“I don’t even know if I’m still a member of the ČSSD.” He is running for office elsewhere, he rejected Šabatová. He said everything
09/06/2022 12:04 | Conversation
Pavel Jaroš was the deputy mayor of Prague 13 from 2014 to 2018, and now he is running for mayor of Prague without chaos. How has the town hall changed since then? “The residents of our municipality are getting older, and it is necessary to start the construction of a Nursing Home, to start building a parking garage in the vicinity of Lužine and Velký Ohrad. The completion of the Radlicka junction, which will improve traffic, is also not in sight. Citizens complain to me about the cleanliness and deterioration in the maintenance of urban greenery. So there is still room for improvement,” Jaroš told Parlamentnílisty.cz.
You are a candidate for mayor of Prague 13 for the coalition Prague 13 without chaos, you are also a member of the ČSSD, what are your electoral ambitions?
The Praha 13 bez chaos coalition is a group running for the Praha 13 City Council, which consists of the Movement for Health, Sport, Prosperity, PŘÍSAHA – Robert Šlachta’s civic association, the Alliance for the Future, the Czech Social Democratic Party, SNK – European Democrats and Prague without Chaos. The participation of the ČSSD in this electoral coalition was also approved by the ČSSD Grémium. If I am currently a member of the ČSSD, according to the oral information I received, the ČSSD Grémium under the leadership of Michal Šmarda at its meeting on 15 August 2022 should have terminated my membership and stripped me of the position of chairman of the Prague regional organization and of the position of chairman of the Prague 13 District Presidency.
survey
Was the September 3rd demonstration for her convening success?
voted: 8579 people
The membership of about 80 other Prague members of the ČSSD was terminated. Allegedly, I am writing because I did not receive anything in writing (probably the new style of the “new ČSSD” of Michal Šmarda). The ČSSD leadership is probably trying to get rid of me as a critic of a pointless candidate for the ZHMP (ČSSD, Zelení, Hnúti Budoucnost and Hnúti Idealistés, all headed by leader Anna Šabatová). The ČSSD leadership rejected the candidate approved by the Prague leadership and, contrary to internal party democracy, approved “its own electoral code” for Prague and installed this candidate, composed for the ČSSD of people in leading positions who had never even served in municipal councils. As a result, approximately a third of Prague members did not pay their contribution as of 6/30/2022 and left the ČSSD. Others also ended their membership during July and August. Our electoral ambitions are to return to the Municipal Council of Prague 13 and to be part of the leadership after the elections.
In Prague 13, you were deputy mayor in 2014-2018, how has the town hall changed since then?
Yes, in the election period from 2014 to 2018, I served as deputy mayor of Prague 13 with competences for the environment, social affairs and transport. Together with my colleagues, I managed to implement the construction of a Home for the elderly, the issue of completing the construction of the Radlické radials was resolved, we implemented events for our seniors, parking situations and active care for the environment. Unfortunately, after my departure, based on the meeting with the citizens of our municipality, everything came to a standstill. Seniors complain to me that events are no longer organized for them, or only the bare minimum (during my tenure, I organized trips to castles and chateaux, wind music concerts for dancing and listening, tickets to cinemas and theaters, etc.). The residents of our municipality are getting older, and it is necessary to start the construction of a nursing home, to start building a parking garage in the vicinity of Lužine and Velký Ohrad. The completion of the Radlicka junction, which will improve traffic, is also not in sight. Citizens complain to me about the cleanliness and deterioration in the maintenance of urban greenery. So there is still room for improvement.
The energy crisis makes wrinkles on the foreheads not only of households and companies, but also of many town halls that are looking for energy for next year. How do you think Prague 13 is doing?
As far as energy is concerned, in this area the town halls of the city districts are not doing much. This is rather a task for the leadership of the capital city of Prague, which owns Pražská plynárenská, a.s. and co-owns Pražská energetika, a.s. That is why they are also running on the candidate list of Prague without chaos in third place, so that I can contribute to solving this energy crisis.
Photogallery: – With Duchoslav without chaos
The President of the Chamber of Deputies and the President of TOP 09, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, caused a stir by declaring that people should “not needlessly air-condition, not needlessly heat, and even take another sweater”. What do you think of her statements?
I consider President Pekarová’s statement to be stupid and the height of arrogance. With her statements, she became a comical figure in WhatsApp communications and emails. I think that the Czech Republic “for a long time has not had a politician who was so much ridiculed for popular creativity” as Ms. Pekarová is today.
How far can high energy prices go? And in your opinion, is the government’s assistance to citizens adequate?
According to forecasts from economists and from the field of energy, energy prices may triple. In my opinion, there is no real help for citizens from the government of the Czech Republic. Ministers only supply us with meaningless phrases and promises that everything will be fine. In my opinion, there is no real help to speak of and citizens live in fear of the future. Ms. Pekarová’s advice about one or two worlds rightfully evokes geysers of laughter and anger.
The government assures that “we will handle the autumn”, that we have full gas tanks and sealed agreements, and that measures will only occur in the event of an unexpected crisis. Do you believe the government’s assurances that everything is secure?
I absolutely do not believe the government’s promises. Rather than solving the energy crisis, it seems to me that the government is more concerned with the Ukrainian crisis, the virtual reality of the Czech EU presidency, or the purchase of weapons ranging from fighter jets to infantry fighting vehicles and other equipment. We then hear phrases from government officials about the need to save and that there is no money for anything.
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author: Barbora Richterová