BRATISLAVA, August 6, (WEBNOVINY) – The atmosphere at Friday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Committee overseeing the Slovak Military Intelligence Service was marked by personal conflict between SMER-SD Deputy Pavol Paska and the Defense Minister Lubomir Galko (SaS), who came to the committee to answer questions related to the recalled military spy boss Milan Hudec. Due to irregularities in his security clearance, Hudec is temporarily suspended from his position of the Military Intelligence Service Director. This endangered the safety and the position of Slovakia, according to the opposition.
Shortly after the beginning of the Committee’s non-public meeting, Galko walked out of the room because Paska allegedly told him he is dilettante, according to Galko’s words. The Committee meeting was interrupted for five minutes. „There was a smaller word shoot-out between me and the deputy Paska, who insulted me grossly. . . Paska said about me that I am a dilettante, and he repeated it twice,“ Galko said. He added that Paska also rudely started to speak down to him using informal speech instead of the formal one which is expected at such a meeting.
„I used the expression ‘dilettantism’ as a technical term that refers to the ability to realize a certain structure of intentions and objectives, and since it is clearly a violation of the Law on the side of the Minister, who from the very beginning, since he has been nominated, does not inspire confidence,“ Paska commented on the situation after the meeting of the committee. He asked Galko to submit not only the certificate of completion of an English course but a statement that he studied the Law on Rules of Procedure. Paska added that Galko should also show that he understands “good conduct.” He will not try to dismiss Galko for irregularities in the security clearance of the temporarily suspended Director of Military Intelligence Service Milan Hudec yet.
„The minister is not accustomed to criticism. Clearly he is a man who is emotionally not able to handle even the elementary pressure,“ Paska said. Galko is not able to respond normally and rationally to this elementary issue presented at the committee’s meeting, Paska continued. „He has a great power. He directs the defense department; and when he is so emotionally unstable, broken, I wonder if, God forbid, there had been some serious situations, how this person would react,“ said Paska, who has no intention to apologize to Galko.
SITA