TOP 09 will be dealing with the actions of Minister Besser next week

Prague - At the request of Minister of Culture Jiří Besser (Mayors and Independents), some issues related to heritage protection in the capital will be discussed next Tuesday by the presidencies of TOP 09 and the Mayors and Independents (STAN). Prague representatives from TOP 09 are not at all satisfied with the Minister's work and voices calling for his departure from the head of the office are also being heard. In an interview with ČTK, Besser rejected the criticism and stated that he is ready to explain his approach during the meeting.
    The party leader Karel Schwarzenberg did not want to evaluate the controversial actions of the minister today, claiming he does not have sufficient information on them. "Naturally, there are different opinions and we need to discuss certain issues," he only remarked.
    The controversy has been triggered not only within TOP 09 but also among experts, for instance, by Besser's recent decision to revoke the heritage protection of Gothic cellars on Prague's National Avenue. Archaeologists fear that before the case is resolved, the weather will irreparably damage the cellars. The authorities are still dealing with the matter.
    A few weeks ago, Besser also enabled the demolition of a building in the upper part of Prague's Wenceslas Square with his decision. Experts in architecture and art history disagree with this and have called on the minister to restore the proceedings.
    "On Tuesday at the TOP 09 presidium, I will gladly explain to chairman Karel Schwarzenberg what the difference is in those two stories and how the procedure works," Besser told ČTK, the vice president of STAN.
    "I personally believe that he should consider his further involvement in the Ministry of Culture," said Jiří Liška, a Prague representative sitting on the culture committee. His colleague and head of the TOP 09 representative club in Prague, Tomáš Hudeček, thinks the minister should sit down at the negotiating table and explain the actions of his office.
    The cancellation of the State Opera Prague in its current form and the minister's actions regarding the Žižkov freight terminal, which is supposed to give way to developers' plans, have also drawn criticism.
    Besser today emphasized that he strictly adheres to the laws in his approach. "TOP 09 is a conservative party and should want to respect the laws," he said. He primarily rejects the manner in which Prague TOP 09 has chosen to express its criticism. "I certainly will not take any populist steps to please anyone," Besser pointed out.
    He is also saddened that the dispute has pitted the politicians of TOP 09 against those of STAN, whose collaboration has always been, according to Besser, "absolutely non-conflictual and comfortable". "I am very sorry about this. But I have the impression that this is transferring some Prague problems onto the national scene. It seems completely unnecessary to me," Besser added.
    Member of Parliament Stanislav Polčák, elected for the Mayors and Independents in Prague, is convinced that it is primarily necessary to "establish better communication between the minister and the Prague organization of TOP 09". According to Polčák, mistakes were made on both sides and the issues needed to be discussed within the party before being publicized.
    "We do not claim that there was no mistake, that is possible," Polčák noted regarding the actions of the Minister of Culture. Besser is the vice president of STAN, and Polčák pointed out that he must defend his party mate to a certain extent.