Cunek's plan puts the mark of Cain on Czech Romanies

The Cunek plan on solving Romany problems puts the mark of Cain on Czech Romanies, Vojtech Lavicka, well-known Romany violinist from the Gipsy.cz band, says in the daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) today.

Jiri Cunek, deputy prime minister and local development minister, has recently presented his plan that reckons with Romany families in the country being divided into three groups according to their social level, each approached in a different way.

The first group will comprise the families that live almost independent of the social allowance system. The second group is to comprise those abusing social allowances. The third group will be the Romanies who have to be supervised always and everywhere.

Romanies in the last mentioned group should be moved to hostels with a strict regime and under social workers’ supervision.

Only those working for their municipality would be eligible for social allowances.

Lavicka, who is a member of the government’s Council for Romany Afdfairs, admits that it is not Cunek’s idea but the idea of the group that drafted the plan and that mainly comprises Romanies.

It is these Romanies who bear the responsibility for the plan, Lavicka says.

"I personally cannot agree with the categorisation of Romanies and dividing them into three groups," he says.

The local authorities could be tempted to lump all Romanies together and put all of them to the third group for which they will be able to draw much money from the Czech state and the European funds, Lavicka says.

"I have not participated in the preparation of the plan. But I would have certainly not try to put the mark of Cain on the Romanies by dividing them into three groups," he says.

"Romanies have already two marks of Cain on them – that they are Romanies and live in ghettos. Are they now to be the people of the first, second or third category?" Lavicka says.

Even Romanies who have jobs can find themselves in the same position like those who steal and do not pay rent, he says.

The father could die in the working Romany family and the family would have to borrow money to organise the traditional Romany funeral. The money is usually borrowed at a high interest rate and the family would have to repay 35,000 crowns if it borrowed a mere 20,000 crowns.

Is it possible to lump two Romany families together if they behave absolutely differently? The plan does not address this problem, Lavicka says.

However, Lavicka denies that Romanies are most hated in the Czech Republic as the Movement of Romany Resistance said in its statement issued on Monday.

"This is nonsense. I travel across the country and I also work in the government’s Agency for Social Integration and I can say with certainty that most Romanies are capable to building a better life for themselves in the Czech Republic if they want it," Lavicka says.

"Romanies do not leave the Czech Republic due to racism but get rid of debts," he adds.