Ziga: We Must Prevent Return of Totalitarianism and Stop Hatred

Bratislava, November 17 (TASR) - We must prevent the return of totalitarianism and stop the spread of hatred and extremism in all forms, and the extent to which we succeed in doing so will determine the quality of our democracy, said House Vice-chair Peter Ziga (Voice-SD), tasked with heading Parliament in a temporary capacity, during an event held by the Confederation of Political Prisoners of Slovakia (KPVS) to commemorate the victims of the communist regime and mark the 35th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution on Sunday. "The past regime enforced obedience by force. That's why people demanded freedom of speech and press. They wanted tolerance, open discussion and the free exchange of opinions without sanctions or punishment for expressing opinions other than the official narrative. But can we truly speak our minds today without facing consequences or penalties for free expression? Aren't we, in a way, returning to the pre-1989 era of hypocrisy and duplicity, when one opinion existed in public and a different one at home? We are now confronted with new challenges. Excessive political correctness and intolerance don't allow for healthy debate and hate speech poisons society," stated Ziga. The House vice-chair emphasised the legacy and values of the November events. In his view, the Velvet Revolution brought free elections, new opportunities, and hope. "However, at the same time, social certainties vanished, companies where people had spent their entire lives ceased to exist, and new terms such as privatisation, restitution, tunneling, and unemployment emerged," he noted. He also remarked that without November 17, 1989, Slovaks would not have had their own state. tl/ko