Havel and Fiala clash over scrapping Czech TV and Radio fees

In a televised debate on the fate of fees for Czech Television (ČT) and Czech Radio (ČRo), Havel and Fiala traded accusations of “criminal” behavior. Meanwhile, the government bill to abolish the fees passed its second reading in the Chamber of Deputies.

A harsh exchange of accusations

“You are criminals who want to usurp a state that does not belong to you. You have been given power, you won the election, that is legitimate. But you are trying to dismantle the safeguards so that you never lose that power. And that is terribly dangerous,” Havel said.

Fiala turned the accusation against the opposition: “I am convinced that you are the criminals.” He claimed that ČT operates without oversight by state bodies and said its finances should be audited by the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ). “You demonstrate and strike on behalf of someone who was dividing up 8.5 billion a year there,” he added.

In fact, ČT’s management is supervised by the ČT Council with its supervisory commission, and its accounts are checked by an independent auditor. The broadcaster itself has previously said that it welcomes extending NKÚ oversight.

A dispute over the Chamber’s rules

Havel also reproached the coalition for breaking the Chamber’s customs, which, he said, had been observed for 37 years. He criticized the government majority for rejecting breaks for opposition clubs to confer: they would have followed one another and halted the session for almost nine hours in total. “What happened in the Chamber of Deputies is a dismantling of how it used to work,” Havel said.

Fiala defended the coalition’s actions as an ordinary decision of the majority: “The Motorists proposed voting on the breaks. Democratically, the breaks did not pass, and so we could keep working.” According to him, the unexpected debate on the bill on Friday resulted from an agreement among the chairs of the coalition’s parliamentary clubs. Asked by the moderator whether it was primarily an initiative of the SPD party, he replied: “A bit, yes.”

Money, debt and independence

Fiala insisted that instead of fees, the state budget should provide the money for ČT and ČRo, and that the bill includes automatic indexation. Havel objected that the government would have to borrow to finance the media, estimating the interest at five percent. “So we will be paying on debt, and with interest on top. That makes no sense at all,” he said. Havel also warned that through the money, the state would gain more influence over the media.

Fiala dismissed concerns about independence and compared them to the police, which, he said, is also independent even though it is funded from the state budget.

The bill passed its second reading: early on Saturday morning, the opposition failed to have it rejected. The document will now go to committees. The opposition promises to keep fighting it, and on Friday demonstrators gathered in front of the Chamber of Deputies, some of whom stayed there overnight.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz