List of author's articles, page 8
Woman of the Year 1999: Emilia Sičáková
If she could spend one hour speaking to any famous person, she would choose the French Cardinal Richelieu. She's an avid reader of economic books, although she used to read romance novels until her first love went sour - "I realised that love isn't that romantic." She's a middle child who says her parents were her biggest influence growing up. Her favourite singers include Mariah Carey and Seal, but she also professes to be a fan of Slovak folk music. She's just 25-years-old, yet she's one of the most influential women in Slovakia.She's Transparency International Slovakia PresidentEmília Sičáková.
Foreign Policy
For Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda, who said on January 1 that the Slovak government wanted to "jump on the train of European integration," 1999 was a highly satisfying year. Slovakia took significant strides towards joining western bodies, and was far better received internationally than observers had expected at the beginning of the year.But the going was not always smooth. Slovakia's broken promise to close the Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant by the year 2000 resulted in a drawn-out battle of words with neighbouring Austria, who threatened to block the country's EU ambitions.Furthermore, Slovakia's decision to allow NATO troops access to its airspace and railways during the NATO bombing campaign in Kosovo split the nation and weakened domestic support for NATO integration.
Crime
During his January 1 public address to the nation, Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda took the opportunity to spell out the government's stance against crime for the year to come."The year 1999 will be the year of an uncompromising fight against criminals, blackmailers and the underworld," he said. "The mafia is like a cancer - it is an insidious disease and we have to fight it. We have to act fast."Statistics show that the government's 1999 goals were not met. According to the Slovak Police Presidium in Bratislava, 12,526 violent crimes were reported during the first 11 months of the year, up from 11,515 during the same period in 1998. Murders, robberies and rapes also recorded increases in 1999.
Domestic Politics
Although the Dzurinda government was hounded throughout 1999 by speculation that it would not survive its full four-year term in power, the cabinet managed to pass a number of key laws and to defy expectations that it would be torn apart by bickering.The government endured many rocky moments, with the resignation of two key ministers and constant tensions over the future of largest member party, the SDK. Former Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar predicted early elections throughout the year, and added that his opposition HZDS party had been holding "secret negotiations" with members of the ruling coalition on forming a new government. Meanwhile, rising unemployment and falling real wages sparked union protests and the threat of a national strike.
Roma orphans swell homes
The economic and social plight of Slovakia's Roma population has made international headlines over the past two years, as pictures of Romany asylum seekers lining up at western European borders have caught the imagination of the public.While many Slovak and western officials have doubted the validity of the Roma's asylum demands, even obscure social statistics show that Romanies live in a far different social environment than their non-Roma compatriots.Some of the most revealing data concern 'osvojenie' orphans - children put up for adoption after being taken from their biological parents by social workers who have decided that the parents are not adequately providing for, and therefore lose all legal rights to, their children.
Adopting a Slovak child: A beginners guide
The Železná studienka detský domov (orphanage) for infants younger than three years of age in Bratislava has been housing orphans since 1952. But director Mária Krausová, who has run the orphanage for nine years, says that she doesn't want them."This is not a home for children," she said. "We want them for as few days as possible. We want them to have a real home."Unfortunately, that dream is not always realised. Valéria Popeláková, the director of an office of the Centre for Counselling and Psychological Services (CCPS) in downtown Bratislava, said that every year there are more children needing homes in Slovakia than potential parents wanting to adopt a child.
More visa restrictions for Slovaks
Exactly one month after lifting a requirement that Slovaks obtain visas to cross its borders, Norway reimposed the visa restriction on Slovakia on December 7. The move was blamed by both sides on the 219 Slovak Romanies who had arrived in Norway within a month of the November 7 cancellation to seek asylum.Migrations of Slovak Romanies to other, principally EU countries, have prompted five nations - England, Ireland, Finland, Denmark and Norway - to slap visa restrictions on Slovakia since October 1998, while at least three more countries are now said to be weighing visas for Slovaks.But instead of tarnishing Slovakia's international image before the crucial December 11 and 12 European Union summit in Helsinki, the Roma asylum requests have been dismissed by both foreign and domestic officials as unfounded, while the Roma's claims of discrimination have been rejected.
'IT Klub' warms to task of lobbying government
Frustrated by a stagnant IT market burdened by non-transparent government IT project tenders, nine Slovak IT firms have united to form an 'IT Klub.' Their goal is to create a unified voice for change that the government will not be able to ignore."All the biggest IT tenders in Slovakia have seemed non-transparent," said Ján Kondáš, director of strategic marketing for the Martin-based IT firm Gity Slovakia. In support of his criticism Kondáš cited the cancellation of the GSM 1800 mobile phone tender, the selection of Andersen Consulting to manage the installation of a software system at Slovenské Telekomunikácie (ST) and numerous delays in the vital ST privatisation process.
NGO's driving Internet growth
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the late 1990s have come to play a vital role in Slovak society. In addition to organizing civic campaigns to bring out the vote in last September's elections and educating the public on environmental, social and economic issues, NGOs have also been the main engine of Internet growth and IT education in Slovakia.According to the 1999 Global Report on Slovakia, published by the Bratislava-based Institute for Public Policy (IVO), the largest source of NGO funding in Slovakia in 1998 was the Open Society Foundation (OSF), which provided over 65 million Slovak crowns ($1.5 million) in support of various projects. OSF Director Alena Pániková said that most of the money had gone towards IT and Internet promotion, which has been a focus of her NGO since 1995.
Animal shelter quarantined
On the surface, the Sloboda Zvierat ('Free the Animals' - SZ) animal shelter on Polianky Street in Bratislava appears to be a standard 'pound' - walking down its prison-like corridors is as disheartening here as it is anywhere else in the world. But a deeper look at the shelter's animals and the conditions they must live under reveals a far more disturbing and depressing picture.On November 24, SZ was in the second week of a quarantine imposed by the Regional Veterinary Authority because of an outbreak of the 'parvo' virus, which is deadly to dogs. But because the shelter does not have the space to properly separate the healthy dogs from the sick ones, the virus is spreading, said SZ Veterinarian Karol Hudec.
Andersen Consulting wins tender to install financial software at ST
The selection of management consulting firm Andersen Consulting by the Telecom Ministry to manage the installation of the SAP R/3 economic information system has the IT world hopeful that more large-scale projects will be undertaken soon.According to an Andersen Consulting press release, the firm submitted its offer for the tender before the October 11 deadline and was notified by the ministry on November 6 that it had been selected as the winner. Jeffrey V. St. Peters, Andersen's country managing partner, said that his firm would work with IBM Slovakia, SAP, Softip and SPT Telecom in installing SAP R/3 - a software package which focuses on the financial management of companies in areas like invoices, budgets and payrolls - and in converting existing systems.
Slovak Telecom sale hits yet another snag
The sale of a 51% stake in the state-owned telecom monopoly Slovenské Telekomunikácie (ST), regarded by analysts as the most important privatisation in Slovak history, has once again hit a snag. The latest delay occurred on November 12 when Telecom Minister Jozef Macejko delayed the publication of an ad announcing the launch of the privatisation process in domestic and foreign media publications.Stanislav Vanek, the director of the Telecom Ministry's Regulatory Department, said that the publication had been delayed until parliament could approve the general outline of the privatisation process. "Parliament has 30 days to discuss the general outline and approve it," Vanek said on November 15.
Otomar Ambros: 'No Y2K problems to be caused by ST'
With about six weeks to go before the new millenium, Slovak state telecom monopoly Slovenské Telekomunikácie (ST) says it has proofed itself and its customers against the 'Millenium Bug.'The Millenium Bug problem lies in the possible failure of computer systems to recognize the change in date that will occur on January 1, 2000 when the year changes from '99' on computer time pieces to '00.' Because of short-sighted programming, some computers will think that '00' represents the year 1900 rather than 2000, which could cause computer failure and chaos in key industries like banking, transport, IT and telecom.
Telecom Law bogged down as well
The sale of a majority stake in Slovenské Telekomunikácie (ST) is not the only telecom project mired in delay; the passage of a new Telecom Law is also being blocked by government ministers anxious to have their say in the new legislation.According to the Telecom Ministry's Telecom Division Director Milan Luknár, Slovakia's current telecom law was drafted in 1964, slightly amended in 1993 after the break-up of the former Czechoslovak Republic, and is today in dire need of an overhaul.
Zdeno Cíger: The Sports Star
When travel restrictions on citizens of the former Czechoslovakia were lifted following the 1989 Velvet Revolution, few were quicker to take advantage than Slovak hockey talent Zdeno Cíger.Cíger signed on with the NHL's New Jersey Devils in 1990, beginning a five-year NHL career that took him from New Jersey (1990 - 1992) to the Edmonton Oilers (1992-1995) - and then home again.Despite apparently bright prospects in North America, Cíger spurned the NHL after the 1995 season to return to his native Slovakia and play for the Bratislava Slovan squad. His decision raised many an eyebrow in Slovak hockey circles at the time, but was deeply respected by the country's proud and hockey-mad sports fans.
Beáta Brestenská: The Educator
Beáta Brestenská sparkles with energy and ambition - resources that she constantly draws on in her role as Slovakia's front-line information technology (IT) educator.As the head of Comenius University's Department of Science Didactics, Brestenská has her hands full training a new generation of Slovak university teachers. But she somehow still manages to find time to promote IT education among the nation's youth.Brestenská decided in January, 1999 to get involved in Project Infovek, an ambitious project whose goal is to provide Internet access to every primary and secondary school in Slovakia within the next 10 years.
Socialist-era housing threatens residents
The Bratislava suburb of Petržalka, which houses almost one-third of the capital city's population, is a prime example of socialist-era housing in Slovakia. Tenants live cheek by jowl in ugly housing estates known as 'paneláky,' Slovak slang for the identical concrete panels that were hastily stacked on top of each other in the 1970's to create the walls of each apartment building.Since mass construction of Petržalka's paneláky began in 1974, the site has widely been regarded as the ugliest place to live in the entire country. But now that many of the buildings are amost 30 years old, they have slowly begun to crumble, bringing warnings from architects and government officials that the country's paneláky are not just ugly - they are also dangerous.
Danubia mall vows to open before competitors
Bratislava shoppers looking for a one-stop shopping centre - where they can buy groceries, eat meals in a restaurant, purchase furniture and household appliances, watch movies or get a haircut - won't have to wait much longer.Manta Group, the Slovak subsidiary of the French developer Campenon Bernard, began construction of the Danubia Shopping Center (DSC) on September 15 in Petržalka. When completed next June, it will be the first of three large shopping centres to open in Bratislava - the Polus Center in Nové Mesto, (developed by TriGránit), is scheduled to open in November, 2000, and the Bratislava Shopping Center (HB Reavis) in April, 2001.
Expat running group gets in gear
Wondering how to keep warm during the frigid Slovak winter? Wondering what to do about your ever-expanding waistline, a product of Slovakia's delicious beer and tasty vyprážany syr? The Slovak Spectator has the solution to both problems: join our runing group and work up a sweat in the chilling months to come.Anyone interested in participating knows that it can be tough to find motivation to train when the mercury drops below zero and you don't have any friends courageous (or foolish) enough to brave the elements with you.That's why The Slovak Spectator is organising a running group. Whether you're just out for a spin, training for the November one kilometre run in Petržalka or gearing up for the Danube Marathon in April, now's the time to find some running friends.
US Ambassador still no closer to posting
On June 29, US President Bill Clinton announced that Karl Spielvogel, a first-time ambassador and a leading American business executive, would replace Johnson as US ambassador. Although he was scheduled to arrive in Slovakia on August 26, political wrangling in Washington has prevented Spielvogel's departure and has cast doubt on whether he will arrive at all.Both US and Slovak government officials say that the absence of an ambassador should not affect diplomatic relations between the two countries, nor should it create any problems for US businessmen in Slovakia. It could, however, restrict the economic development of Slovakia, an area that Spielvogel was expected to influence.
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