however, one of the basic human rights is hidden behind the mysterious name – the right to a dignified life and the right to participate in its realization. But it turns out that the systematic destruction of the institutions of the rule of law, as happened in Slovakia, ultimately leads to the emergence of absolute mistrust of everyone towards everyone. In order to prevent the spread of mistrust, let’s try to think about a dozen points that current Slovak developments have brought to our attention. Perhaps there is still time for the Czech government to learn a lesson and prevent a disaster.
1. Investments in education and training carry equal, if not more, weight than defense spending. Education is not a privilege, but a tool for citizens capable of living and making independent decisions in democratic, free and legal conditions. Motivation for education and general respect for knowledge, skilled and knowledge-based and data-based approach is a basic prerequisite for adequate public administration of the country and society.
2. Correspondence and electronic voting is a constitutional right of every citizen in the conditions of the 21st century and global civilization. Without its introduction, we will remain nationalists with a provincial vision.
3. European civilization stands on the European values of civil openness and law, for everyone and everything, especially for minorities and against the political privileges of power. Without European values respected by citizens and politicians, European civilization cannot survive. Just as we set out to return to Europe as a goal of post-communist development, and we achieved it, we must also insist that membership in elite clubs also carries obligations and burdens, without which freedom and prosperity cannot be maintained. Today it is even solidarity with those attacked by Russian military aggression, before which we must not capitulate, dodge and make excuses. Maintaining European values under their burden means enduring discomfort.
4. Attacks on democratic, civil and legal conditions and their manipulation, including lies, intentional disinformation and threats to elections and civil liberties must be assessable and punishable by law and courts. Such a right can only arise at the hands of a democratically elected legislator and be the responsibility and protection of the public prosecutor’s office.
5. Parliament is a democratically elected constitutional instrument for the creation and establishment of law, not for obstruction and destruction of the democratic process. The amendments and development of the rules of procedure of the Chamber of Deputies must correspond to this. The purpose of constitutional institutions is not to inhibit decision-making, but to legalize and legitimize it for the benefit of citizens, not legislators.
6. The source of populist excesses in the Chamber of Deputies are television broadcasts of public television. By limiting or canceling them, the reasons for the constant populist and exhibitionist behavior of MPs and political representatives will disappear. Limiting broadcasts and restoring the role of news reporting will increase the efficiency and quality of the parliamentary process and political culture.
7. An increase in objective and critical assessment of public and political events is possible by reducing the influence of political parties on the selection and composition of media councils of public media. The public law status based on concessionaire fees will be strengthened by the inclusion of credible civil and public organizations as constitutive pillars of media councils.
8. The basis of the behavior and criterion assessment of the state and its constitutional institutions is the fulfillment of all accepted obligations. Among the obligations accepted by the Czech Republic is active participation in the European Union, in its legislation and administration, including the common currency, which we have committed to adopting, and together with several other obligations, we are not fulfilling them. It is time to fulfill this obligation, for legal reasons.
9. European civilization is based on rationality, knowledge and science. It was only thanks to them, morality and law that she achieved her results. For example, in the defense against a pandemic and in quickly achieving vaccination protection. Questioning the results of scientific knowledge and trying to integrate them into the democratic governance of the world is fundamentally against the principles of European culture, it serves the interests and enemies of European rationality. The continued attacks of economic and energy interests against the indisputable results of climate research and the prospects of civilizational survival for young generations are unacceptable both in the generational and political division of society, and in the service of short-term egoistic and selfish interests, in which populism and irrationality ultimately prevail to the point of military, illegal and disinformation aggression as in the case of Russia.
10. Czech countries are also affected by deep regional differences, structural and social inequalities, which have a great influence on public events, electoral behavior and contamination by misinformation, populism and lies. If we do not actively begin to overcome regional, social and property inequalities in access to education and the distribution of public services, we cannot expect a qualified response from citizens in the assessment of the country’s administration and self-government.
11. The Czech Republic long-term benefits from the direct and indirect solidarity of richer European countries. She herself is also gradually involved in solidarity support of the poor and the attacked on a global and regional scale. Behaving in a non-solidarity manner while benefiting from the solidarity of others, cultivating enmity and intolerance from relations within the European Union to relations with those in need or fleeing war and disasters, is and must be unacceptable and reprehensible, especially for constitutional officials .
12. The aim of parliamentary democracy is the legal regulation of progress, social and institutional changes. The goal is not to prevent cultural and civilizational changes in society, from the concept of family, equality and protection of all citizens to the equalization of the status of women and minorities and their international legislative codification. If we cultivate intolerance and chauvinism from gender to skin color or sexual orientation, we open the way to power for those who can be even more chauvinists, jerks and populists without any inhibitions and culture. Civilization is based on small things, in language and work results based on cooperation and respect for others and morals. Failing, rule-breaking and lying individuals with papal mannerisms have no place in public office for these very social and cultural reasons. If political and institutional actors cannot displace them, they will lose to them.
The article is published with the kind permission of Forum24.
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