Matica Slovenská, Slovakia's national cultural heritage and research institution, decided to suspend its local organisation in Púchov, the chairman of Matica Slovenská, Jozef Markuš, informed the SITA newswire.
The head of Matica Slovenská's branch in Púchov, Marián Mišun, said he was surprised and could not see any legitimate reason for dissolution of the local organisation. Markuš told SITA that this branch harmed the good name of Matica Slovenská (MS) and violated the fundamental goal of MS and its main tasks as defined in the preamble of its statutes.
Mišun denied these claims and is convinced that MS management is only trying to cover its own mistakes. He said he does not consider his cooperation with the far-right radical political party Ľudová strana – Naše Slovensko (People's Party – Our Slovakia), headed by Marián Kotleba, to be an appropriate reason for the action.
Rádio Expres reported in April that Mišun featured among candidates of Kotleba's party and that at a public rally Mišun called members of the Roma minority "asocial Gypsy parasites".
The board of Púchov's MS branch confirmed Mišun in post of chairman in December last year. Matica Slovenská's central office claims this was not in accordance with its instructions. The central office called on Mišun to convene another meeting before June and consider resigning from office. Mišun announced he was not going to resign and that he had not violated the statutes. According to media information, Marián Kotleba became a member of the Púchov organisation of MS in August.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
