Pellegrini: Gov't Manifesto Lacks Specific Deadlines and Commitments

Bratislava, April 25 (TASR) – The Government Manifesto lacks specific commitments with deadlines, former prime minister and parliamentary vice-chair Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD) has stated.

“The Manifesto is full of phrases, many good ideas, however, there’s nothing that would allow the public or the opposition to identify whether the Government has managed to change something within a given deadline or whether a commitment has been thoroughly met,” stated Pellegrini.

Nevertheless, Pellegrini appreciated that the document aims to reduce red tape, support families and that it suggests that candidates for the post of Police Corps president be subjected to a lie detector test.

The parliamentary vice-chair pointed out that while the Manifesto clearly defines how and when expenditures on defence will be increased, it only says that teachers’ salaries will be increased depending on the flexibility of the state budget. Pellegrini is of the opinion that the education and health care systems also deserve clear commitments, just like the one that concerns defence expenditures.

“Slovakia suffers from a large number of regulations, laws and decrees the public has to follow and it often gets lost in them,” he said. Pellegrini noted that the Manifesto contradicts itself in this matter as on one hand it claims that the Government wants to reduce red tape and narrow the state machinery down, it also speaks about creating several new state offices on the other.

Pellegrini went on to say that he’s concerned with the Government’s intent to politicise the vote for the Police Corps president, adding that the current coalition stated in the past, when it was still in opposition, that the police chief should act independently from the interior minister. What also worries Pellegrini is that the Government wants to reward the public for reporting cases of bribery and corruption. “I don’t want it to come down to blowing the whistle for a reward,” said Pellegrini.