BRATISLAVA, March 24, (WEBNOVINY) – The opposition SNS is criticizing the Statistics Office for the planned census. The party claims that there are no legal or constitutional reasons for the methodology, according to which the census forms will be in multiple languages. “This is a state institution which the minority language law does not concern,” said SNS Deputy Chairman Rafael Rafaj.
SNS would like to remind everyone that affiliation to a nationality is a free decision of the people and the ideal is to show loyal civic integration of a unified political nation. “Every citizen of the Slovak Republic should consider himself or herself a Slovak. Such ethnic division, in the spirit of Roman divide and rule, as we see in Slovakia, helps disintegrating the society and also plays into cards of anti-Slovak interests,” claims Rafaj.
SNS also criticizes the state organs which, according to their opinion, are not ready for an unbiased information campaign before the census. Thanks to this unreadiness, Hungarian political parties in Slovakia can misuse ethnicity or choice of nationality to pursue their own political goals, “intended to artificially generate as many members of a minority as possible, especially of the Hungarian one.”
“After the latest scandal, which was manifested by the openness of the Roma Union Party, we appeal to seriously investigate this important matter, but also to monitor the census process, mostly in the most sensitive regions of southern and eastern Slovakia,” said Rafaj. The party suggests independent observers should monitor the situation and the police should also be on alert.
Earlier on Thursday, Chairman of the Roma Union Party Frantisek Tanko stated that someone was giving money to the Roma for identifying themselves with ethnic Hungarians in the May census. He specified that such attempts occurred in Rimavska Sobota and Kralovsky Chlmec, adding that the sum per capita was seven euro. The available indications hint at two political parties he said but refused to name them. For the time being, his party is collecting evidence that should be unveiled in April. They also plan to report the case to the police.
SITA