Jaroslav Miko: Romani voters must cast their ballots for a democratic coalition, otherwise anti-Romani extremists may get into government

Radek Vondráček, Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies and a member of the governing ANO movement, told CNN Prima News during a discussion program that the ANO movement is not opposed to possibly forming a governing coalition with the "Freedom and Direct Democracy" (SPD) movement of Tomio Okamura. Unfortunately, this does not surprise me.

Current Prime Minister Babiš will want to put the next government together with whomever will have him. Why is that alarming? 

The latest polls reveal that such an outcome is actually possible, that ANO and SPD could put together more than 100 seats in the lower house, which would give them a majority in Parliament. That kind of governing coalition, including the SPD, is the worst option for the Czech Republic and its future direction, without a doubt.

In the Czech Republic there is one minority, the largest, that would bear the brunt of all the negative outcomes of an ANO-SPD government. That is the Romani minority, and it is exactly Romani voters who actually have no small potential to influence the outcome of the elections to the lower house next month.

All Romani voters in this country really need to fully realize what is at stake. This is far from just about trimming welfare benefits for the most socially vulnerable, this is about the attitude of the majority overall towards the Roma in society.

If we have a political entity in the government that so openly reveals its stance against the Romani community, that incites hatred of Romani people, that disseminates disinformation, and that intensifies longstanding prejudices against Romani people, nothing good will come of that for the Czech Roma. Naturally, if social problems intensify and divide society, that will also not be good for Czech society as a whole.

Romale, it is time for a civic mobilization, a real one, to cast our ballots for one of the democratic opposition parties so none of our votes are wasted, and so the opportunity for Okamura to join the next Czech government will remain an unrealized theory. Casting our ballots this way next month is about a better future for our children, and that is what we care most about! 

Me džav! A so tu?