Danko: I've Found Person of Great Character in Bugar
(TA3, V politike, December 18)
Slovak National Party (SNS) leader and Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko on TA3’s discussion show ‘V politike’ (In Politics) on Sunday said that he’s found a person of great character in Most-Hid leader Bela Bugar.
Danko added that the governing coalition of Smer-SD, SNS and Most-Hid is effective for all three of them, as the party platforms are being fulfilled.
“Bela Bugar loves his fellow Hungarians, he fights for them, but he respects Slovakia. It’s not a fault if you find a common dialogue with someone and are able to trust each other. I hold him in high regard as a person; he’s preserved his character, and if he shakes your hand, he sticks to it,” noted Danko.
Danko went on to state that as much as 90 percent of SNS’s platform has already been fulfilled. “Politics should be about compromises. People must be shown that things can be resolved. Bugar and I both live in the direction of Samorin [Trnava region]. Does it matter whether I’m Slovak, Roma, Hungarian or Rusyn if I’m stuck in traffic going to Bratislava? We’re all facing the same problems. Let’s create a strong Slovakia; let’s show people some positive examples. What can a family or a firm achieve if they argue constantly? posited Danko, adding that the best form of punishing someone that’s bad is being good to him.
When speaking about the coalition, Danko said that conflicts often arise, as each comes up with its own proposals. The SNS leader claims that he’s brought a fresh point of view to the coalition, as he’s a political newbie. “I feel as though we supplement each other. Of course, Prime Minister Robert Fico is surrounded by people that would gladly sic him on me. However, if the three of us sit down together, no one within the parties has a chance of changing our decisions,” declared Danko.
With respect to Smer-SD’s scandals, Danko said that the old SNS also had its own scandals, but it went through purgatory and has become clean. “It’s their internal matter. Although there is talk about scandals, Smer-SD is still keeping its figures. If a politician does politics just for the percentages, he’ll never succeed,” warned Danko.
Danko was also asked about Parliament’s new Rules of Procedure. “I mean, no one should be able to eat in the assembly or to take a telephone directory in and read from it,” he emphasised. It is the Government that should be making the most noise because Parliament has limited its powers for the first time ever. Ministers, in addition to MPs, will be subjected to time limits on speeches in Parliament as well.
The chairman also spoke about SNS and its history. “I’ve just refreshed something that was already there. There couldn’t be any other SNS than one defending Slovakia. We’ve changed the way of communication; it isn’t possible to keep beating our chests and be ignorant of developments in the EU,” explained Danko, adding that SNS has become a modern national party with a different kind of internal atmosphere. “Not to see anomalies, conflicts and arguments. I told our people to start thinking positively. That’s where SNS has changed – it’s stopped arguing and begun caring about people’s problems,” stressed Danko.
