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PM Janša in a documentary programme on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the birth of Dr Jože Pučnik: "Jože Pučnik was a great Slovenian soul."

  • Former Prime Minister Janez Janša (2020 - 2022)
In a documentary entitled "Dr Jože Pučnik – The 90th anniversary of his birth", Prime Minister Janez Janša, together with other partners in the process of Slovenian independence, spoke about a giant of the Slovenian political sphere – Dr Jože Pučnik. The documentary commemorating the 90th anniversary of the birth of Dr Jože Pučnik was broadcast on the first channel of Televizija Slovenija on 8 March 2022.

In the documentary, the Prime Minister, among other things, said: "Everyone who met him or knew him realised that they had met a man who is a kind soul, who loves Slovenia. He spoke directly about things, he described them as they were, and this is what they resented him most for." The Prime Minister said of the difficult life journey of Dr Jože Pučnik: "Many people in his situation would say, you oppressed me, you imprisoned me, you destroyed my family, I had to go into exile, why should I help you? But Jože Pučnik was not like that. For him, it was about making things better for others." He added: "It is unbelievable that someone who condemns you, arrests you, then tells you that you are a revanchist and vindictive. In fact, these people are talking about themselves. There is no one on the entire planet who could name a person on whom Jože Pučnik took revenge." In the documentary, the Prime Minister also said: "The blows were extremely low, as later with Dr Bajuk, except that Dr Pučnik was considered more dangerous, so they went even harder at him. This did not stop even after he had ceased to hold any political office. Every now and then, he was still remembered and vilified."