The covers and editorials from leading weeklies of the Left and Right for the work-week ending Friday, 25 May 2021. All our stories about coronavirus and Slovenia are here
Mladina: Investigate excess Covid-related deaths
STA, 24 June 2021 - In its latest editorial, Mladina looks at Slovenia's infamous statistics on excess Covid-19 deaths, infections and low vaccination rates, and calls for investigations into responsibility for the failure to control the epidemic under the headline It Is Time. To Speak About The Dead.
As the second wave of the Covid-19 epidemic in Slovenia is waning and the third is on the horizon, the left-wing weekly says that it is time to speak about the excessive and unnecessary deaths caused by the epidemic, adding that "we need to find the reasons behind this and prevent it from happening again."
Mladina adds that Slovenia is among the world's top ten countries in several ill-famed statistical categories related to infections, deaths and vaccination.
"In Slovenia, there have been up to 1,500 excess deaths - at least 30% too many people died in the second wave compared to comparable countries. Now that things have calmed down, at least temporarily, the people responsible for excess deaths must be held accountable."
Mladina then points the finger at PM Janez Janša, former Health Minister Tomaž Gantar, Labour Minister Janez Cigler Kralj and the head of the national advisory group for Covid-19 vaccination, Bojana Beović.
"They deliberately left sick elderly people in nursing homes and forced people to go to work despite infections and dangerous contacts. When someone takes up public office, they acquire rights, but also assume responsibilities."
Mladina says that blame for excessive deaths also lies with those medical professionals who "allowed themselves to be instrumentalised by politics and give it credibility in marginalising the only relevant professionals in this case, the epidemiologists."
"In countries with low immunisation rates, among which Slovenia is shamefully high, things will be much worse, and these people, starting with Janša, are incapable of finding solutions. The public does not respect them and does not follow them either.
"None of them is willing to assume responsibility for excess deaths and back down. They are aware that by holding on to their positions, they are also preventing investigation into their responsibility from taking place," concludes the editorial.
Demokracija: Slovenian independence
STA, 24 June 2021 - The right-wing weekly Demokracija praises Slovenia's independence and the process of achieving it in its latest editorial on Thursday, saying that Statehood Day marks the most important national holiday and the day when Slovenians gained their greatest asset - a sovereign state.
Under the headline Celebrating the Hallowed Time of the Slovenian Nation, the commentary begins with saying that "patriotism means love and respect for the homeland, the cultural heritage and traditions of our ancestors, who for centuries longed for the homeland to become a country."
"Through love for our nation, traditions, religion and culture, we survived communism, the worst form of totalitarianism, and the heroes of that time (1990-1991) were able to muster the strength to unleash a national charge in spite of the betrayals of the transitional left, which constantly opposed independence."
The weekly then says that "the first democratic elections in 1990 formally abolished the one-party rule, but they were not fair, as the League of Communists, led by Milan Kučan, retained as much as a third of the legislative power and then did everything it could to prevent independence."
"They did not succeed, even though they scared Slovenians into how we were too small, saying that the Yugoslav Army would trample us. Us good people stood together and proved how wrong they were and how evil their intentions were."
Demokracija adds that "after we gained an independent and sovereign country, it seemed for a moment that our children would now grow up in a fairer, kinder, more democratic and free environment. Unfortunately, the cleansing (lustration) did not take place."
"Slovenian people worked hard and wanted to patiently help the young country to progress. All that was destroyed by ideological successors of communism. That is why the current Prime Minister Janez Janša is right to point out that, although Slovenia became independent, it did become liberated."
The weekly also hails "the hallowed time of the Slovenian nation, its heroes, ancestors, roots and lineage," concluding the commentary with "Happy birthday and long live Slovenia! God bless our country and God bless the Slovenian people."
All our posts in this series are here
