Matovic Slams Proposed Ban on Visual Aids in Parliament as Harassment

Bratislava, 14 October (TASR) – The proposed amendment to the Rules of Procedure in Parliament, aimed at banning the use of visual aids in the parliamentary chamber, constitutes a form of "harassment", declared opposition 'Slovakia' party chair Igor Matovic on Tuesday. The coalition plans to push the proposal through during the current parliamentary session. Under the current rules, MPs are prohibited from bringing visual materials into the chamber, but they have been allowed to use them if they create them within the plenary chamber itself. "They're following in the footsteps of Andrej Danko (SNS), who launched — I'd call it — a holy war against visual aids in Parliament, especially against horalky [a popular Slovak wafer bar -ed.note] about nine or ten years ago," said Matovic at a Tuesday press conference. He argued that the change at that time was a response to actions by his party, which used visual props — such as a bag filled with fake banknotes and placards with messages — to highlight government issues and criticism. "They didn’t like it, so they banned visual aids. But they forgot to consider that we could still make them in the chamber with a marker and some paper," added Matovic. He maintained that using visual tools in parliamentary debate is legitimate, and that banning them amounts to a repressive tactic. He also pointed out that in the past, MP Michal Sipos (Slovakia-For the People alliance) was fined for entering the chamber wearing a T-shirt with a political message. The governing coalition is currently drafting an amendment to the parliamentary rules. Parliament vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) explained that the aim is to introduce a full ban on visual aids in the chamber. "Right now, the rule is that if you make something inside the chamber, you can use it. The way that MP Igor Matovic and his colleagues have been misusing this has led us to propose a change — we won't allow anything at all," said Gaspar on Tuesday. mf/df