MP Ferencak Views His Expulsion from Voice-SD as Persecution
dnes 18:18
Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - MP Jan Ferencak (Independent) told journalists in Parliament on Monday that he views his expulsion from the junior coalition Voice-SD party as persecution and that he was expecting it, while he also described the move as an act of revenge by Voice-SD leader Matus Sutaj Estok.
"I expected this. It sends a message to all members that any opinion other than that of the party chairman is unacceptable," remarked Ferencak, adding that "all those who say otherwise will be persecuted and expelled from this party".
Ferencak believes that Sutaj Estok and a narrow circle of people in the leadership reached the decision to expel him as early as last year but were looking for an indirect way to make it happen. "The best way was to expel me based on a proposal from some district organisation," he commented.
Asked whether he would back the governing coalition in the future, he said that he'll only support bills that benefit Slovak people. "There's no reason for me to support any other laws," said Ferencak.
He confirmed that he hasn't yet received offers from other political parties, noting that he'll need some time to think about his future activities in politics.
The coalition Voice-SD party announced on Wednesday that it has expelled MP Jan Ferencak from its ranks based on a proposal from the Kezmarok district organisation, which was subsequently approved by the Voice-SD regional council in Presov region and confirmed by the party leadership.
Ferencak left the Voice-SD parliamentary caucus late last year after Parliament, following a proposal by Voice-SD MPs, removed him from the helm of the committee on European affairs. He argued at the time that he couldn't remain in a political environment where critical words lead to persecution. However, he declared that he would remain a member of the party.
Voice-SD leader Matus Sutaj Estok commented at the time that he had no intention of expelling Ferencak, but he criticised some of his actions over the past year.
jrg/df