BRATISLAVA, June 13, (WEBNOVINY) – After the Cabinet approved the appointment of ex-MP of the opposition MOST-HID Laszlo Nagy to the newly created post of Government Plenipotentiary for National Minorities earlier on Wednesday Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that regarding the position and rights of members of national minorities they want to preserve the current status quo. “As MOST-HID refused to join the ruling coalition much the same as any other political party it was not possible to fill the post of Deputy PM for national minorities with a representative from another political party,” said Fico. He explained that they therefore prepared a mechanism that will be equal because the plenipotentiary will have practically the same powers. The prime minister believes that the decision will be perceived as a forthcoming step. “Mr. Nagy will not only have the plenipotentiary post but an office is being established for him,” said the prime minister. At the Cabinet Office an appropriate apparatus of people will be at his service, the prime minister added..
The Cabinet wanted to make it clear that it is giving this agenda to people who realistically live with it. “Therefore we were not seeking an artificial candidate whom we would have had to make up as such candidate would be easy to question.
Nagy was a witness in the case of the yet unsolved alleged bribery scandal involving ex-deputy mayor of Kosice Eugen Cuno. The case regarded arranging a state subsidy from the State Housing Development Fund for construction of rental apartments in Kosice for a kickback. Fico said he does not have any information about Nagy’s being sentenced or criminally prosecuted and he expects that if Nagy faced such situation he would definitively inform him.
The choice of the new plenipotentiary is based on an agreement with the opposition MOST-HID party. In the past the area of minority rights fell under the authority of a separate Deputy Prime Minister, whose post the current government decided not to occupy.
According to the approved statute, the Government Plenipotentiary for National Minorities is an advisory body to the government. He will coordinate his activities with the head of the Cabinet Office and relevant Cabinet ministers. He may set up working groups or commissions. The plenipotentiary will perform tasks in the area of maintaining, developing and promoting the rights of national minorities and to carry out systematic measures to improve the status of national minorities. He should ensure that national and international obligations of Slovakia concerning the status and rights of national minorities are observed. Together with the Cabinet Office, ministries, and state institutions he will propose and implement measures regarding the preservation, development and promotion of rights of national minorities. He should support the development of identity and cultural values of ethnic minorities, participation of their members in handling public affairs and improving quality of their education.
SITA