List of author's articles
For Slovak journalists, borders started reappearing long before the virus
The news industry has long resisted globalisation, not only in Slovakia, writes Lukáš Fila of Denník N.
Koniec
“LESS MIGHTY than the Russian KGB, less notorious than the East German Stasi, and less feared than the Romanian Securitate, Štátna Bezpečnosť (ŠtB) was nonetheless a cornerstone of communist Czechoslovakia,” read the opening line of the first Word of the Week column, written in March 2009. With one or two exceptions, you could find it in every issue since. Now comes the end (koniec) of it, at least in its current form.
Čo bolo, bolo
NO PHRASE can ever sum-up Slovakia’s approach to corruption and political scandal better than: “Čo bolo, bolo.” (What was, was). It was used most recently by former Transport Ministry official Peter Havrila, who will not be tried for forging official documents with potential damages in the hundreds of millions of euros, but it has been applied throughout the country’s history.
Džentlmen
IT HAS been noted here before that the true meaning of many words which find their way into Slovak gets lost in translation. Terms such as transparency, rule of law, or even democracy have all found their unique, central European identity. What’s even more interesting is how foreigners themselves tend to adapt. Whereas in Germany, the Rheinisch-Bergische Verlagsgesellschaft would likely be cautious about keeping their promises, in their local dealings a “gentlemen’s agreement” means that although you agree not to sell your 50-percent share in the Petit Press media house to Andrej Babiš, or controversial local investment groups, you don’t mind selling to a middleman who will only go on to sell the publishing house to Penta, one of such groups.
100
ANDREJ Kiska’s spokesman Peter Petrus gave his boss a nice gift to celebrate his first 100 days as head of state – he quit. And there are rumours that other shifts in the president’s inner circle are occurring. But save for these small personal turbulences, Kiska has had a good start, especially in the key areas.
Pandúr
IN THE Hungarian Kingdom, a pandúr was an armed serf who carried out the wishes of his master. Today, the word is used to describe not only an armoured military transporter, but also a corruption scandal connected with the sale of the vehicle to the Czech defence department.
Penta
THERE are a great number of Slovak proverbs that warn against premature joy. “Nechváľ rána pred večerom” (Do not praise the morning before the eve), “Nekrič hop, kým nepreskočíš” (Do not yell hop before you jump over), or “Po veľkom smiechu prichádza veľký plač” (After great laughter comes great grief). So even though rumours that the Petit Press publishing house, owner of both SME and this newspaper, will be taken over by the Penta investment group, seem to be unfounded, there is still reason for caution. Who knows what tomorrow may bring.
Festivaly
WHAT better way to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Woodstock than by banning one music festival and almost cancelling another? The tales of Gothoom and Moldava Spolu differ only in the details.
Separatista
NORMALLY, you don’t see Slovaks travelling the world and blowing themselves up or beheading people. But allegations by Ukraine that a Slovak citizen was caught fighting for the pro-Russian separatists indicate that there are ideologies which inspire violence even in members of our “dove nation”. Sure, it’s hard to draw any serious conclusions from one case, and acts of war and terror are often the result of personal frustration rather than political conviction.
Pokakať sa
“THOSE 17 or 18 percent are not gonna make me poop (pokakať sa),” Radoslav Procházka said a few days ago about the recent poll numbers for his Sieť party. Good thing he kept his digestion under check, as newer surveys show support for the self-appointed rancher of the opposition may now be down to as little as 10 percent. Even that figure makes Sieť the strongest right-wing party, but still, the explosion of support may well have stopped, if not reversed.
MH-17
THE TRAGEDY of flight MH-17 stirred several reactions in Slovakia. There was compassion. Among some, there was some disappointment with a government reluctant to take a firm stand, and willing to still consider Russian companies as suitable investors in such fields as energy. There was a bit of a surprise at the number of people ready to listen to and spread the arguments of Kremlin propaganda (although a recent poll showing that over 80 percent of Slovaks feel Ukrainians should decide about their own future without Russian meddling is somewhat comforting).
Voda
YOU would almost think Slovakia was a desert nation. Yet the only droughts the country is suffering from are intellectual.
Poradný výbor na preskúmanie vhodnosti kandidátov na sudcov ÚS
THE TWO men could not be more different. Ivan Gašparovič was not known for his lust for work. He was however for his membership in the Communist party and Vladimír Mečiar’s HZDS, and his ‘near-membership’ in Robert Fico’s Smer. These are lessons in political opportunism, which helped the former head of state spend most of his adult life in a high public office. New President Andrej Kiska seems to be constantly on the lookout for anew career, business and spiritual challenges, having tried retail, charity, Buddhism, Judaism and almost everything in between along the way. His honesty about campaign finance, total independence from parties and a complete lack of experience with politics set a new precedent for who can become president and how.
Otázky
LOVE stats? Then you might be interested to learn which word Andrej Kiska used the most in his inaugural address. If you strike all the “ands”, “buts”, “wills”, “wes”, “presidents” and “Slovakias”, and look at those words that actually matter, the clear winner is “questions” (he used it nine times). Even classics such as “people” (8), “country” (8), “life” (6), “state” (6), “solutions” (5) and “security” (4) were left behind. This is clearly a curious president.
Gašparovič, Ivan
IF THERE were ever an instance of Sophie’s choice in reverse, it was in the second round of the Slovak 2004 presidential election. How do you choose between two men, neither of whom you want? In the end, Ivan Gašparovič beat his former boss Vladimír Mečiar and managed to hold the office for two terms. On June 15, Gašparovič will enter political retirement. What will he be remembered for?
1968
YOU could almost hear the sigh of relief. Children all across the country took to the streets to celebrate the fact that their families will now finally be protected by the constitution. Replacing the words “Marriage, parenthood and the family are protected by the law” with the phrase “Marriage is a unique union between a man and a woman. The Slovak Republic protects and supports marriage in all aspects” seems like an incredibly small step for broken families, neglected children, or single moms, but judging by the ecstatic reactions of local conservatives, it is a giant leap for traditional values.
13
THIS MONTH, Slovak politics seems to revolve around the number 13. First, Radoslav Procházka’s Sieť got 13 percent in the Focus opinion poll, turning the party into a leader of the right. Then only 13 percent of voters turned out to elect the country’s 13 MEPs. So what is the number trying to tell us? Tough to say.
Rýna
WHAT is it with people involved with sports these days? First there was TV anchor Kristína Kormúthová complaining on Facebook that some “prematurely born stinking Gypsy is stealing a four-metre long gutter (rýna)” from her house, and asked just why it was that “we hunters can’t shoot this as a stray?”
Wurst
AUSTRIAN drag queen and recent Eurovision song contest winner Conchita Wurst may bear a passing resemblance to a certain Slovak cabinet member, but that is not the main reason why the competition should be noticed in Slovakia. It also illustrates a good point about the Slovak public broadcaster.
Sieť
WHEN the heroine of a popular fairytale is asked to appear both dressed and naked, she complies by wearing a net (sieť). Fate may be trying to pull off the same trick with the long-sought new leader of the local political right. It’s way too early to make any calls, but the results of the first opinion poll after the presidential elections give Radoslav Procházka and his Sieť party a decent chance of playing a significant role within the fragmented opposition camp.
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