The opposition party SaS wants to reestablish a public holiday The Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy (November 17) as a day of labor peace. He draws attention to the importance of the holiday. He believes that the cancellation of the day of rest on November 17 sent a negative signal to the public about the importance of historical memory and the values of freedom and democracy. She wants to achieve the change with an amendment to the Act on Public Holidays and Days of Rest, which she submitted to the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic.
“The return of November 17 to the days of rest has not only a symbolic but also a practical civic significance. The day of work peace creates a real space for a dignified public memorial, for the participation of citizens in commemorative acts, public gatherings, educational and cultural eventsas well as for intergenerational transmission of historical memory. If this public holiday is a working day, its social and civic dimension is naturally weakened,” stated the members of parliament for SaS, who submitted the amendment.
They reminded the importance of the holiday. “November 1989, to which this national holiday refers, represents one of the basic historical and value pillars of the modern democratic establishment of the Slovak Republic. It commemorates the fall of the communist totalitarian regime, the return of civil liberties, political pluralism and the rule of law. It’s about an event without which the current constitutional and democratic order of the Slovak Republic would not exist. The holiday also commemorates the events of November 17, 1939 and the resistance of students in occupied Prague against Nazi aggression. This emphasizes the struggle against both totalitarianisms of the 20th century,” they added.
According to their words, the proponents are aware that the reintroduction November 17 as a non-working day will have a partial negative impact on the revenues of the public administration budget.
“However, we consider it legitimate for a democratic state to bear reasonable economic costs associated with the protection and reminder of their basic values. Freedom and democracy are not a matter of course, and their commemoration cannot be subordinated exclusively to short-term economic indicators,” they added. The Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy has been celebrated in Slovakia since 2001. The cancellation of the day off during this holiday was part of the consolidation package of measures.
