BRATISLAVA, May 28, (WEBNOVINY)- Commenting on the Parliament-approved amendment to the law on the use of minority languages, the coalition MOST-HID leader Bela Bugar says that it was a reasonable compromise,” adding he cannot say they are jumping for joy. He stated in a regular political talkshow ‘Saturday Dialogues’ on Slovak Radio that the expansion of the rights of using a minority language in official communication does not curb in any way the rights of the Slovak majority. He underscored that the number of members of a minority in municipalities has been falling. The approved amendment however is the maximum what his party could achieve while its most significant contribution is the reduction of the quorum for the use of a minority language from 20 to 15 percent of the overall population of the given municipality. According to the endorsed piece of legislation, the number of multi-lingual municipalities in Slovakia will not increase until 2021, although the quorum for using a minority language in official communication will sink.
Bugar’s partner in the Saturday radio discussion, the opposition SMER-SD Deputy Chairman Dusan Caplovic thinks that members of Slovakia’s minorities do not suffer from language problems but what burdens them is mainly economic and social problems. Caplovic thinks that the law on the use of minority languages is the political agenda of the MOST-HID party, which has been under the SMK’s pressure while the SMK party has close ties with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Regarding the Slovak Parliament’s statement on the new Hungarian constitution approved y Parliament a few days ago Caplovic said that it is Slovakia’s duty to monitor the situation in neighboring countries provided such things appear there, which open space for politicians of a neighboring country to influence citizens of a sovereign state. According to him some appeals from Hungary endanger the sovereignty of Slovakia. Caplovic also said that constitutions of many countries stipulate a duty for each single citizen to master the state language but the Slovak constitution lacks similar stipulation. Regarding Slovak lawmakers‘ official statement on Hungary’s constitution, Bugar thinks that it is just a political training, which is needless in his words However, also he shares concerns regarding some changes ensuing from the government policy in Hungary. However a situation should be solved only after it occurs, he believes.
SITA