Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Crisis, Renewal & Change
In 1987 the Ljubljana-based magazine
Nova Revija
published an article outlining a new
Slovenian national program, which included political pluralism, democracy, a market eco-
nomy and independence, possibly within a Yugoslav confederation. The new liberal leader
of the Slovenian communists, Milan Kučan, did not oppose the demands, and opposition
parties began to emerge. But the de facto head of the central government in Belgrade, Ser-
bian communist leader Slobodan Milošević, resolved to put pressure on Slovenia.
In June 1988 three Slovenian journalists working for the weekly
Mladina
(
Youth
) - in-
cluding the current prime minister, Janez Janša - and a junior army officer who had given
away 'military secrets' were tried by a military court and sentenced to prison. Mass
demonstrations were held throughout the country.
In the autumn, Serbia unilaterally scrapped the autonomy of Kosovo (where 80% of the
population is ethnically Albanian) granted by the 1974 constitution. Slovenes were
shocked by the move, fearing the same could happen to them. A rally organised jointly by
the Slovenian government and the opposition in Ljubljana early in the new year con-
demned the move.
In the spring of 1989 the new opposition parties published the May Declaration, de-
manding a sovereign state for Slovenes based on democracy and respect for human rights.
In September the Slovenian parliament amended the constitution to legalise management
of its own resources and peacetime command of the armed forces. Serbia announced plans
to hold a 'meeting of truth' in Ljubljana on its intentions. When Slovenia banned it, Serbia
and all the other republics except Croatia announced an economic boycott of Slovenia,
cutting off 25% of its exports. In January 1990, Slovenian delegates walked out on a con-
gress of the Communist Party, thereby sounding the death knell of the party.
WAVING THE FLAG
Slovenia had to come up with a national flag and seal at rather short notice after independence and not everyone
was happy with the results. Some citizens said that the flag resembled a football banner while others complained
the seal was too close to that of neighbouring countries such as Croatia.
Though the flag's colours - red, white and blue - were decided in 1848, the national seal was a new design. In
order to clear up any confusion, the government information office offered Slovenes and the world an explanation
of 'what it all means' on two levels.
'On a national level, the outline of Triglav above a wavy line represents a recognisable sign of the Slovenian re-
gional space, which has been created between the mountain world to the north and west, the Adriatic Sea to the
