Votoček: We want to become independent from the Prague district
You became the head of the new Town Hall for Citizens association. Why did you choose this name? In your opinion, the town hall did not serve the citizens?
She served, she didn’t serve… In my opinion, she did little to accommodate them. That’s why I decided to go a different way. I have been in politics since the 1990s and I have always tried to help citizens, represent their positions, defend their needs, which corresponds to my lifelong role as a doctor.
Prague is both a region and a municipality, and everything important for the city is arranged by the city council. m of Prague
My experience is that after being elected to the town hall, many politicians either forget their promises, or perhaps due to their inexperience, they are unable to grasp their role in the right way, and the citizen then feels that they are on the other side of their interests. Hence the name, which in itself carries a commitment with which we will go into this year’s municipal elections.
What changes do you think are most needed?
There are many of them, but in order to really improve something, we need to change the law on the capital city of Prague. This is because at the moment it is a region and a municipality at the same time, for which Prague 1 pays heavily. Everything important for us, the city district, is arranged by the city council. m of Prague. Its composition does not help us, the representatives are also from the outskirts of Prague, and it bothers us that they don’t care what is happening here. That is why we want each part of the city to be an independent municipality, so that it can decide on the conditions of life in its own territory and solve its local problems as best as possible. We have a petition, we are collecting signatures, when we have enough, we will put it in the parliament. I will give the city police as an example. This is established by the capital city in the role of municipality for the urban part. But regardless of our needs, the city fired a lot of police officers who didn’t have a high school diploma, and then canceled the vacancies. There are 240 police officers in the department for Prague 1, but we would need up to 400. As an independent municipality, we would be able to change that. Let Prague remain a region and keep an agenda across the capital, such as the metro or ring roads.
This year, the construction of a glass department store on Náměstí Miloš Forman near the InterContinental Hotel was finally put to rest. What do you think of her?
In 2018, when approving comments on the metropolitan plan, the Prague 1 council required that there should be buildings up to the 1st floor above ground. I understood it as ground floor booths for the sale of local goods. The developer ended up turning it into a four-story building, which was rejected by the Department of Regional Development, and I agree with that decision. The square must remain a square. It is a public space, albeit in private hands, meant to serve the public. That is why we at the council in June approved a fundamental comment on the metropolitan plan, which demands that Miloš Forman Square be preserved as unstoppable.
What do you think about the proposals for changes to the metropolitan spatial plan, which belong to the unstoppable developers who are building previously unstoppable areas in Prague 1 that serve the citizens?
We want to protect public spaces and will do everything to save the greenery in the territory of Prague 1. The center is already unbearably hot in the summer and it looks like it will get even worse. We want to fight for every square meter of green space. We have the protection of public spaces, parks and playgrounds in the election program.
In 2019, the privatization of apartments was stopped. In the case from the era of Oldřich Lomecký, the representatives of the time, including you, were accused of selling apartments. Does it make sense to apply for resumption of privatization?
Your question brings together two different agendas. Privatization is the sale of occupied apartments by long-term tenants, locals who have lived in Prague 1 for a whole generation. But the accusation refers to the sale of empty apartments that were in very poor technical condition. These apartments required large investments, the return for the town hall was uncertain, so we tried to rent them with the condition of repairs at the landlord’s expense.
We want to protect public spaces and will do everything to save the greenery in the territory of Prague 1
We failed because there was no interest. The sale was then a logical step. The political background is another matter. At this time, as the defendant council, we have appealed the criminal order with a view to discussing the sale in a proper trial, in which I believe we will defend the outcome of the sale. But to return to the restoration of privatization. So yes, the unfinished privatization of local citizens living in Prague 1 needs to be completed to their satisfaction.
You mentioned that you have been in the Prague 1 council for more than 30 years. Does anything ever surprise you again?
Sometimes I am surprised by the cunning of some people. People generally perceive politics negatively, but I try to do it honestly. This is the reason why I founded a new party when we had a disagreement with the local TOP 09. Communal politics is about working for the citizens and that, even after all these years, still interests me and binds me at the same time.