Roma request government representative
Representatives of a new Roma civic association had their first audience
with Prime Minister Petr Nečas on Monday. As the Roma community’s
problems seem to be worsening the group is seeking other support from that
government than investment, and have petitioned the prime minister for a
Roma cabinet position with real authority to effect change.
The Nationwide Association of Roma was founded last autumn with the aim of
bringing the many Roma organisations together to defend the community’s
interests, and to serve as a partner for the government and other state
authorities in their dealings with Roma issues.
This week the association had its first opportunity to try out that latter
aim, with a one-hour meeting with Prime Minister Nečas, where they
presented some of their recommendations. Cyril Koky is the coordinator for
Roma issues and the integration of foreigners in the region of Central
Bohemia and was one of those present at the meeting.
“We had some recommendations for the Prime Minister, chief among them
being the creation of a strong position within the government for a
representative of the Roma minority. It would be a position that would deal
full-time with Roma issues, which is needed, because the Roma situation as
it is at present is not good.”
Speaking after the meeting, Prime Minister Nečas said that a
representative or minister dealing specifically with Roma issues was an
idea worth thinking about. There is already a government representative for
human rights, Monika Šimůnková, but the Nationwide Association of Roma
suggests that the role itself is too broad to deal effectively with the
wide range of problems that the Roma community faces. Mr Koky says they
have great respect for whoever holds the post of government representative
for human rights, as it is not a popular one among the public, and adds
this:
“We have nothing against the government’s current human rights
representative, but we need Roma issues to be taken out of her competencies
and establish a specific system so that Roma problems are truly resolved in
the places and cities where they are worst. We have also proposed
programmes which would deal with socially excluded areas where many Roma
live in inhuman conditions at the edge of society, they are out of work,
and they are in debt. We need changes to the education system, in which a
relatively large part of Roma children are educated outside of the school
system. These are major problems that have to be dealt with.”
Importantly, the heads of the Roma association stress that any new
representative must wield real power, with their own sub-office within the
office of the government and two divisions: one comprised of the current
government agency for social inclusion in Roma localities, the other
dealing with coordinating the use of money from EU funds.
The prime minister agreed with the association on more mutual
communication in order for the government to receive direct input from the
minority representatives. He also suggested that steps be taken for the
public to hear more about successful members of the community, not only as
role models for the Roma themselves, but also as a message to the majority
population to judge people according to the way they really are.
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The Nationwide Association of Roma was founded last autumn with the aim of
bringing the many Roma organisations together to defend the community’s
interests, and to serve as a partner for the government and other state
authorities in their dealings with Roma issues.
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