Czech politician says coexistence with Roma should be addressed through "carrots and sticks"

Petr Gazdík, chair of the coalition movement of Mayors and Independents (Starostové a nezávislí) says the movement should start focusing on addressing the problems of national minorities in the Czech Republic. He made the remarks at the statewide convention of the movement where he was re-elected as its chair. Thanks to a change to the statutes, the chair’s term in office is now three years instead of two.

“Addressing the question of foreigners or Roma and protecting minority rights are also very serious issues. Mayors and Independents has experience with this and we would like to take these issues up before extremist or populist elements foment hatred in Czech society,” he said in his presentation.

Gazdík says coexistence between the majority population and Roma people has long been a sensitive topic and has not successfully been addressed for decades. “I personally believe this should be addressed by the tried-and-true ‘carrot and stick’ method. Equality and obligations must be clear everywhere, so that our Roma fellow citizens fulfill all of their responsibilities. Municipalities and the state administration must do everything they can to make sure those obligations are enforceable. On the other hand, there must be room for programs that include the Roma community as part of people’s normal lives. Municipalities are responsible for setting up elementary schools. One of the things we will discuss is how these schools are being run. People need education in order to assimilate,” Petr Gazdík literally stated in an interview for news server iDNES.cz.

Gazdik believes all social welfare benefits and subsidies should be tied to parents fulfilling their obligations and sending their children to school. “Preschool education courses should also be established so that these children, when they go to school, have at least the most elementary knowledge and know how to speak Czech. That is the basis of where we should start,” he said in the interview.