We appeal that no person who is a CURRENT MEMBER of any political party MAY EXERCISE AN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION in the public administration and in state-owned companies. This rule must remain in force for at least 2 years after the expiry of the term of office, in order to remove any suspicion of self-interest and to remove any suspicion of interference with the autonomy and independence of systems or institutions.
WE DEMAND
- for every suspicion of political appointments, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption initiate a procedure under the Integrity and Prevention of Corruption Act and investigate whether the procedures for appointing senior managers were in line with the law, as the prevention of corruption has never been a priority of any Slovenian government!
- the competent ministry launches in a timely manner procedures for public calls for tender for managerial positions in public institutions and state-owned enterprises and strictly adheres to professional criteria and conducts legal and transparent procedures in accordance with the legal provisions in the field of recruitment!
- political party supporters/members are not allowed to hold senior positions in public institutions and state-owned enterprises, to use their positions for personal interests and to raise suspicions about the autonomy, transparency and independence of the institutions!
- people who do not have a "party card" are placed in management positions! Candidates must be placed in management positions and judged on the criteria of professionalism and competence. They must have the appropriate education and work experience!
- Politics should not interfere in the management of state-owned enterprises and in the domination of the state by corporations!
- leadership positions in the country are filled by individuals who act ethically! Those who are involved in suspicious or controversial transactions, who are suspected of criminal offences or who have even been proven to have done so in the past, have no place in managerial positions! Their past actions have shown that they want to pursue their own interests to the detriment of the interests of those they are supposed to represent.
- Perhaps a good and rational step in the right direction would be the reintroduction of a national civil service examination, which would constitute a kind of entry ticket into the civil service and would prevent persons whose expertise and knowledge are deficient from working in the civil service; all civil servants employed after 2007, when the examination was abolished for no legal reason, would be required to pass the examination within a certain period of time (source of the proposal: www.domovina.je/politicno-kadrovanje-po-slovensko/).
- What kind of civil service system Slovenia really needs is clear; it must be, above all, a professional, apolitical, career-oriented, professional and highly ethical system, capable of providing the highest possible level of service to both politicians and citizens, and capable of saying a clear and firm no to bad proposals and solutions, whoever they may be proposed or promoted. And in such a system, the influence of politics must be strictly limited (source of proposal www.domovina.je/politicno-kadrovanje-po-slovensko/).
As ordinary citizens, we are not familiar with the law, but we believe that if the facts and requirements are not written into law, the law must be changed or amended!
We wonder:
- Where is the role of competent institutions such as the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption? Media coverage alone as a sanction is not enough!
- Is the aim of the current government with regard to the controversial deals on the purchase of protective masks and fans to cover up or even erase evidence? Is this why the government has changed the leadership positions in the criminal investigation and investigative procedures?
- How can we trust the Government and the competent institutions, since we expect fairness, professionalism and political independence from the systems?
Facts:
- Political lobbying through the placement of personnel in managerial positions of state-owned companies or enterprises is an old and common practice since Slovenia's independence (in both the public and private sectors, and at both local and national level).
- Every time there is a change of government, there are personnel changes in state-owned companies, followed by one affair after another.
Appointments of officials in the public administration and in state-owned companies raise suspicions that there is a vested interest behind the appointments to control and exploit vested interests.
- Some of the changes in senior management raise suspicions of interference in the autonomy and independence of systems or institutions.
- Some positions are filled by people linked to certain scandals and by people coming from the current government. Such controversial appointments undermine confidence in the institutions to which they are appointed!
- Changes in key bodies cast doubt on the independence and impartiality of the systems.
There are few examples from the past, but here is a concrete example of the current 14th Government of the Republic of Slovenia (source of content podcrto.si/new-government-at-leading-poles-ethically-entirely-inadequate-p...:
- Janša's 14th Government of the RS quickly replaced key people in the security-intelligence system. Already at the first session, the Director General of the Police, the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) and the Director General of the Intelligence and Security Service of the Ministry of Defence were replaced. This was followed by the appointment of the Director of the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency (Sova), the replacement of the Director General of the Slovenian Anti-Money Laundering Office, the replacement of the Director of the Criminal Police Directorate and the replacement of the Director General of the National Bureau of Investigation (NPU), writes STA.
- Given that the replacements took place in a very short time and quickly, it is suspected that there is an interest behind the changes to take full control of the security and intelligence services. There could also be an SDS interest in covering up irregularities in the financing of some media close to the SDS or in the purchase of protective equipment. Last but not least, it looks as if the current government wants to subjugate the whole system!
- Janša has proposed Aleš Hojs, until now director of NTV24, d.d., which publishes Nova24TV, as Interior Minister. This television is one of the aforementioned SDS party media. The financing of these media is being investigated by the police. The parties of the current coalition then voted Hoys as a minister. As Interior Minister, Hojs has control over the functioning of the police.
- Božo Predalič, former director of NTV24 and still a member of the Supervisory Board of the party's television station, also holds a senior position in the government. He has taken over as one of the government's Secretaries-General.
- The icing on the cake is the recruitment of Franco Kangler to the cabinet of Interior Minister Hoys. The former mayor of Maribor has so far been the subject of at least 20 pre-trial or criminal proceedings. He has never been finally convicted. But that does not mean he is innocent. As we have repeatedly pointed out here at Pod črto, the Supreme Court has unequivocally found that Kangler acted corruptly in hiring his party colleague at the municipality. He was not only punished because the prosecutor's office was too late in bringing criminal proceedings against him.