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Carolina (English) No 074
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
School of Social Sciences of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs
Fax: (+422) 231 7391
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 74, Monday, May 10, 1993.
FROM LAST WEEK'S EVENTS (April 28-May 5)
Czecho-Slovak Relations Crisis
Negotiations of republics'commissions for the separation of the
former federal property which had been planned for Thursday, did not
take place. The Slovak side unilaterally rejected to meet. Slovak
premier Vladimir Meciar pointed out that "the Czech side postponned the
proces of property separation in several fields which stirs inconfidence
with the Slovak government". Apart from others, the golden treasure
which Slovakia is entitled to get has not been tranported due to the
issue-closure of the stock of Slovak share-holders.
Czech premier Vaclav Klaus reacted to the crisis immediately and
already on Friday invited Vladimir Meciar for a special meeting in Brno.
The negotiated result was a resumption of property commissions'work, yet
observers are very sceptical about this question. They point out that
during their Friday negotiations both the premiers stuck to their
attitudes:
* V. Klaus - not to issue the up-to-now held up property of the
Slovak Republic at the territory of the Czech Republic since this is the
only control-stick which can make Slovakia act reasonably (the Slovak
representation keeps raising new claims: for example a compensation for
the federal know-how or composition of the impact of the devaluation of
the Czechoslovak currency from 1992 on the Slovak Republic.)
* Vladimir Meciar - he does not agree with the property hold-up,
with the amount of 24.700.000.000 crowns which according to the
reckoning of independent foreign experts Slovakia owns to the Czech
National Bank. After the meeting in Brno, a mixed Czech-Slovak
commission was established in order to check upon the estimated sum.
After his return from Brno Slovak Premier said that the situation
was very complicated. Therefore he suggested that Prezidents of the
Czech and the Slovak Republics met. Both of them accepted. V.Klaus found
this proposal too ahead.
Disturbing Wages Rise
The government of the Czech Republic expressed its anxiety about an
inadequate wages increase at Thursday's session of the Counfil of
Economic and Social Agreement (tripartity). Wages rose by 23.8 per cent
in comparison with the same perioed of 1992. Prices increased only by
21.7 per cent.
Minister of Work and Social Affaires, Jindrich Vodicka said that
governmental worries were not caused by the two-per cent difference
between prices and wages (acceptable maximum is 5 per cent) but the more
than 20-percent increase of wages which does not correspond with the
planned inflation for this year. The inflation should peak at 17 per
cent the maximum.
Minister of Economy Karel Dyba finds the data in question
speculative. He said that it is necessary to wait till May when the
Czech Statistics Office will present the final data. "Government wants
no regulation," he added. This includes also sanctions for companies
exceeding the acceptable wages increase.
Government Confidence Decreas
Whereas in March President was entrusted by 75 per cent of the
inhabitants, in April it was only 66 per cent. People think similarly
about Klaus s cabinet, too: 64 per cent of February dropped to 53 per
cent of his devotees in April.
Prague Mayor Removed
Prague Mayor Milan Kondr (ODS) was on Friday, April 30 removed from
his post. Along with him on May 27, when the removal is due, also
his deputies Frantisek Polak (ODS), Josef Srb (KDU-CSL) and councillors
Josef Dusek and Ladislav Kouba will leave their posts. These are the
results of a secret poll of the board of representatives decided by 42
members out of 67.
The main reason of the sudden post-switch at Prague magistrate was
dissatisfaction of the board of representatives with the work of the
removed officials and their not having presented a regular report on
their activity for the last term of their post.
New Mayor will be elected on May 13.
May Day Thrice About
Approximately a thousand supporters of Association for the
Republic - Republican Party of Czechoslovakia blocked on Saturday
morning the speedway at a border-crossing with Slovakia.
An activity like that can be permitted only by the Ministry of
Transport but the demonstrators did not have any permission. Chairman
Miroslav Sladek described the blocade as a manifestation of Republicans
effort and promised that events like that will appear in the future,
too. Their activity was supposed to express their disapproval about the
separation of Czechoslovakia.
About 250 members of Anarchy Federation, Front of Revolutionary
Committee and Movement against Army Duty gathered at Strelecky ostrov
and launched a rally through Prague. They critised mainly the housing
policy of the government and ecology problems. The only incident on May
the first was an encounter of the anarchists and the police when a paper
petard hurt a CTK reporter.
Below Letenska plan gathered skinheads and chanted anti-facist
slogans. Police managed to divert the route of the anarchist rally and
prevented thus an encounter of both the groups.
Stamp Forgery Discovery
Equipment for forging monetary stamps and a heap of forged stamps
which would allegedly suffice for stamping of banknotes in the value of
200 000 000 crowns was confiscated by police on Thursday, April 22 in a
house at Orten Square in Prague. Police arrested three men aged forty.
The Czech National Bank press spoke-person was informed about the event
a week later from the daily Lidove Noviny reporters and could not say
how good the forges were. Though according to him there is no question
of endangering the stability of the Czech currency.
Ozone Hole over Central Europe
The ozone layer over the territory of the Czech Republic is as
against the mean value from 1962-1990 thinner by 20 per cent.
According to the deputy Hygienist-in-chief of the Czech Republic,
Jana Foltinova people expose themselves to the danger of complexion
cancer, inflamnation of eyes and creation of wall-eye. It is necessary
to wear sun-glasses with UV-filtr and protect skin with sun-bathing
cremes. In spring the UV radiation is the most dangerous because the
skin is not protected with pigments yet.
Construction Speed Limits Politicians
Ministery of the Interior granted 35 constitutional executives with
exceptions which entitle them to travel at an unlimited speed during
their business trips. This measure concerns only drives with a driver,
they apply in villages too. Though this does not deprive the drivers of
the responsibility for a contingent damage.
Only CS at Roads
Even if the Czech Government approved the international
abbreviation CZ for motor vehicles in the Czech Republic, the hitherto
label CS does not cease to be valid. According to Vienna international
agreement on road transport fron 1968, the Czech Republic must present
an official application for a new distinguishing abbreviation to the
Secretary General of the UN. Once a year, usually in March, the UN
issues a complete digest of all abbreviations used in the world.
This years issue is over for the Czech Republic. When using the
unofficial abbreviation, drivers can get into difficulties with foreign
customs bodies.
Rarity?
After the separation of Slovakia we became a country with top
consumption of beer per capiti. This fact was confirmed by the results
of the second year of beer olympic games which took place during the
weekend at Karlovy Vary. The disciplines included: rally 4*4 beer for
time, 1000 glasses of beer for time (for 1000 participants), and 10*100
label beer. One beer was drunk for 5.9 seconds, 1000 glasses for 4 hours
36 minutes and 40 seconds.
EXCHANGE RATE OF THE CZECH CROWN
buy sell
USA 1USD 27.72 29.12
GB 1GBP 43.17 46.01
SRN 1DEM 17.43 18.35
CAN 1CAD 21.49 23.27
FRA 1FRF 5.11 5.51
AUT 1ATS 2.48 2.60
TURIST RATE FOR SLOVAK CROWN (for 100 SK)
buy sell
Ceska sporitelna 85.00 91.00
Komercni banka 83.00 87.00
Agrobanka 88.00 93.00
Investicni banka 87.00 92.00
The rates as of May 4, 1993
SPORT
Football league (25th round)
Leading team Sparta Praha (38pts) ensured itself leadership with a
high victory 4:0 over Dunajska Streda. Sparta s competitor in the fight
for the title, Slavia Praha (36pts) brought back two points from Hradec
Kralove (2:0). The third team, Slovan Bratislava, only drew a tie with
Olomouc 0:0 and moved away from both the teams in the league charter.
the last team Dukla Praha (13pts) gained a precious point with a tie in
Vitkovice (3:3).
In the qualification match for advance to the World Mastery in the
U.S.A. the representation of the Czech and the Slovak Republic drew tie
with Wales 1:1. Our chances to advance diminished thus once againg.
Note
We prepare a broad report about the participance of our team in
ice-hockey World Mastery.
WEATHER
Last week it was very hot again, night temperatures hovered around
10, daily they climbed up to 25 degrees Centigrade. Since Monday it has
been colder, daily around 10 degrees less than last week. Finally we
have rains too, Monday rainfall in Prague even caused great floods and
paralyzed the transport.
ABOUT SLOVAKIA
Zuzana Bubilkova was born on May 11, 1952 in Holesov near Zlin. In
1955 her family moved to Slovakia where she lived till 1993. Till the
separation of the federation Z. Bubilkova was one of the best reporters
in the Czech TV dealing with the problems of Slovakia, and in Czech
lands she was the most popular Slovak-speaking TV anchor. She was
against Slovak nationalists and after the election she criticised even
Meciars cabinet. After January 1, 1993 she was supposed to work for the
Czech TV as a correspondent from Slovakia residing in Bratislava. In
March she moved to Prague. Now she works as a Czech TV inner-politics
reporter and focuses on Czech Parliament. She speaks Czech on TV with
small defects.
Our interview should start with an explanation why you decided to
apply for Czech citizenship and moved with all your family to Czech
lands.
I reached this decision after a long several-month hesitating. I
could not go on living in Bratislava. Though I could bear that some
people in a bus or on a street called me names. I thought: I did not do
anything wrong, there is no reason for me being isolated. But life is
different. My son wants to go to the cinema. You queue up for the
tickets and someone start shouting that "he cannot imagine that someone
else would not get a ticket because this cunt." Once my son came home
from school with his jacket cut to strips. Second time he came without
shoes because someone had stolen them from him. Obtaining Czech
citizenship was only formal. I never had Slovak citizenship because both
my parents are Czech and I was born in Czech lands. It was without
problems.
You had got an offer to go to the Slovak TV. You turned it down.
Why?
Everyone who wanted to work in Slovak TV and who had worked in the
federal chanel F1 had to do a sort of self-criticism. In other words:
had to say in front of the management of STV that in Prague he had been
forced into anti-Slovak activities. My former colleague from F1,
Sedlacek did so. I declined it. Some purged themselves by stopping going
to the studio in Prague. I dont find it decent.
Slovakia is independent now. Do you think that the independence was
the aim of Meciars cabinet?
No. His movement was from the very beginning a sheer critic of the
then governmental coalition. Meciar offered peopole a better
alternative: bigger transfers from the Czechs into Slovakia but more
freedom in decising. The 1992 election put him up other rivals in the
Czech side. Meciar was bewildered with their pragmatical attitude.
Another prove of his not having counted on independence is the absence
of any sort of conception in the current Slovak policy. Meciars economy
team is in my oppinion the far weakest link in HZDS. I have read several
commentaries of economy concillor of former Premier Jan Carnogursky
about how Slovakia will function as in independent state. It makes it
clear that it can not function and not at all according to the images of
HZDS.
You mentioned former Premier Jan Carnogursky. Many specialists
think that he has a big deal of responsibility for the Slovak
independence. Do you agree?
His vision of a special chair and a star for Slovakia in the
European heaven has done its bit. But big mistakes happened even before.
Can you be more particular?
I am just thinking about the absolutely amateur way of removing
Premier Meciar from his post, as done by the former governmental
coalition (KDS and Verejnost proti nasili (Public against Violence)).
This made the impression on the common people that he was removed
wrongfully. A martyr was made out of a man who did not deserve it at
all. Another big fault was the dash-war. There should never have been
any dispute about the name of Czechoslovakia. The night when I came
home, for the first time I saw people shouting: independent Slovakia, we
are no colony, off with the Czechs. This is one of the things which
shocked me the most in Slovakia. Another point is the nationalists
succes. Soon after the revolution we could hear that the father of Jan
Carnogursky, Pavol, was going to students and telling them about
independent Slovakia. Already then we thought: this is only a marginal
matter, it can not succeed. But they did succeed!
Is there any difference between Praha and Bratislava?
Prague lives day and night. In Bratislava when someone is not
just trodding in front of the Parliament, you will find nobody. The
square is empty. The thing is - stall sale was forbidden. And apart from
that it seems to me that people are afraid. I think that many of them
begin to understand what happened actually. The only at least a bit
rightish politician, Milan Knazko was forced to leave. He may have had
125 faults but there is no thing he was not. He was the only one amongst
them who had never been a communist.
Who do you think is the hot person for next election?
As you know, the popularity of HZDS and mainly Vladimir Meciar is
rapidly decreasing. If the election were tomorrow, surely the winner
would be SDL with Weiss in the head (former Communist party of the
Slovak Republic - edit.note) In my oppinion there want be any
pre-election in Slovakia. In regular election I personally would support
Knazkos liberal wing which is in the process of formation. Hard to say
who will win. But I think that he will be a strong political partner.
Michal Hanak led the interview
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