Majersky: State Didn't Save on Itself But Consolidated via Public Last Year

Bratislava, 14 January (TASR) - One of the biggest negatives of last year was the poorly set consolidation, with the state consolidating at the expense of its citizens, the self-employed, firms and municipalities instead of saving on itself, opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) chairman Milan Majersky has said in an interview for TASR. "The state should have saved on its own spending, increased the levy on gambling, saved on energy costs, refrained from buying expensive limousines and cut spending wherever possible and necessary," said Majersky. He also pointed to doubts surrounding the emergency medical service tender, as well as calls for support for research and development. He views this as injustice towards the public, as huge sums of money have been 'lost' via various scandals. Majersky also objected to the decisions made by the government in the area of the rule of law last year, criticising, for example, the amendment to the Penal Code. Meanwhile, Majersky described an amendment to the Slovak Constitution as the biggest positive of last year. He stressed that the Christian Democrats managed to push through their own proposals despite being in opposition. "I am positive that these changes will be beneficial for both the country and its citizens," he said. He also pointed out that KDH submitted other bills to Parliament last year as well, adding that some of them were "adopted" by coalition MPs and made it through Parliament only thanks to that. According to Majersky, KDH wants to work this year on proposals and measures to be included in the party's programme for the next general election. The party also wants to focus on making housing in Slovakia more affordable. He declared that KDH MPs intend to remain active in Parliament: they'll take part in debates, present their own solutions to problems and submit amending proposals. He noted that opposition bills were pushed back from one parliamentary session to another last year without being debated. "We've already lost any illusions that the coalition will approve any of our laws," he added. ko/df