Čaputová says "inhabitants". What does that say about her?

Politicians set the tone of the conversation for good or for worse.

Anca Dragu is a journalist with Radio Slovakia International, which is available in Bratislava in English on 98.9 FM at 6:30pm and 8:30pm and at www.rsi.sk. The opinions expressed in this blog are her own.

SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement
SkryťTurn off ads
Article continues after video advertisement

I remember when last year before local elections, the British political scientist Karen Henderson, who lectures at the Comenius University in Bratislava, explained why it is important that politicians learn to use the term “inhabitants’” instead of “citizens”: the former is inclusive.

I also remember when shortly afterwards, I commented under a post on the official Facebook page of Slovakia's Finance Ministry that the measures they propose should be “for all taxpayers” rather than just for citizens, as the group of those contributing to the state coffers includes residents who are not Slovak citizens too.

SkryťTurn off ads
Read also: Most of us want the best possible Slovakia Read more 

And then last Saturday… "I did not come to rule, I came to serve the citizens, the inhabitants, of Slovakia," said Slovakia's newly-sworn-in President Zuzana Čaputová. I almost felt like singing Scorpions’ “Wind of Change” out loud.

I know that for many foreigners, the performance of the Slovak Foreign Police is THE standard by which they judge the attitude towards foreigners in this country.

The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.sk
Subscribe now for full access

I already have subscription - Sign in

Subscription provides you with:
  • Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk
  • Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail)
  • PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, emailed directly to you
  • Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk

Top stories

The New Stations of the Cross combine old and new.

New Stations of the Cross to combine surviving remains and contemporary architecture.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


SkryťClose ad