WITH Slovakia currently commemorating the 95th anniversary of the tragic death of one of the co-founders of Czechoslovakia, Milan Rastislav Štefánik, the opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) has again raised the idea of making the date of the first Czechoslovak Republic on October 28 a state holiday.
SDKÚ MP Ľudovít Kaník said the state holiday would also pay tribute to Štefánik, as his role in the founding of Czechoslovakia was his paramount achievement. The holiday should be called 'Day of Respect for the Work of Milan Rastislav Štefánik-Day of the Founding of the First Czechoslovak Republic'.
"Czechoslovakia wouldn't have emerged without Štefánik,” Kaník said, as quoted by the TASR newswire, adding that Czechoslovakia opened the way to Slovak statehood.
The MP conceded that Slovakia currently has too many state holidays (15), so Constitution Day (September 1) should be scrapped to make way for the new holiday.
"This day is probably the least important of all the state holidays. Štefánik deserves more respect," said Kaník, as quoted by TASR.
The SDKÚ already proposed making October 28 a state holiday last year, but the idea failed to find support from the governing Smer.
"We're definitely not going to replace Constitution Day with anything else. We can't satisfy some to the detriment of others ... It wouldn't be right to do something at the expense of the others," said Smer MP Dusan Jarjabek at the time.
October 28 is currently included in the so-called lesser category of 'memorial days', which are normal working days.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports.
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
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