CEO of deCODE Kári Stefánsson has apologised for remarks he made about the Prime Minister in a new Grapevine interview.
In an interview in the latest issue of the Reykjavík Grapevine, Kári spoke candidly about the state of the Icelandic health care system today, and his vision for the changes he would like to see. His latest initiative, a petition calling upon the government to spend more on health care, has resulted in a exchange by media proxy between himself and Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson.
In one part of the interview, Kári has this to say about Sigmundur, part of which was also printed on the cover of our latest issue:
“I have no rivalry with the prime minister,” said Kári before breaking into a smirk. “Why should I have a rivalry with this obese two-year-old little boy? He’s just answered my criticism with juvenile insults. There is no rivalry there. It looks like he’s surrounded himself with really bad advisors. It isn’t to the interest of a Prime Minister to write pieces like he has done in this debate.
The remarks caught the attention of the Icelandic media and, in a radio interview with Rás 1, he has apologised unreservedly for his comments.
“This shit is my responsibility,” he said. “The Prime Minister won this round 10-0.”
Kári explained that the remark had not come out the way he intended. What he had meant to say, he said, was that a co-worker of his had compared the back-and-forth between Kári and Sigmundur to two little boys fighting over a toy. He added that his remarks should not detract from the importance of improving and revamping Iceland’s health care system.
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