PS Blasts Coalition for Keeping Simkovicova and Susko in Their Ministries

Bratislava, October 30 (TASR) - Even after Wednesday, Slovakia will still have a Culture Minister who fights against culture and the people working in it, House Culture and Media Committee Vice-chair Zora Jaurova (PS) declared on Wednesday after Parliament turned down a no-confidence motion in Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (SNS nominee) and Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD). "Not a single one of those 76 lawmakers who backed her up during the vote really thinks that she handles her job well. And so, even after today, the Slovak culture will remain hostage to the narrow survival of Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) fourth government. We'll see for how long. But until then, every single one of those 76 lawmakers who refused to dismiss her today will be responsible for the disintegration and chaos," said Jaurova about Simkovicova. Progressive Slovakia (PS) also declared that Slovakia has never had such a bad justice minister in its history as Boris Susko, who in his first year in office has done nothing for justice and everything to put his "accomplices" beyond the reach of the law. MP Zuzana Stevulova (PS) lambasted Susko for pushing through "pro-mafia amendments" to the Penal Code, which resulted in the growth in petty crimes affecting the common people. "He has literally wrecked the ministry, fails to meet the Recovery Plan, but found the time to release [former special prosecutor] Dusan K. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] from jail. This coalition backed him up for a single reason: they don't care about the people, they care only about themselves," she said. The criticism was joined also by MP Martina Bajo Holeckova (independent). "Martina Simkovicova is not competent enough to head the Culture Ministry and Boris Susko releases criminals from jail. In a normal country, the prime minister would be ashamed of them and they would have to resign. We live in Slovakia, however, so both of them are remaining in their posts and even receive praise from the Prime Minister," she claimed. mf/mcs