Cultural workers told not to submit money requests: Is it a trap?
Translated from Slovenian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Slovenian cultural workers are instructed not to submit funding requests, with the government suggesting they wait for budget revisions.
- The Social Democrats' leader, Meira Hot, stated that cultural performers are not to blame for the ministry's budget issues and should not bear financial risks.
- The coordinator for the Left party, Asta Vreฤko, warned that this move signals a "settling of scores" with culture and could lead to uncertainty and cancellations.
Slovenian cultural workers have been instructed not to submit funding requests, with the government suggesting they await budget revisions. This directive has sparked concern and criticism from various political figures.
Cultural performers are not to blame for the ministry's budget issues. They cannot be the first to be told by the state to wait until the rebalancing. They cannot be the ones on whom financial risk is suddenly transferred, and they must not become victims of political decisions by the new leadership of the ministry.
Meira Hot, the head of the Social Democrats' parliamentary group, emphasized that cultural performers are not responsible for the ministry's budgetary problems. She argued that they should not be the first to be told to wait for budget adjustments, nor should they be made to bear financial risks or become victims of political decisions by the new ministry leadership.
This is the realization of 'announced scores being settled with culture and art,' an attempt to discipline and silence all those who are not favored by the current government.
Asta Vreฤko, the coordinator for the Left party and former Minister of Culture, warned that this situation represents a realization of "announced scores being settled with culture and art." She described it as an attempt to "discipline and silence all those who are not favored by the current government." Vreฤko highlighted that the mere announcement of reduced funding is already causing uncertainty among cultural project and program implementers, as well as media outlets, leading to the cancellation of planned activities.
The damage is already being done, as the mere announcement of reduced funding is causing uncertainty among cultural project and program implementers and media, and leading to the cancellation of already planned activities.
Originally published by Delo in Slovenian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.