Illustrative photo – Jaroslav Foldyna at a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies, which acted on the motion of the opposition movement ANO to express no confidence in the coalition government of Petr Fiala, January 17, 2023, Prague.
Prague – Around noon, a dispute flared up again in the Parliament regarding aid to Ukraine, which has been facing a Russian military invasion for more than a year. He was also accused of lying or spreading hatred. The MPs used short remarks for the verbal exchange, thus overcoming Thursday's verdict of the lower chamber, which did not allow a regular debate in the second reading of the controversial government proposal to shorten the June valorization of pensions.
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Some coalition legislators defended the draft after another obstructionist speech by SPD chairman Tomio Okamura. For example, People's Deputy Nina Nováková, pointing to personal contacts with senior citizens, said that they understand the slowdown in the rate of pension growth.
In response, Jaroslav Foldyna (SPD) stated that it is clear to him that it must be difficult for the coalition to defend this “nonsense”. “You have robbed pensioners of a thousand crowns, you are taking money to Ukraine,” Foldyna declared, and the coalition part of the hall was banging on the benches. “Just bang yourself, they'll count it for you people,” Foldyna commented on the actions of the government camp. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) described his performance as “an expression of mental wretchedness” and “an attack on the lowest impulses”. He pointed to compensation for aid to Ukraine from allies and the European Union.
Foldyna countered that the Union has no lathe for the money it sends to Ukraine, someone has to supply it to the EU and, according to him, this means 1.5 billion crowns for the Czech Republic. “What are you talking about here, that someone here is lying, that they are telling half-truths. You are lying here, as if they were printing,” he said. His colleague from the movement, Karla Maříková, had no objections to the help. “Let us help, but it must never be at the expense of our own citizens,” she said with regard to the proposed limitation of pension valorization.
Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan (STAN) emphasized that he is proud that the Czech Republic has shown where belongs in value and that the residents opened their homes to Ukrainian refugees. He pointed out to SPD politicians that none of their earlier fears that Ukrainian refugees would increase crime or overwhelm the school and health systems have come to pass. “Stop worrying that gas will run out, that Ukrainians will live here at the expense of Czech people. It's not true, you're lying, you're spreading hatred,” declared the Austrian.
Radek Koten from the SPD then complained that the current According to him, the “great gas” that replaced the Russian gas is clogging the boilers with “some sajraite”. meeting on the pension amendment 75 hours. The negotiations themselves have taken roughly 58 hours so far.
