"The coalition has no other alternative but to be firm. Slovenia has no other alternative, any political instability at this time would make the efforts we are putting in getting us from the crisis with as few scratches as possible harder," Janša said in an interview with the public broadcaster TV Slovenija.
"Those who believe that if they block [government reform] measures and Slovenia has to ask for international financial aid next year, this will be the end of this government's term; but this is just an illusion, the term of this government depends on its majority in the National Assembly," he said. He argued that Slovenia needed to take a "package of five measures" that were equally important, listing the need to reduce the budget deficit to below 3%, tackle state asset management and restructure the banking system as well as labour market and pension reforms. "If any of the five pieces in the mosaic is missing, we'll still be in dangerous waters," Janša said, adding that those who were trying to block any of the measures were undermining the whole package and that those trying to undermine the government reform efforts were jeopardising Slovenia's sovereignty. If Slovenia should ask for financial aid, it would lose part of its sovereignty, Janša warned, pointing out that European aid was not a gift but a loan that would have to be paid back, and that the cut in public expenditure the government was proposing now "is nothing" compared to what would happen in case of a bailout.
In a reference to the trade unions' initiative for a referendum on the bad bank act, Janša said the "unions are just a puppet worked by someone else" and that the main reason for the attempt to stop the implementation of the law was so that the suspected wrongdoing at banks would fall under the statute of limitations. Commenting on the sovereign holding act, Janša said: "This is light-years more transparent than so far... The way it was now we could hardly say the government managed staffing at the Capital Assets Management Agency. It was the mafia which managed staffing." Janša also directed an attack against President Danilo Türk as he said that it was the responsibility of all politicians to work for positive prospects for the citizens. "However, we have a president who says that we are still not highly indebted and is opposed to any reform measure of this government," Janša said. The prime minister believes that the projections that Slovenia can return to growth in 2014 are realistic, but that the country should opt for the right measures to get there. He said that the coming months would be crucial for Slovenia's future. Janša also commented on the trial in the Patria case, where he is one of the defendants, expressing doubt that any of his aides would be found guilty because none of them had anything to do with alleged bribery. He meanwhile said that it would be "good if any of the so-called lobbyists" was convicted.
SOURCE: The Slovenia Times
