OMRIexcerpts
George Frajkor
Research Institute news digest, an electronic news service to
which you may subscribe individually if you wish the complete report.
Only items of interest to this list have been selected.
All are unedited and are presented without comment.
=========================================================================
March 18
---
CZECH JUNIOR GOVERNMENT PARTIES RISE IN POLL. The two junior members of
the Czech governing coalition, the Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA) and
the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL),
are gaining support as the late-May parliamentary elections approach,
according to a poll published on 16 March. The ODA's rating rose from
6.4% in February to 9.3% in the poll conducted by STEM, and the KDU-CSL
went from 7.8% to 8.9%. The Civic Democratic Party, led by Prime
Minister Vaclav Klaus, fell slightly to 28.3%, while the opposition
Social Democrats rose marginally to 20%. According to the poll, only two
other parties are likely to win seats in the next parliament: the
Communists with 8.7% and the extreme-right Republicans with 5.6%. Up to
25% of voters are, however, still undecided, Mlada fronta Dnes reported
on 18 March. -- Steve Kettle
CZECH MiG-29s FOR POLISH HELICOPTERS. The Czech Republic will receive 11
Polish-built Sokol helicopters in the last quarter of this year in
exchange for MiG-29s that were part of the Czech air force, CTK reported
on 8 March. The agency quoted the Defense Ministry as saying the
helicopters would be used for medical services. When Czechoslovakia
split up, the Czech Republic received 10 MiG-29s, but the ministry
decided they were too expensive to operate and maintain. -- Doug Clarke
SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER DEFENDS PENAL-CODE AMENDMENT. Vladimir Meciar on
15 March told Slovak Radio that his government's controversial bill on
the protection of the republic is needed "to protect the foundations of
Slovakia, its sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and
constitutional system." He said comparable laws are in effect in such
countries as Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands,
the Czech Republic, and Hungary. "Anyone who rejects the bill and
considers it undemocratic is also attacking the legal arrangements of
these other countries," Meciar stressed. He said the bill is intended
"to protect the state from anarchy and upheaval. It is not an
interference in personal freedom, the right to one's opinion, the right
to expression, and the right to a political position." Critics fear that
the bill, which is on the parliament's agenda this month, will be used
against journalists and ethnic Hungarian politicians. -- Sharon Fisher
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Igor GAZDIK
>George Frajkor <gfra...@CCS.CARLETON.CA> forwards:
>
>>constitutional system." He said comparable laws are in effect in such
>>countries as Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Belgium, the
Netherlands,
>>the Czech Republic, and Hungary. "Anyone who rejects the bill and
>>considers it undemocratic is also attacking the legal arrangements of
>>these other countries," Meciar stressed. He said the bill is intended
this law seems to be only half-done, because
1. it has come rather late. it should have been
one of the first laws passed by the slovak parliament.
2. it is nowhere as powerful and concrete as is say
the british official secrets act, or the german
berufsverbot-act. most people know how efficient
the latter was in stabilising a turbulent situation.
in slovakia, where there is a lot of entropy in the
political system, and seditionists are abundant, it
would be more than welcome to have a law showing that
it is the government that governs.
George Frajkor
>
> George Frajkor <gfra...@CCS.CARLETON.CA> forwards:
>
> >constitutional system." He said comparable laws are in effect in such
> >countries as Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands,
> >the Czech Republic, and Hungary. "Anyone who rejects the bill and
> >considers it undemocratic is also attacking the legal arrangements of
> >these other countries," Meciar stressed. He said the bill is intended
> Sounds much like your "moral superior theory" at work. Now it would be nice
> to know HOW comparable.
Yes it would. Do we have any legal researchers on this list who can
update us on similar laws currently in effect in the named countries?
And how similar? It would be instructive to compare conditions and
punishments.
I know quite about about the original Masaryk 'Protection of the
Republic' law, which seems to be the model for this one. But I have no idea
whether it is still in effect partially or completely in Czechia. The
parts of it that dealt with defamation of the president and servants of
the states still are, as they have already been used.
There are some similarities between these laws and the
'seditious libel' and 'spreading false news' laws in
Canada. The first is seldom used except in times of clear crisis
such as wars and insurrections, and the second was not long ago put in
doubt by our Supreme Court so its validity is unclear.
(The case was that of a neo-Nazi, Ernst Zundel, who was publishing
literature alleging the usual world-wide Jewish conspiracy and denying
that the Holocaust was as bad as it seemed. He was accused under the
'spreading false news' statute, which may have been the wrong law
under which to bring the charge. The Court ruled that this was a
matter of free speech and free opinion which is protected by our
Charter of Rights. The 'spreading false news' statute could not be
used to cover a matter of opinion, so he was freed.)
Anyway, direct comparisons to prove whether Meciar is right or
wrong would be better than propaganda, speculation, and indignation.
We are considering a matter of easily verifiable fact. He is either
completely or partially right, or completely or partially wrong.
Jan George Frajkor _!_
School of Journalism, Carleton Univ. --!--
1125 Colonel By Drive |
Ottawa, Ontario /^\
Canada K1S 5B6 /^\ /^\
gfra...@ccs.carleton.ca / aa...@freenet.carleton.ca
o: 613 520-7404 fax: 613 520-6690 h: 613 563-4534
Matej Lexa
>constitutional system." He said comparable laws are in effect in such
>countries as Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands,
>the Czech Republic, and Hungary. "Anyone who rejects the bill and
>considers it undemocratic is also attacking the legal arrangements of
>these other countries," Meciar stressed. He said the bill is intended
Sounds much like your "moral superior theory" at work. Now it would be nice
to know HOW comparable.
--
Matej Lexa At present: le...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
Irrigation Research Inst. Dept. of Plant Biology
Bratislava, SLOVAKIA University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
********************** "There's only one kind of music." ***********************
Ivan Lescak
> this law seems to be only half-done, because
> 1. it has come rather late. it should have been
> one of the first laws passed by the slovak parliament.
Ludia aspon so stipkou inteligencie si velmi lahko predstavia,
ake nasledky by to bolo malo v case, ked SR este nebola inymi
statmi ani len uznana. Je to neuveritelne, aku sprostost viete
napisat, pan Gazdik.
> 2. it is nowhere as powerful and concrete as is say
> the british official secrets act, or the german
> berufsverbot-act. most people know how efficient
> the latter was in stabilising a turbulent situation.
> in slovakia, where there is a lot of entropy in the
> political system, and seditionists are abundant, it
> would be more than welcome to have a law showing that
> it is the government that governs.
Obavam sa, ze na to, aby ste mohli toto napisat, by ste potrebovali
navrhovany zakon s uvedenymi. Co ste, predpokladam, neurobili,
lebo ste ani nemohli (navrh zatial nedostali ani poslanci).
Nakoniec, ale nedivim sa - Vy ste sa tu vzdy manifestacne dopredu
prihlasovali ku vsetkemu, co vyprodukovalo HZDS.
Presne pomenuvate, co tento zakon ma robit: ovplyvnovat politicky
system. Je dobre, ze aj zastancovia zakona to priznavaju, pretoze
sa aspon netvaria, ze ide o zakon demokraticky. Este inak, zakon ma
doriesit to, co uplne nedoriesili volby, v ktorych VM neziskal
ocakavanych 50% plus jeden hlas. Spolu so zmenou uzemnospravneho
clenenia a volebneho zakona bude moct VM dosiahnut svoj ciel
v buducich volbach bez obav.
Peter Ucen
> Meciar is smart enough to adopt the legacy of Masaryk as his justification.
>
Sure, Meciar is smart enough to adopt any legacy and to use any
justification when it is opportune. It remainds me
something...ooooops...pragmatism.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Karl Pollak
>...When Czechoslovakia
>split up, the Czech Republic received 10 MiG-29s, but the ministry
>decided they were too expensive to operate and maintain. -- Doug Clarke
Not to mention that the country is so small that the pilot would have
to have a valid passport before he could get the beast to 10,000m
>constitutional system." He said comparable laws are in effect in such
>countries as Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands,
>the Czech Republic, and Hungary. "Anyone who rejects the bill and
>considers it undemocratic is also attacking the legal arrangements of
>these other countries," Meciar stressed.
Next amendment: Public Flogging for criminals. Nobody is allowed to
criticise it because Singapore also beats its prisoners ... Some
justification ...
Heil Meciar!
>He said the bill is intended
>"to protect the state from anarchy and upheaval. It is not an
>interference in personal freedom, the right to one's opinion, the right
>to expression, and the right to a political position." Critics fear that
>the bill, which is on the parliament's agenda this month, will be used
>against journalists and ethnic Hungarian politicians. -- Sharon Fisher
... a ustanoveni Vyboru pro ne-Slovenske Aktivity ...
Karl Pollak FidoNet 1:153/965
Richmond, B.C. Canadian Infomaticon BBS
George Frajkor
re Meciar:
> >constitutional system." He said comparable laws are in effect in such
> >countries as Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands,
> >the Czech Republic, and Hungary. "Anyone who rejects the bill and
> >considers it undemocratic is also attacking the legal arrangements of
> >these other countries," Meciar stressed.
> Next amendment: Public Flogging for criminals. Nobody is allowed to
> criticise it because Singapore also beats its prisoners ... Some
> justification ...
> Heil Meciar!
That is rather odd reasoning. Singapore is already being
criticized for its flogging bill. Therefore to imitate it would be to
invite criticism. On the other hand Germany, Austria, France,
Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Hungary are
widely praised as successful democracies. Therefore to imitate them
would invite praise for successful democracy.
> >He said the bill is intended
> >"to protect the state from anarchy and upheaval. It is not an
> >interference in personal freedom, the right to one's opinion, the right
> >to expression, and the right to a political position." Critics fear that
> >the bill, which is on the parliament's agenda this month, will be used
> >against journalists and ethnic Hungarian politicians. -- Sharon Fisher
> ... a ustanoveni Vyboru pro ne-Slovenske Aktivity ...
The law will no doubt be used to harass those who have
differing political ideas from that of the government. This was the
example of the original Law on the protection of the Republic of
Czechoslovakia, which allegedly was to preserve the democratic
constitution and territorial integrity from foreign (meaning
Hungarian) subversion. It was mainly used however, was to censor Slovak
newspapers and suppress Slovak nationalist activities. And in one
case to prosecute someone who had insulted Masaryk even before Masaryk
became president. The law permitted that. Anyone who thinks statist
regimes will not use the weapons available to them is very naive, and
Meciar is smart enough to adopt the legacy of Masaryk as his justification.
Tomas Drgon
<gfra...@CCS.CARLETON.CA> wrote:
deleted
>
> The law will no doubt be used to harass those who have
> differing political ideas from that of the government. This was the
> example of the original Law on the protection of the Republic of
> Czechoslovakia, which allegedly was to preserve the democratic
> constitution and territorial integrity from foreign (meaning
> Hungarian) subversion. It was mainly used however, was to censor Slovak
> newspapers and suppress Slovak nationalist activities. And in one
> case to prosecute someone who had insulted Masaryk even before Masaryk
> became president. The law permitted that. Anyone who thinks statist
> regimes will not use the weapons available to them is very naive, and
> Meciar is smart enough to adopt the legacy of Masaryk as his justification.
>
>
> Jan George Frajkor _!_
Poznate ten ftip o Rusovi, ktory sa chvalil Americanovi v Moskovskom metre:
"Viete, tu nam chodi metro kazdu minutu."
Zhodou okolnosti 20 minut ziadne metro neslo, tak Rus hovori:
"No dobre, ale my aspon nelyncujeme cernochov!"
Presne takto reagujete aj vy.
TD
--
Vinarske zavody Pezinok pozdravuju vsetky pokrokove sily sveta!
I A Pacek (Tony)
> >...When Czechoslovakia
> >split up, the Czech Republic received 10 MiG-29s, but the ministry
> >decided they were too expensive to operate and maintain. -- Doug Clarke
>
> Not to mention that the country is so small that the pilot would have
> to have a valid passport before he could get the beast to 10,000m
It's really generous of the Czech Republic to fork them over to Poland,
considering that the Czechs R. kept all of the planes from the CSA, etc..
All disclaimers apply. Not speaking for Ford.
Matej Lexa
>But still, it points to the question I posed above. If all that the
>Slovaks got out of the last 6 years was more of the same, what was the
>point of all the upheaval? What was the point of changing one
>authoritarian regime for another authoriatrian regime?
I think there are two possible explanations. Either
i) those who started the upheaval are those that are enjoying the present
regime,
or, perhaps more likely
ii) those who started it did not do it to bring about a new authoritarian
regime, but lost control of the situation
Mathematically minded readers will note that these two possibilities pretty
much cover all possibilities...
Karl Pollak
>Karl Pollak writes:
>> Next amendment: Public Flogging for criminals. Nobody is allowed to
>> criticise it because Singapore also beats its prisoners ... Some
>> justification ...
>> Heil Meciar!
> That is rather odd reasoning. Singapore is already being
>criticized for its flogging bill. Therefore to imitate it would be to
>invite criticism.
So in your view, the more countries adopt a particular type of law the
better law it is?
>> ... a ustanoveni Vyboru pro ne-Slovenske Aktivity ...
> The law will no doubt be used to harass those who have
>differing political ideas from that of the government.
Well, gee, thank you. Finally you recognize that Slovak shit at least
has the potential to stink.
>This was the
>example of the original Law on the protection of the Republic of
>Czechoslovakia, which allegedly was to preserve the democratic
>constitution and territorial integrity from foreign (meaning
>Hungarian) subversion. It was mainly used however, was to censor Slovak
>newspapers and suppress Slovak nationalist activities.
So now e've come to "Do unto others as they have done unto you" ??
Of course Slovak nationalism was being supressed in Czechoslovakia.
So was Czeh nationalism, so was any other nationalism. The Communists
have always supressed any nationalism of any kind. They felt it was a
threat to their plans.
>And in one case to prosecute someone who had insulted Masaryk even
>before Masaryk became president. The law permitted that.
OK, but that does not necessarily mean that it was a good law.
One has to wonder what exactly was the point of getting rid of the
communists and/or dissolving the federation, if both parts are falling
over themselves to repeat the same injustices that their predecessors
had committed?
>Anyone who thinks statist
>regimes will not use the weapons available to them is very naive, and
>Meciar is smart enough to adopt the legacy of Masaryk as his justification.
Excuse and justification are not synonymous.
But still, it points to the question I posed above. If all that the
Slovaks got out of the last 6 years was more of the same, what was the
point of all the upheaval? What was the point of changing one
authoritarian regime for another authoriatrian regime?
I A Pacek (Tony)
>
> >It's really generous of the Czech Republic to fork them over to Poland,
> >considering that the Czechs R. kept all of the planes from the CSA, etc..
>
Don't know, the Czechs crashed their Mig-29 conversion trainer(s?),
effectively grounding them, but kept all of the commercial planes as well.
George Frajkor
Research Institute news digest, an electronic news service to
which you may subscribe individually if you wish the complete report.
Only items of interest to this list have been selected.
All are unedited and are presented without comment.
=========================================================================
March 20
----
GENERAL AGREEMENT SIGNED IN SLOVAKIA. Representatives of Slovak trade
unions, employers' groups, and the government on 19 March signed the
trilateral General Agreement for 1996, Praca reported. The agreement
represents the starting point for bargaining and enables unions to
participate in the drafting of legislation. Wage increases proved to be
a sticking point between unions and employers; however, Confederation of
Trade Unions chairman Alojz Englis voiced satisfaction with the
agreement, which secures growth in real wages by at least as much as
last year. In other news, representatives of the KOVO trade union on 18
March criticized the law on the protection of the republic, which is on
the agenda of the parliament's current session. They expressed fear that
the law would pose a serious threat to democracy and could be used
against trade union officials. -- Sharon Fisher
SLOVAK PARLIAMENT SESSION STARTS. On the eve of the opening of the March
parliament session, opposition parties on 19 March held a secret meeting
to discuss a common strategy aimed at bringing privatization
controversies and the Slovak Information Service's alleged involvement
in the kidnapping of President Michal Kovac's son on to the agenda,
Slovak media reported. Although evidence against the SIS exists, current
police investigator Jozef Ciz has been reluctant to use it, claiming
that former SIS agent Oskar F.'s testimony is of questionable value
since he was issued a presidential pardon. Rejecting Ciz's claims, Kovac
on 19 March said the pardon was granted only for specific crimes and
would not free him from possible charges of providing false witness. In
other news, in an interview with Sme on 18 March, an anonymous judge
provided proof that the SIS led the attempt to discredit Banska Bystrica
Bishop Rudolf Balaz last summer. -- Sharon Fisher
CZECH POLITICIAN'S ANTI-ROMA SIGN TO BE REMOVED. A Free Democrats-
Liberal National Social Party candidate in southern Moravia, Rudolf
Baranek, has promised to take down a sign barring Roma from his hotel in
Breclav, CTK reported on 19 March. The sign read, "Because of repeated
stealing, access is banned to those of Romani nationality" (see OMRI
Daily Digest, 19 March). Baranek and Jiri Dienstbier, a party co-
chairman, have been criticized by civil-rights organizations such as
Citizen's Solidarity and Tolerance Movement (HOST) for claiming on
television that the sign was not racist. Dienstbier is a former
Czechoslovak dissident and a signatory of Charter 77. HOST said that
people like Dienstbier, who defended Roma before 1989, .are "less
willing now to take effective steps against racism." -- Alaina Lemon
George Frajkor
> Poznate ten ftip o Rusovi, ktory sa chvalil Americanovi v Moskovskom metre:
> "Viete, tu nam chodi metro kazdu minutu."
> Zhodou okolnosti 20 minut ziadne metro neslo, tak Rus hovori:
> "No dobre, ale my aspon nelyncujeme cernochov!"
> Presne takto reagujete aj vy.
I know the joke, and if you wish to examine the basis of its humor
it is that one counters an argument with an irrelevant argument about
something not even related.
I am pointing out NOT that the Czechs are to be blamed for
something completely different from the Slovak law, but for precisely
the same law.
Why not try to argue with some facts? Meciar has claimed that
similar laws exist in other countries. If you know for a fact that he
is wrong, perhaps you could point it out.
Karl Pollak
>It's really generous of the Czech Republic to fork them over to Poland,
>considering that the Czechs R. kept all of the planes from the CSA, etc..
Gosh Tono, how many MiG-29 did OK-Airlines have?
>All disclaimers apply. Not speaking for Ford.
I'm sure Ford (whoever he is) is eternally grateful to you for it.
I assure you that I do not speak for the Pope or for Her Majesty,
either. Not even for Porta Coeli
Karl Pollak
>or, perhaps more likely
>ii) those who started it did not do it to bring about a new authoritarian
>regime, but lost control of the situation
Brings to mind the old maxim about the revolution always eating its
own young.
George Frajkor
> > That is rather odd reasoning. Singapore is already being
> >criticized for its flogging bill. Therefore to imitate it would be to
> >invite criticism.
> So in your view, the more countries adopt a particular type of law the
> better law it is?
Not necessarily. But it would be more likely to be acceptable
without social disruption, and more likely to be suitable to present
conditions.
In fact, the basis of the current European Union pressures on
Slovakia is exactly that if all the other European countries are doing
things a certain way, so should Slovakia. It is possible they are
misguided.
> Well, gee, thank you. Finally you recognize that Slovak shit at least
> has the potential to stink.
No, I just see that humans are humans. And I have already seen
the example set by the previous Czechoslovak regime from 1918 to the
present.
> >This was the
> >example of the original Law on the protection of the Republic of
> >Czechoslovakia, which allegedly was to preserve the democratic
> >constitution and territorial integrity from foreign (meaning
> >Hungarian) subversion. It was mainly used however, was to censor Slovak
> >newspapers and suppress Slovak nationalist activities.
> So now we've come to "Do unto others as they have done unto you" ??
Maybe you have. I haven't. I have simply pointed out what has
happened historically and could well happen again.
> Of course Slovak nationalism was being supressed in Czechoslovakia.
> So was Czech nationalism, so was any other nationalism.
I was speaking of the Masaryk era. Not only was Czech nationalism
NOT being suppressed, it was the only one being encouraged. Under the
guise of "Czechoslovakism" (for short, 'Czech').
> The Communists
> have always supressed any nationalism of any kind. They felt it was a
> threat to their plans.
Forgive me if I find this a rather schizophrenic statement.
Are you not one of those who maintains that the present Slovak
government is really just Communist all over? And also nationalist?
> >And in one case to prosecute someone who had insulted Masaryk even
> >before Masaryk became president. The law permitted that.
> OK, but that does not necessarily mean that it was a good law.
It wasn't a good law and should never has been passed. I have
never defended these laws, whether in Canada or anywhere else. I am
just pointing out that they are not unusual, and can be abused.
> One has to wonder what exactly was the point of getting rid of the
> communists and/or dissolving the federation, if both parts are falling
> over themselves to repeat the same injustices that their predecessors
> had committed?
The sense of control. That is almost always one of the roots
of nationalism that is underrated. People want to feel they are in
control of their own destiny. They will even tolerate being oppressed
by one of their own or governed by fools, if it is their own oppressor
or fool. The Viet Namese tolerate their own Communists, but not
French or American democrats. Iran tolerates a rigid theocracy, but
not American generosity or Russian intrigues. I sense that Slovaks
feel the same.
Karl Pollak
> Forgive me if I find this a rather schizophrenic statement.
Thank you doctor, I feel much better now ...
>Are you not one of those who maintains that the present Slovak
>government is really just Communist all over? And also nationalist?
No, I'm not. I leave the judgment about the Communist past to those
who live with that government and who elected it. As for being
nationalist, I don;t think there is any doubt about it.
>> One has to wonder what exactly was the point of getting rid of the
>> communists and/or dissolving the federation, if both parts are falling
>> over themselves to repeat the same injustices that their predecessors
>> had committed?
> The sense of control. That is almost always one of the roots
>of nationalism that is underrated. People want to feel they are in
>control of their own destiny.
So an illusion is better than reality? It doesn't matter whether they
have any input into the running of their country as long as their
governors tell them they have it and they in their nationalistic
blindness, foolishly believe it?
Karl Pollak
> I am pointing out NOT that the Czechs are to be blamed for
>something completely different from the Slovak law, but for precisely
>the same law.
Why? Does the Czech parliament pass laws for Slovakia?
> Why not try to argue with some facts? Meciar has claimed that
>similar laws exist in other countries. If you know for a fact that he
>is wrong, perhaps you could point it out.
The point that both Tomas and myself have been trying to call to your
attention is that whether or not Meciar is correct in that statement
is completely irrelevant. He has the powers to see that GOOD laws are
passed in Slovakia. Indeed, I would argue that it is his
responsibility. By bringing in bad laws, regardless of how many other
countries have decided to adopt similarly bad laws, he is abdicating
his responsibility to his voters.
Pavel Dvorak
"I A Pacek " (tpa...@FORD.COM) writes:
> Karl Pollak writes:
>>
>> >It's really generous of the Czech Republic to fork them over to Poland,
>> >considering that the Czechs R. kept all of the planes from the CSA, etc..
>>
>> Gosh Tono, how many MiG-29 did OK-Airlines have?
>
> effectively grounding them, but kept all of the commercial planes as well.
I wonder whether this is not a classical case of selecting a suitable part
of the whole story. Did those cunning Czechs simply keep all planes
without any negotiation and any compensation? Or did you conveniently
leave out that part dealing with negotiations and compensation?
> > All disclaimers apply. Not speaking for Ford.
Pavel Dvorak
###
George Frajkor
Research Institute news digest, an electronic news service to
which you may subscribe individually if you wish the complete report.
Only items of interest to this list have been selected.
All are unedited and are presented without comment.
=========================================================================
March 21
---
CZECH, SLOVAK ARMED FORCES SHORT OF PERSONNEL. According to the two
chiefs of staff, both the Czech and Slovak militaries are undermanned,
CTK reported on 19 March. Czech Chief of Staff Jiri Nekvasil and his
Slovak counterpart, Jozef Tuchnya, told this to the press after a
working meeting in southern Moravia. Nekvasil said that there were
almost one-third fewer than the planned 65,000 soldiers in the Czech
forces while Tuchnya said that the Slovak military was "deep under the
figure" of 47,000 troops it should have. Under the terms of the CFE 1A
treaty, the personnel ceilings for the Czech Republic and Slovakia are
93,333 and 46,667 respectively. -- Doug Clarke
SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER VISITS AUSTRIA. Meeting on 20 March with Austrian
officials, Vladimir Meciar said Slovakia's nuclear power plant in
Jaslovske Bohunice could be closed by the end of 1999, Slovak media
reported. However, he stressed that such a move is linked to the
completion of Slovakia's second nuclear plant in Mochovce. Meciar asked
Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schuessel for support in Slovak
efforts at EU integration. He also delivered a lecture on the Slovak
economy hosted by the Slovak-Austrian Economic Forum and International
Vienna Council in which he called for closer bilateral cooperation in
infrastructure development. Following Meciar's meeting with Austrian
President Thomas Klestil, the presidential office called the talks
"purely polite" and gave no further details. -- Sharon Fisher
NO LEAP FORWARD IN HUNGARIAN, SLOVAK FOREIGN RELATIONS. Although
Bratislava is reportedly preparing the ratification of the Slovak-
Hungarian treaty, it is simultaneously taking measures that arouse
concern among ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia, Hungarian Foreign Minister
Laszlo Kovacs said. He was holding a meeting with his Slovak counterpart
Juraj Schenk on 20 March, CTK reported. Kovacs called attention to the
Slovak language law, passed last year, and the new administrative
division of Slovakia--now being discussed--which will further restrict
minority rights of the 600,000 ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia. Kovacs
told journalists that Schenk had called his concerns groundless and
assured him that the Slovak-Hungarian basic treaty would be ratified
soon. -- Zsofia Szilagyi
Jan Gajdos
> >considering that the Czechs R. kept all of the planes from the CSA, etc..
>
> Gosh Tono, how many MiG-29 did OK-Airlines have?
>
ktore sa nemozu stazovat a ani sa nestazuju. Medzi Cechmi a Slovakmi
sluziacimi v armade boli vzdy dobre vztahy. Asi k tomu prispieval
aj ten chlast.
Zda sa mi, ze Slovensko dostalo pri deleni tych Migov-29
9 ks. Cesi si myslim ponechali 21-notky (alebo Mig 23 ??),
takze sa to asi nejak vykompenzovalo. Myslim, ze v prvom momente
na Slovensku nebolo ani tolko schopnych pilotov, kolko sme mali
tych novych lietadiel po rozdeleni armad.
jano
Jonathan Stein
> The point that both Tomas and myself have been trying to call to your
> attention is that whether or not Meciar is correct in that statement
> is completely irrelevant. He has the powers to see that GOOD laws are
> passed in Slovakia.
Are democratically-minded people really upset about the Law on the
Protection of the Republic, or rather with the fact that it was Meciar's
governemnt that adopted it? My sense is that it is the latter. Thus,
the same would be true of some "good" law. But that is because ANY law
can be perverted by a dictatorial leader.
Peter Hakel
> George Frajkor <gfra...@CCS.CARLETON.CA> wrote:
>
> >And in one case to prosecute someone who had insulted Masaryk even
> >before Masaryk became president. The law permitted that.
>
> OK, but that does not necessarily mean that it was a good law.
I guess that Mr. Frajkor is trying to make the following point. Other
nations have made certain steps in the past which were not necessarily
"nice" but helped them establish the country. Slovakia is doing this now,
since only recently she reached independence. This wasn't such a big deal
in the case of other countries, but there are objections to Slovak
actions of the same sort. If I understand Mr. Frajkor correctly, Slovakia
should disregard such objections because of this inconstistency and
continue to be "inspired" from the history of "respected" nations.
Peter Hakel
Matej Lexa
>Are democratically-minded people really upset about the Law on the
>Protection of the Republic, or rather with the fact that it was Meciar's
>governemnt that adopted it? My sense is that it is the latter.
Based on what the papers write there are indeed people who are upset by the
law, they name the paragraphs they don't like and give their reasons.
Leaders of several political parties commented the law in this manner.
I for one, feel the same way. Nobody is criticizing Meciar's government
for passing a law on bank deposit protection or signing the treaty with
Hungary (well, maybe except SNS).
So I would say your senses are deceiving you.
I A Pacek (Tony)
>> Don't know, the Czechs crashed their Mig-29 conversion trainer(s?),
>> effectively grounding them, but kept all of the commercial planes as well.
>
>I wonder whether this is not a classical case of selecting a suitable part
>of the whole story. Did those cunning Czechs simply keep all planes
>without any negotiation and any compensation? Or did you conveniently
>leave out that part dealing with negotiations and compensation?
I'm unaware of the particulars dealing with negotiations, etc..
As far the CSA aspect, it seems that the infrastructure of the Prague airport
was built-up at the expense of regional airports ( see story in The Economist)
so keeping the CSA fleet anchored at Prague would have been consistent
with the Pragocentric emphasis upon the infrastructure, no?
George Frajkor
> Pavel Dvorak wrote:
> >I wonder whether this is not a classical case of selecting a suitable part
> >of the whole story. Did those cunning Czechs simply keep all planes
> >without any negotiation and any compensation? Or did you conveniently
> >leave out that part dealing with negotiations and compensation?
> I'm unaware of the particulars dealing with negotiations, etc..
> As far the CSA aspect, it seems that the infrastructure of the Prague airport
>was built-up at the expense of regional airports ( see story in The Economist)
> so keeping the CSA fleet anchored at Prague would have been consistent
> with the Pragocentric emphasis upon the infrastructure, no?
Actually, there were quite a few shenanigans involved with
the CSA deal and some really good investigative reporting should be
done on this. I do not pretend to know all the details, but the main
problem was that CSA was privatized while the Czecho-Slovak Federation
still existed. The private capital was partly Czech and partly Air
France. What they paid or how they paid (whether cash and debt, or
promissory notes or what) I have no idea. Thus when it came time to
divide state assets, CSA was not a state asset any more. If it were,
Slovakia could have insisted on 33% of the assets, or one-third
ownership or whatever.
The next complication was that Air France decided to get out
of the deal and get rid of its share. Once again I don't know the
details of how they did, who repaid what money to whom, or whether the
state got back into ownership. By this time, however, the republic
had split and the private company was registered in Prague. So it is
essentially a Czech firm. Someone told the me that the outcome is
that Slovakia holds 3% of the shares but I am not sure. In any case,
whether it is due to Slovak negotiating incompetence, or bad
mathematics,or sneaky underhanded tactics, or some kind of deal
for other compensation, the airline is out of Slovak hands. It would
be worth studying as a business-school case example.
Ivan Lescak
> Actually, there were quite a few shenanigans involved with
>the CSA deal and some really good investigative reporting should be
>done on this. I do not pretend to know all the details,
What an exception!
> The next complication was that Air France decided to get out
>of the deal and get rid of its share.
That's nice said, in fact AF were asked to leave, after CSA nearly
collapsed under their AF-like management.
>essentially a Czech firm. Someone told the me that the outcome is
>that Slovakia holds 3% of the shares but I am not sure.
These shares are owned by cities (Bratislava, Kosice and Poprad),
not directly by the state.
George Frajkor
Research Institute news digest, an electronic news service to
which you may subscribe individually if you wish the complete report.
Only items of interest to this list have been selected.
All are unedited and are presented without comment.
=========================================================================
SLOVAK PARLIAMENT SESSION CONTINUES. The parliament on 21 March approved
laws which raise the minimum wage to 2,750 crowns ($91.67) from 1 April
and pensions by 12% from 1 June, Narodna obroda reported. Discussions
also began on the controversial territorial arrangement bill, which
Interior Minister Ludovit Hudek said was "appreciated" by Council of
Europe experts. The previous day, the parliament passed a law providing
for protection of bank deposits equal to up to 30 times the average
monthly salary. All Slovak banks will be required to contribute annually
to the Deposit Protection Fund, while foreign banks must do so if
deposit protection in their country of origin is lower than that in
Slovakia. The opposition failed to expand the session's agenda to
include discussion of the Slovak Information Service and privatization.
Attempts to withdraw the bills on the protection of the republic and
territorial administration were also rejected. -- Sharon Fisher
UPDATE ON CASE OF SLOVAK PRESIDENT'S SON. Ladislav Pittner, a Christian
Democratic Movement (KDH) deputy and former interior minister, announced
on 21 March that his independent commission investigating the kidnapping
of Michal Kovac Jr. is ready to present its partial findings, Narodna
obroda reported. Pittner, who is assisted by former Slovak Information
Service counter-intelligence director Igor Cibula, said the findings
will be announced during a KDH meeting on 25 March and will include the
names of those who pulled Kovac Jr. from his car. Also on 21 March,
Slovak Television (STV) featured an interview with a "secret witness" in
the kidnapping case, who said he "participated in the so-called
kidnapping" and called it "a fake." Police investigator Jozef Ciz told
STV that he will check the evidence presented by the witness, saying he
has "fulfilled his civic duty." -- Sharon Fisher
George Frajkor
> I guess that Mr. Frajkor is trying to make the following point. Other
> nations have made certain steps in the past which were not necessarily
> "nice" but helped them establish the country. Slovakia is doing this now,
> since only recently she reached independence. This wasn't such a big deal
> in the case of other countries, but there are objections to Slovak
> actions of the same sort. If I understand Mr. Frajkor correctly, Slovakia
> should disregard such objections because of this inconstistency and
> continue to be "inspired" from the history of "respected" nations.
Yes, i think you sum it well. Thank you. I am surprised others
have such a hard time seeing this point.
Karl Pollak
>since only recently she reached independence. This wasn't such a big deal
>in the case of other countries, but there are objections to Slovak
>actions of the same sort. If I understand Mr. Frajkor correctly, Slovakia
>should disregard such objections because of this inconstistency and
>continue to be "inspired" from the history of "respected" nations.
If that's the case, Mr. Frajkor would also be well advised to take a
good long look at the calendar. Mine reads 1996.
What was acceptable in 1848 or 1920 is not necessarily acceptable
today. In the 1940s Canada interned thousands of its own citizens on
the grounds that they had become ethnicaly inconvenient to the
government of the day.
Following Mr. Frajkor's reasoning (if you pardon the expression) would
then make it perfectly acceptable for Slovakia to herd all Roma or
ethnic Hungarians to concentration camps in the mountains and
confiscate all of their properties.
Sorry, no matter how many other folks do or have done wrong, it is
still wrong.
George Frajkor
> George Frajkor <gfra...@CCS.CARLETON.CA> wrote:
> > I am pointing out NOT that the Czechs are to be blamed for
> >something completely different from the Slovak law, but for precisely
> >the same law.
> Why? Does the Czech parliament pass laws for Slovakia?
In 1920, yes. That is when the original law for the protection of
the republic was passed and that is law I am referring to.
> The point that both Tomas and myself have been trying to call to your
> attention is that whether or not Meciar is correct in that statement
> is completely irrelevant. He has the powers to see that GOOD laws are
> passed in Slovakia. Indeed, I would argue that it is his
> responsibility. By bringing in bad laws, regardless of how many other
> countries have decided to adopt similarly bad laws, he is abdicating
> his responsibility to his voters.
And my point is that if all these laws are indeed similar and all
are bad, then Slovakia should not be singled out as a transgressor
against moral standards for them. All those who passed similar laws,
if they did, should be treated in the same way. Slovakia should not
be threatened with exclusion from Europe for violations of civil
rights if, in fact, the European countries doing the threatening
(France, Germany, etc) have done the same. That is why I am
interested to find out if they HAVE.
Karl Pollak
I don't know why I even bother to continue in this idiotic
conversation with a mental fossil, but here goes anyway:
George Frajkor <gfra...@CCS.CARLETON.CA> wrote:
>> Why? Does the Czech parliament pass laws for Slovakia?
> In 1920, yes. That is when the original law for the protection of
>the republic was passed and that is law I am referring to.
Wasn't it a CzechoSlovak parliament in 1920? Did Slovak districts
have no deputies there? Or were they all Czechophiles because the
parliamentary sessions were held in Prague?
>Slovakia should not
>be threatened with exclusion from Europe for violations of civil
>rights if,
How is Slovakia being threatened with exclusion from Europe. Is
somebody planning to cut it out of the middle and tow it out to sea?
PS: Don't bother responding, I am unsubscribing this list, so I won't
be around to read it. Recently, this list has deteriorated well below
the limits of my tolerance.
I've met a number of rather nice people here, but a few metal acrobats
like yourself have made it a waste of time for me ...
Igor GAZDIK
#says...
#>
# This was the
#>example of the original Law on the protection of the Republic of
#>Czechoslovakia, which allegedly was to preserve the democratic
#>constitution and territorial integrity from foreign (meaning
#>Hungarian) subversion. It was mainly used however, was to censor
#Slovak
#>newspapers and suppress Slovak nationalist activities. And in one
#>case to prosecute someone who had insulted Masaryk even before Masaryk
#>became president. The law permitted that. Anyone who thinks statist
#>regimes will not use the weapons available to them is very naive, and
#>Meciar is smart enough to adopt the legacy of Masaryk as his
#justification.
#>
#>
#> Jan George Frajkor _!_
#> School of Journalism, Carleton Univ. --!--
#> 1125 Colonel By Drive |
#> Ottawa, Ontario /^\
#> gfra...@ccs.carleton.ca / aa...@freenet.carleton.ca
#> o: 613 520-7404 fax: 613 520-6690 h: 613 563-4534#
there also existed the law on the protection of peace, invented
by comrade novotny. in terms of that law (rarely used), one
could be sentenced to the death penalty, in an extreme case.
George Frajkor
Research Institute news digest, an electronic news service to
which you may subscribe individually if you wish the complete report.
Only items of interest to this list have been selected.
All are unedited and are presented without comment.
=========================================================================
March 25
---
SLOVAK PARLIAMENT APPROVES ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM. The parliament on 22
March approved a draft on the country's new territorial administration,
which is to be implemented on 1 July, Slovak media reported. The plan
provides for eight regions and 79 districts but does not define their
areas of competence. Democratic Party chairman Jan Langos stressed the
plan is supported by neither the opposition, the Association of Slovak
Towns and Villages, nor citizens. Ethnic Hungarian leaders have
threatened to call a referendum on the issue, accusing the government of
seeking to ensure that Hungarians do not form more than 30% of the
population in any region. Following opposition complaints about plans
for Kosice to be a single district, Slovakia's second biggest city was
divided into four districts. -- Sharon Fisher
SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION. Vladimir Meciar
told a Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) conference on 23-24
March that there is need for changes to the Slovak constitution, Slovak
media reported. He said the main issue to be decided is whether Slovakia
is to have a parliamentary or presidential system or one based on a
chancellorship. Noting that within two years the HZDS will be
transformed into a party, Meciar called for changes in the electoral
system to ensure the emergence of two main political forces, one of
which would be the HZDS. He said that the new system would be either a
first-past-the post or a mixed one, adding that the current system of
proportional representation was "unsuitable." The conference's 223
delegates unanimously re-elected him as chairman. -- Sharon Fisher
George Frajkor
Research Institute news digest, an electronic news service to
which you may subscribe individually if you wish the complete report.
Only items of interest to this list have been selected.
All are unedited and are presented without comment.
=========================================================================
March 26
---
SLOVAK COMMISSION SAYS SECRET SERVICE INVOLVED IN KIDNAPPING OF
PRESIDENT'S SON. An independent commission chaired by Christian
Democratic Movement (KDH) deputy Ladislav Pittner on 25 March accused
the Slovak Information Service of kidnapping President Michal Kovac's
son, Sme reported. Pittner, a former interior minister, announced the
commission's preliminary conclusions at a KDH meeting, saying the final
results should be available next month. He gave the first names and
last-name initials of SIS agents who allegedly prepared and participated
in the kidnapping, specified their tasks, and described the cars they
used. The commission also found that several of the police officers
currently working on the case have criminal records. In other news,
Kovac Jr. on 25 March filed a lawsuit against the "secret witness" who
recently appeared on Slovak TV to allege that the kidnapping was staged.
-- Sharon Fisher
SLOVAK BISHOPS PROTEST DRAFT LAW ON PROTECTION OF REPUBLIC. A group of
Catholic bishops on 25 March sent a letter to "the government, the
parliament and the nation" expressing opposition to the draft law on the
protection of the republic, Slovak media reported. The bishops warned
that the bill compares to the 1948 law "based on which hundreds of
thousands of innocent people were convicted, imprisoned, and tortured,
sometimes to death." If passed, the amendment would put policemen,
public prosecutors, and judges in the same position "as the criminals of
totalitarianism," they stressed. Protests against the bill have recently
come from the Association of Slovak Judges, the Slovak Helsinki
Committee, and Greenpeace. -- Sharon Fisher