The general director of the public-service broadcaster Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS), Miloslava Zemková, is likely to be dismissed from her post after the chair of parliament’s media committee, Smer MP Dušan Jarjabek, tabled a proposal to that effect, the TASR newswire reported on June 12.
The main reason cited in the proposal is Zemková’s announcement of a process to rent out premises owned by RTVS without informing the RTVS Council, the broadcaster’s governing body. Jarjabek said that the tender had been announced on April 3, 2012, and that the RTVS Council had only found out later, something which he claims represents a violation of the law.
“I hate to do this because the law is wrong,” he said, as quoted by TASR. “However, my hands are tied here.” He added that if the parliamentary committee had not taken any action, it would itself have been in breach of the law.
Former culture minister Daniel Krajcer, now an MP for the opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), said that it is outrageous and incredibly arrogant to have the committee vote on the issue without first hearing from all the involved parties.
“Let’s invite all parties involved to the next session of the committee,” he said, as quoted by TASR. “I consider that to be a basic decency ... as this approach reeks of great hastiness.”
Krajcer also pointed out that announcing a tender might have not led to a contractual agreement per se. His view was shared by fellow opposition committee members Jozef Viskupič of Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) and László Solymos of Most-Híd.
However, Jarjabek replied that he is only adhering to Krajcer’s flawed law on RTVS, saying that “we did not violate it one single inch”.
“However, it is bad and needs to be completely revamped from A to Z,” he claimed.
Zemková, who was only formally appointed last year, said she had had some inkling of moves to have her fired. In an interview with the Sme daily she said that there had to be another reason for her dismissal since the “way and speed with which the dismissal is taking place indicates as much”.
She cast doubt on the reasons presented by Jarjabek and said that the RTVS Council had in fact approved her decision to start a competitive tender.
“The law on RTVS does not regulate the duty of the general director to inform the council about announced public procurements beforehand,” she told Sme, adding that she has been talking about the tender since July 2011.
Sources: TASR, Sme
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
