Agreement with Independent MPs Not about Values, Claims Opposition

Bratislava, March 18 (TASR) - The governing coalition has concluded a pact with the Independent MPs that will only last until another "hungry mouth" appears and the whole "roundabout" starts up again, said opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka on Tuesday, adding that the government crisis wasn't about helping people, but about obtaining posts. Simecka noted that the government crisis lasted for 139 days. "For exactly that many days, people were watching a 'tug-of-war' and bargaining with government posts between the coalition parties and their various rebels, such as the MPs around Rudolf Huliak and Samuel Migal. During that time, Premier Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) hodge-podge has done absolutely nothing for the people," stated Simecka. "It wasn't any kind of battle of ideas or a dispute about what they could do for people and how they could help them; it was just about who would gain what post. Representatives of this governing coalition aren't interested in people, they're just interested in themselves," said Simecka, adding that the government will continue to be unstable and full of chaos. Opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) leader Branislav Groehling also opined that the group around MP Samuel Migal didn't care about values ​​or democracy, but about posts, power and "deals". The SaS leader pointed out that the group of MPs around Migal didn't speak out earlier about other problematic steps by the government; they only began to rebel "when they could gain more money for the sports clubs of their family members". According to Groehling, Premier Fico won't have it easy. "Every MP received instructions on how to obtain more money," he said, adding that if anybody wants to receive a ministry, all they have to do is rebel and protest. The premier on Tuesday said that he has signed an agreement with Migal and Salitros that will create the conditions for ensuring a stable majority for the governing coalition in Parliament. The MPs around Migal claim that the agreement will allow them to continue supporting the government manifesto while maintaining an emphasis on the government and Parliament working first and foremost for the people. They stressed that they never cared about posts or personal benefits, but about specific results. ko/df