The Pirates have unveiled an alternative ‘Youth Government’. ‘Young people are neither blind nor stupid. They can see that the current government is not addressing their problems,’ says Kristián Sušer, chair of the Young Pirates.
Young people will have to live with the consequences of today’s political decisions for the longest time, yet, according to Kristián Sušer, their voices are still not being heard sufficiently. The chair of the Young Pirates and assistant to South Bohemian MP Kateřina Stojanová has therefore, together with other young Pirates, launched the ‘Young Government’ platform, which aims to bring longer-term and bolder solutions to the problems facing the next generation into the public debate.
Sušer stood as a candidate himself in the South Bohemian Region in the last parliamentary elections, but failed to win a seat in the Chamber of Deputies. Nevertheless, he has not disappeared from the political scene. Alongside his work for the parliamentary group, he is involved in leading the Pirate Party’s youth organisation and focusing on issues such as affordable housing, mental health, the modernisation of education, marriage for all and the right to vote from the age of sixteen.
When we spoke a year ago, you were standing for election to the Chamber of Deputies on the South Bohemian Region list, but in the end it didn’t work out. How are you now, and how would you describe your political career at this point?
I’m doing brilliantly. I saw the campaign primarily as an opportunity to be the voice of young people, as I was already chair of the Young Pirates at the time. I’m also very pleased with the current make-up of our parliamentary group.
Almost a year after the elections, I don’t think anyone expected us to be as vocal as we have been, or to succeed so well in putting forward concrete solutions. After the elections, the ANO movement tried to significantly curtail our influence. We were not given any chairmanships on committees or sub-committees. Despite the obstacles they put in our way, I think we’re doing very well. We’re delivering concrete solutions not only for the younger generation, but for society as a whole.
What specifically has changed for you since the elections?
I’m continuing in my role as an assistant. During the previous parliamentary term, I served as assistant to the chair of our parliamentary group, Jakub Michálek; now I’m doing this work for our South Bohemian MP, Kateřina Stojanová. I try to support her, as I believe she is a very promising politician. Together, we tackle various issues and proposals that she puts forward.
At the same time, I’m still leading our youth organisation. This year, we’ve launched two new campaigns, one focusing on oligarchs and the other on domestic sexualised violence. We’re currently working on these.
What’s more, local elections are coming up in two months’ time, so we’re trying to get as many members of the Young Pirates as possible – as well as other young people who will be standing as candidates for the Pirates, or in coalitions – onto local councils.
We’ve gathered here today to discuss the ‘Young Government’ project, which you recently launched. Is this a new campaign by the Young Pirates?
It’s more of a platform than just a campaign. The Young Government platform aims to deliver long-term solutions that may even be bolder than those offered by the current political parties.
Let’s be honest – the younger generation will live in this country longer than the older generation and will bear the consequences of their decisions. Yet their voice is not being heard sufficiently, and many young people do not feel that the various political parties are offering them long-term solutions.
Public debate often takes place within pre-determined boundaries. The government proposes something and the opposition criticises it. We no longer wanted to simply stand by and watch, which is why we created the Young Government platform.
It puts forward long-term and sometimes bolder solutions that extend beyond a single electoral term and can bring about real change in areas such as mental health, affordable housing, modern education, marriage for all, or the right to vote from the age of sixteen.
Last year, you told me that young people aren’t lacking an interest in politics, but rather the confidence that they can bring about change through it. Is the Young Government an attempt to restore that confidence?
Definitely. I think that trust has been partly restored – or rather, boosted – simply by the fact that a large number of young people and women entered the Chamber of Deputies after the elections. For the most part, however, they are part of the current opposition.
The various political parties continue to offer certain solutions, but I actually understand their situation. There’s an awful lot going on with the current government. The media can’t keep up with it, and neither can we.
The government is putting forward a huge number of proposals, creating chaos and trying to divert attention from it with scandals involving individuals such as Filip Turek, Zuzana Mrázová or Tünde Bartha. I therefore understand that political parties do not have much time left to put forward their visions and longer-term proposals.
That is precisely why the Young Government was established as a platform to communicate these proposals and present them to voters. At the same time, it will strive to open up public debate so that individual proposals can gradually be put into practice.
A year ago, however, you also claimed that the Pirates do not need a separate programme for young people, as their main priorities are already included in the programme. So why was the separate ‘Young Government’ established? Why are you singling out these issues?
The ‘Young Government’ is not a new programme. We are still drawing on the Pirate Party’s vision; we have simply selected the bolder proposals from it, which relate primarily to the younger generation.
As I said, the role of the parliamentary group in opposition is primarily to act as a mirror to the current government and to try to prevent the destruction of the system in which we live – something which, in our view, the current government is attempting to do.
The Young Pirate Government, on the other hand, offers long-term visions and a programme for young people. Both will, of course, go hand in hand.
It is not the case that individual members of the Young Government have devised their own policy points based on their own assumptions. The programme was developed within our departmental teams, which include party experts as well as our MPs. The members of the Young Government have taken ownership of the individual points, and their role is now to present them to our voters.
You mention that the Young Government comprises individual members, or ministers. Who decided on its composition, and what criteria did you use for selection?
Above all, we strove for gender balance. At the same time, we didn’t want it to consist solely of people from Prague, so we have representation from almost every region.
We also wanted some members of the Young Government to be from the parliamentary group. It includes our MEP, prominent figures who do not yet hold elected office, and people who are currently proving themselves in their work.
How did the selection process itself work? Were members across the Pirate Party able to apply, or was it a decision made by a smaller circle within the party leadership or by people close to the MPs?
The decision was made on the basis of the criteria I mentioned. We wanted people from individual regions to be represented and for the composition to be balanced in terms of gender as well. Of course, we know who is a member of the Pirate Party.
Members could not apply themselves; we selected them. At the same time, we did not want anyone who had joined the party, say, a month ago, to become a member of the Youth Government. We were looking for people who already had a better understanding of how the party works and what our programme is. They should be able to communicate on social media and work well with others. So we didn’t select anyone for the government who had only joined a month ago.
However, we’re not saying that the composition of the Youth Government must remain fixed for the next two or three years, or even until the next election. Of course, it may change. At the moment, though, it is as I have described to you.
What I consider most important is that this is not just a group of intellectuals from Prague. These are people who actually live in the various regions and are familiar with the problems facing their regions.
When you talk about a group of intellectuals, some young voters today support conservative or far-right parties. As the Young Government, will you be able to listen to them as well?
Yes, we want to reach out to all citizens of the Czech Republic. Our task, of course, will be to convince as many young people as possible that we are offering real solutions to their everyday problems.
I sympathise with that section of the younger generation who are disappointed with the previous parliamentary term. A large part of the government at the time, particularly the ODS, was not inclined towards significant changes in areas such as education or housing. I therefore understand their disappointment.
However, I would be very pleased if we managed to win them over. I believe that they are already experiencing first-hand how the current government operates. They are neither blind nor stupid. They can see that this government is not taking steps from which the younger generation would benefit in the long term.
It is introducing a few measures that may look good at first glance – for example, reintroducing student discounts or reducing fares – but in the long run, nobody will benefit from them. It is not taking steps to boost the economy, build more flats for young families, increase wages, or enable more people who cannot currently afford it to study at university. We will therefore endeavour to convince even those voters who have switched their support to the current governing coalition that it is we who offer real solutions to their problems.
How do you view the representation of the younger generation in the current government? We have one of the youngest Chambers of Deputies in history, and many young people have been elected to it, but their representation in the government itself is not quite as significant…
It’s not ideal in the government. I don’t know the exact age breakdown. As far as I know, there are also only two women in it. If you look at the individual members, you’ll also see many people who have already been in government in the past. Most of the people, including those representing the SPD, were nominated by Andrej Babiš.
That’s precisely why the Young Government was formed. There are everyday problems that the younger generation faces. Of course, I’m not saying that the older generation is living a particularly good life. But when you’re in your forties or fifties, your life may not be ideal, yet you’ve probably already secured a home or a long-term tenancy, have a family, or hold a senior position at work.
You may therefore not be able to imagine first-hand what the younger generation is going through and the uncertainty they face, not only regarding housing but also, more generally, about their future.
When these older people are elected to office or enter the executive and government directly, they naturally won’t prioritise the younger generation. We needn’t hold this against them. They simply cannot fully understand them, because they aren’t going through the same experiences themselves.
You mentioned housing. What else is troubling the younger generation? You’re twenty-three, so you probably have quite a deep insight into their problems.
Speaking for myself, within the Youth Government I focus on the education portfolio and the area of mental health. In education, we see one of the most pressing problems as the fact that we lag behind the rest of Europe in terms of the proportion of people with a university education.
Our surveys show that many young people in the Czech Republic cannot afford to go to university. Although university tuition is free, the costs associated with accommodation and transport are unaffordable for many families.
Unless you are born into a family that is able to support you financially, at least at the start of your studies, this can discourage you from going to university. Many people therefore prefer to start work straight away, as this is more financially advantageous for them.
We therefore propose the introduction of a system of repayable student grants, which would make life easier for students financially whilst they are studying. They would be able to devote themselves fully to their studies and would not have to take on several part-time jobs just to make ends meet.
You use the term ‘grant’, but if I understand correctly, recipients would have to repay the money later. So isn’t this actually just a more politically acceptable term for a student loan?
I wouldn’t call it a loan, because loans usually involve interest. We are indeed advocating that the system should not operate like the commercial sector, but that these grants should be provided by the state.
Nor would it work like a standard loan, which you take out and start repaying straight away. Students would only start repaying the money once they reached a certain regular level of monthly income.
Let’s say, for example, that during their five-year course they would receive ten thousand crowns a month, which would help them financially to get through their studies. Only once they reached a regular income of, for example, fifty thousand crowns a month – or some other amount, which would still be subject to debate – would the money start to be deducted from their salary. We do not wish to set a precise threshold at this stage.
The system would also include a guarantee that people cannot face debt enforcement proceedings because of these grants. Those who do not reach the specified level of regular monthly income would not have to repay the money. One could therefore say that this involves lending money, but it is certainly not the traditional type of loan that people are familiar with from banks.
How would the situation be handled if a person were to stop studying whilst receiving the grant?
It would be handled in exactly the same way. They would only start repaying the amount they received once they reached the specified regular monthly income threshold.
This raises the question of where the state would get the money from. I understand that, in the long run, the grants would also be funded by money repaid by previous recipients. Until then, however, we have a huge deficit in the state budget.
I do not think that education is an area where we should be making cuts. For example, we have now heard from Tomio Okamura and Andrej Babiš that they want to abolish the ninth year of school because it will save money.
Yet we know that every additional year of education increases average monthly income. So if we make a strategic investment – for example, in the form of these grants – which will enable more people to afford to study at university, we will have more people with a university education.
They will have higher average incomes and will contribute more money to the state budget. These funds will therefore gradually be recouped.
Of course, it would be an investment at the outset, but that is what investments are for. We build motorways as part of our infrastructure so that foreign investors can come here, or so that people can commute from smaller towns to larger ones for work. This is exactly the same situation.
Graduates’ wages would rise and, after a certain period – probably five years – the money would gradually start to flow back into the system. After that, it would only be necessary to top up part of the funding on an ongoing basis.
This priority is very much focused on universities. But what about apprenticeship programmes, which have long suffered from a shortage of students? Some experts point out that in the Czech Republic, many people end up at universities, whilst technical and vocational courses are struggling with a shortage of students.
It is clear that many people who enrol in apprenticeship programmes or attend a type of secondary school other than a grammar school today often do so because they did not gain a place on their preferred course.
This is not because they are not capable of studying it, but because, in the current situation, there are not enough places at schools. Our economy is primarily service-based, so I believe we should ask ourselves whether we should not be steering students throughout their secondary education – including those on apprenticeship programmes – towards a more general education. They could then go on to acquire more specific qualifications later, for example through a micro-certificate or a similar type of training.
You also mentioned mental health. What specifically do you think should change in this area in primary and secondary schools?
We are building on the work that has already been done in primary schools. A reform of the national curriculum has been carried out, introducing the subject of personal and social education. This also covers mental health, so pupils will be guided to look after their own mental health.
However, for this subject to be properly implemented and beneficial to everyone, schools need methodological and financial support. This is precisely what we are emphasising, and we will also be raising this issue with the government.
We want to know whether this is a priority for the government and whether it intends to take steps to ensure that the introduction of this subject in primary schools is supported both methodologically and financially.
The same applies to secondary schools. A similar subject is currently being trialled within the ‘lyceum’ stream. If the entire programme is deemed successful, the subject – which also covers mental health care – could be extended to other streams within secondary schools.
What form should support for university students take?
At universities, we want above all to encourage them to operate a sort of safety net for students. This is not just about mental health, but about working with students in a holistic way.
At present, universities often fulfil their obligation once a year by organising a careers fair, and that is the end of it.
When a student is struggling – whether they’re unsure whether to continue in their chosen field or uncertain about which direction to take within it – they often don’t know who to turn to. They have nowhere to go. We would therefore like to take steps to provide universities with financial incentives to introduce such services.
Who should be responsible for delivering mental health education in schools, and what qualifications would these teachers need?
In primary and secondary schools, this could currently be taught by teachers who already teach health education. They would simply need to complete a course lasting around a year and undertake further training in this area. Teachers who have the necessary foundation to teach these subjects are already working in schools. It is not the case that everyone would have to obtain a new master’s degree for these subjects to be introduced.
Will you actually try to push through the proposals we’re discussing? I understand that you’re not part of the executive branch, but will you, for example, put pressure on the government, or are these just catchy slogans on your website?
We will certainly endeavour to bring these proposals to the attention of our voters, because they are the ones who have the greatest say and decide the outcome of elections. Of course, we will also endeavour to put them forward and push for their adoption.
Half of the Young Government consists of members of the Chamber of Deputies, and we also have a Member of the European Parliament in our ranks. We will therefore take concrete steps to ensure these proposals are successfully implemented. Otherwise, it would merely be an empty campaign.
What lies ahead for you now? Are you planning, for example, to stand in the local elections?
I won’t be standing in the local elections because I live half the time in Prague and half in Bechyně. I believe that people who live their lives fully in a particular place and have direct experience of it should be given the opportunity to stand as candidates. I’m currently commuting between the two towns. I’m in Prague during the week and go to Bechyně at the weekend to see my family. I’m therefore stepping back from standing as a candidate myself and, in my role as chair of the Young Pirates, I’m trying to support other young candidates who are standing in the local elections.
