BRATISLAVA, June 10, (WEBNOVINY) — Prime Minister Iveta Radicova says that the power of the prime minister does not lie in supposedly strong gestures but in results. “The strength of the team is not measured by how loudly somebody bangs on the table,” said the Prime Minister at the news conference in Bratislava on Friday. She said that the ability to discuss different views within the SDKU-DS and respect one another shows the strength of the team. “This is what works and has always worked in the SDKU-DS. We carry out a dialogue and discuss matters. I know that such politics is incomprehensible to dictators,” she added.
The prime minister thinks that the past year since the general election has been very difficult. “One of the deepest global crises is not over yet,” she underscored, adding that when it rains, it pours, referring to the extensive floods that hit Slovakia. Global problems were also translated into a price increase. “We took over power at a most difficult time, when every sector and area was affected by increasing debt and a bad economy. We promised citizens that we would stop the decline and restart the economy. We set our priorities,” she said. The government’s priorities included halting the economic decline and preventing Slovakia from following in the footsteps of Greece, Spain and Portugal. “We pledged to secure enforceability of the law, an increase in employment and support for the family unit,” she added.
The Prime Minister believes that the government has held catastrophe at bay in Slovakia since the elections. “We have prevented disaster despite the consequences of the global economic crisis and catastrophes experienced all over the world. We came to power when the country was in bad shape. We did not write black books and did not use the words “former government,” as was done in the past. We do not want to act arrogantly or wickedly. We want to look ahead instead of back-pedaling. We have worked hard all year long to prevent the worst-case scenarios. We have stopped the decline. Next year will be a year of stabilization, not a year of belt-tightening,” emphasized Radicova.
The prime minister said that employment in Slovakia is growing despite the crisis. “Employment growth was registered mostly in industry, which is the driving force of the economy. An investment boom is currently unrealistic, but investment is incoming nevertheless and those directed at the least developed regions enjoy the greatest support,” stressed the prime minister. She sees the wide gap between reality and populist premises as the reason behind the crisis. “It is difficult to explain why we cannot continue to contract more debts,” she added.
Radicova also said that matters of true importance are often subsumed by politicking, which interests no one. “I am not interested in it myself. The SDKU will enforce responsibility, rather than making itself heard over pseudo-issues that are attractive for the media, not the people,” said Radicova. She said that the ministries will be presenting assessments of the extent to which pre-election promises have been kept in the upcoming days.
SITA
