President: Hate-fuelled Politics Mustn't Lead to Contempt for Others

Bratislava, 1 January (TASR) - Hate-fueled and divisive politics mustn't lead to contempt for other people, stated President Peter Pellegrini in his New Year address, noting that hatred could lead to the loss of the identity of Slovak society, which is based on a sense of belonging, helping others, inter-generational solidarity, humanity and decency towards one another. "Let's reject politics that leads to arrogance and contempt for others. Let's reject social networks whenever they spread hatred. I firmly believe that next year the government will take specific steps to implement my proposal to protect our children and young people much more effectively from the evils of social media, even if it means restricting access to these networks until they reach a certain age," he said. The head of state believes that social networks have made insulting other people and disparaging different opinions the norm. "I very much regret that many people are willing to praise, glorify or even justify the most vulgar attacks. However, if we continue in this vein, Slovak society will gradually lose something that has formed its natural value base for centuries - a sense of belonging, helping others, inter-generational solidarity, humanity and decency towards one another," he stressed. Pellegrini added that he still feels a strong sense of hope, "looking at most people who haven't given up on this fight for decency and live their normal lives in accordance with the values of their parents and grandparents," he said, calling for criticism of social problems to remain objective and decent. He noted that everyone has the right to publicly point out shortcomings, but that the positives shouldn't be forgotten. "Let's calmly criticise the situation in Slovakia if something isn't right. Everyone has the right to such criticism and can express it publicly and on the streets," he said. The president pointed out that Slovakia remains one of the safest countries in the world, and he called on people to appreciate the slow but steady progress being made; for example, in the construction of hospitals and motorways and the renovation of schools. Pellegrini emphasised that, unlike in many other countries, health care and education in Slovakia are still accessible to broad sections of the population, and their quality is gradually improving. He also highlighted the importance of high-quality food, drinking water and the country's natural resources. In this context, the head of state said that although not everything in Slovakia works perfectly, the solution is not to give up and leave the country. "We can live anywhere in the world, but we only have one home, one homeland and one native land, with the values, roots and traditions that we grew up with," he said, expressing his wish that even in difficult times, people won't succumb to "total negativity" and will be able to appreciate the good and beautiful things in life. am/df