2024-02-15 17:21:51
Transport Minister Martin Kupka from ODS admits that he follows up on the work of ANO when opening transport structures, but he completely rejects the label “belt cutter”. The preparation takes up to 12 years and it is logical that I follow on from my predecessors, he says in an interview for Aktuálně.cz. According to him, the government is successful and people will recognize it. “If we didn’t have Petr Fiala with his insight and authority in the position of prime minister, it would have been much worse.”
It’s been a week where you as a government coalition have had to overcome a serious dispute over the fact that the Minister for STAN appointed his own euro plenipotentiary. After heated negotiations, the parties agreed that it would only be an adviser. Do you think this is the end of the dispute?
The important thing is that we quickly found a good way out. We cleared the table and sent a clear message to the public that we primarily want to solve the problems of citizens. I’m glad we didn’t burn more energy than necessary with this internal conflict.
You are the vice-chairman of the ODS, have you discussed in leadership with the chairman and Prime Minister Petr Fiala about how to solve the problem? Did you consider that he would demand the departure of Martin Dvořák from the government for appointing his proxy without consultation?
There was no time to discuss it in detail in advance, but we discussed the Mayors’ meeting at the parliamentary club, and our membership also discussed it. We agreed that it was necessary to address it.
Did Petr Fiala have any “assignment” from the ODS?
The solution, when Martin Dvořák withdrew from the appointment of a representative, was created during a meeting of representatives of the government parties.
Are you satisfied with the result?
Yes, we actually managed to solve the problem within two days. Which is good news for the company.
However, the government’s problem of low public trust remains. In this, do you understand the chairman of STAN and your government colleague Víto Rakušan, who wants some self-reflection and talks about the fact that the government must change its behavior in some matters?
I don’t want to go back to this, nor do I want to interpret it in any way. If there are five parties, then it is logical that they also have differences in the way they look at some things. What is important is that they were able to come together and agree on the government’s program. It is important that mutual disputes do not turn into such that they weaken the government. As ODS, we have a slightly different opinion on the euro or on tax increases than STAN, but we will always seek agreement.
Do you perceive that part of the government voters are cheering for the activities of Víto Rakušana and the Starosts? Is it good that someone is coming with this breath of “fresh wind”?
I wish it were, because it is important for people to know that the government is evaluating its activities and what is bothering the citizens. At the same time, we consider that perhaps the biggest problem is that we do not manage to spread a positive attitude in society. If I look at our two years of governance, we certainly did not fail. We were able to lead the country out of difficult economic problems, we were able to face a complicated international situation, and at the same time we are investing in the country’s future.
Can’t a part of the government voters feel as if your ODS is stepping on the spot and the Mayors are taking the initiative?
I fundamentally disagree with that. But at the same time, I don’t want to push myself over who has more energy or how the public perceives it. If we are to succeed as a government, we cannot push each other stupidly like this. We are making really visible changes. I don’t really feel that we have a lack of energy in transport or elsewhere. On the contrary, we have a shot at the goal.
And does your prime minister have the energy and drive to score?
Undoubtedly yes. We now have two years for society to assess whether we can jump-start the economy in a situation where we are facing much greater pressure from misinformation, negative news and attacks from the opposition trying to portray our country as a failure. On the contrary, I meet a lot of businessmen, scientists and doctors who show that in many directions and fields it reaches the level of the best countries in the world.
But what do you say about the low confidence in the Prime Minister that the polls show?
If we have stood our ground in something as a government and a country, it is in the way we have stood up to all major international conflicts that could threaten and bring the country to its knees. If we didn’t have Petr Fiala with his insight and authority in the position of prime minister, it would have been much worse. This is perhaps how historians and political scientists will describe it in a few years. The current superficial debate cannot illuminate this, but this is the truth.
From the politicians of the government coalition in the regions, I hear concerns about how they will fare in the regional elections due to the government’s low popularity.
It will no doubt affect public sentiment, but the election is only in October and people will see how things change by then. For example, inflation will decrease between three and four percent. This will undoubtedly mean a boost to the company. Real wages will also grow, digitization will continue.
We are a nation that likes to complain, that likes to fall into depression, self-loathing and a complete loss of self-esteem. Especially if it is properly supported by the opposition. It is a great pity.
We fundamentally accelerated the preparation of buildings
How is it possible that almost 35 years after the fall of communism, we do not have a modern highway and rail network with high-speed trains as the most developed country?
I would like the facts not to disappear. In 1989, the highway network was 350 kilometers long. In thirty years, we have built more than 1,000 kilometers of highways. So it’s not true that nothing happened. Yes, more should have happened, but we found that the laws began to balance the interests of environmental protection much more, while the communist did not look at anything and wherever he pointed, there was simply construction or even worse things were happening.
But there was a significant delay.
If our country is a bit of an ocean liner, which if you want to move it takes a certain amount of time, then the railways are three ocean liners.
Would you admit that the ODS also shares responsibility for this state of affairs?
Of course, ODS has been here since the early nineties. At the same time, it must be said that many things were managed. Look, for example, how enormously the face of our cities has changed for the better.
But why aren’t we just building roads and railways?
Maybe because there weren’t politicians here who would forcefully say: This country needs it, we’re going to do it, and that’s going to mean changing the laws, securing the funding, and going to the people to convince them that it makes sense to build roads and railways. We need politicians who have the energy, determination to change things and face difficult situations.
Minister of Transport and Deputy Chairman of the ODS Martin Kupka in an interview with Aktuálně.cz in February 2024 | Photo: Radek Bartoníček
What exactly are you doing in this?
I am trying to do my best to accelerate the repayment of our huge infrastructure debt. It is not normal that we have not completed the basic highway network and we have not yet started the construction of high-speed lines. In this, our country must not remain a white spot on the map of Europe.
In addition, I am also working on digitization, we are currently presenting another important breakthrough. After we canceled some unnecessary paperwork last year, people can now, for example, register their vehicle through the Transport Portal. And we will continue digitization.
Have you noticed that the chairman of ANO Andrej Babiš describes you as a person who supposedly only cuts ribbons?
It is necessary to fight in politics, but I want to fight hard facts. When Andrej Babiš shouts that we lie about everything and do nothing, he is simply demonstrably not telling the truth.
But what do you say about his claim that many transport constructions started for him?
I don’t like this bickering, it’s stupid and low. After all, it is quite obvious that every transport minister follows up on what was being prepared years before he took office. I am aware of this and express my gratitude for what has been achieved in the preparation of buildings in previous years. At the same time, the opposition must not turn against us if our government maintains the pace of investment, prepares many events and completes others.
But ANO feels that you pay little attention to their share.
I’m not hiding it. But it would be nice if ANO didn’t disparage objective facts with its PR games. And they clearly say that in recent years we have fundamentally accelerated the preparation, which is evident not only in the number of buildings being opened. In truth, most key projects started with the first decisions often ten or twelve years ago.
How do you speed up the construction of highways, for example?
I can show on graphs and data what has been achieved. Here you can see (the minister shows graphs, editor’s note), as our government continues to draw the budget of the State Transport Infrastructure Fund to the benefit of the Directorate of Roads and Highways, when the curve keeps going up. This chart shows how we are investing a record amount of money to prepare buildings. And here you can see that this year we will put the most kilometers of highways into operation.
(This year, the state plans to open almost 120 kilometers of highways. D4 from Prague to Písek will be completely completed or D3 around České Budějovice, both approximately 30 kilometers long. Other long sections will be opened on D55 near Uherské Hradiště and D49 near Zlín, pi.e. order.)
With the fact that you are building on the work of your predecessors.
Clearly. And others will come after us who will build on our work. On the other hand, my predecessor Karel Havlíček from ANO could not logically prosecute certain matters, because he held two departments (Havlíček was also Minister of Industry and Trade and Transport, note ed.), so he did not deal so much with municipalities and did not look for technical solutions in specific construction sites. And he also didn’t so much show and explain to people why there is a need to build infrastructure.
I try to focus on that too, I often go to different places to talk to people. In the same way, I drive around the country and explain to the public why we need high-speed lines. But something like that is no longer as popular for PR as what the YES movement boasts about.