have lots of percent and SDKÚ-DS maybe half of it and Dzurinda will play Fico’s servant. Even if these to men were not personally in government, what should the voters of these parties make of this? That what they have been throwing in their faces for the last 3 years is not important anymore? That they took each other to court by mistake?

Maybe it is the absence of whatever values and pride that is the tragedy of our days. And it is short-sighted too. It might happen that a few SDKÚ-DS voters will not be terribly happy with their party joining Smer-SD.


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