World Bank draws up communicating reform for Slovakia

People in Slovakia are becoming less and less supportive of the Government's reforms with only a year to go to the next general election. Meanwhile, the opposition's attacks on the Government are becoming ever more fierce. So, it is time to do something. These are the conclusions of a World Bank strategic plan called "Communicating Reform," which was drawn up by World Bank experts at the request of the Slovak Government, Sme daily reports. The Government has come in to conflict with the opposition Smer party over this document. Smer leader Robert Fico claims that "the World Bank has interfered with Slovak domestic affairs." Fico further stated that the Cabinet and prime minister are defending the current Government's reforms and scaring the opposition according to instructions coming from abroad, and in particular, using a recent report produced by the World Bank. The Government, for its part, denies that discussions between it and representatives of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and similar institutions have ever been focused on political tactics.

According to information that the daily SME managed to get from the World Bank report, the report really does claim the Government's reforms are under threat, and that the Cabinet should launch countermeasures as soon as possible.

Government reforms haven't increased the number of poor people in Slovakia, but they have made poor people poorer, Sme daily reports, referring to a recent World Bank report on poverty in the world. Prime Minister Dzurinda said that he values the World Bank's poverty report, pointing out that it rejects claims that reforms have caused an increase in the number of poor people in Slovakia. However, according to the report, the Government's reforms have had the worst impact on unemployed parents with several children. Meanwhile, sociologist Zuzana Kusa wasn't surprised that the World Bank praised the Government's reforms. She pointed out that the report wasn't drawn up by independent foreign experts but by Slovak experts hired by the World Bank, including an unnamed employee of the Labour, Social Affairs and Family Ministry.