Jaroslav Faltýnek, vice-chair of the ANO parliamentary group, welcomed me back to his office in the Chamber of Deputies after two years. Despite health issues forcing him to adjust his lifestyle, he continues to paint, enjoy family life, and travel the country for ANO meetings.
You confided that you’ve been struggling with neuropathy, with numbness in your hands and feet. How did this happen?
Nobody knows. I’ve gone through nearly every possible examination and the doctors still don’t know. Former president Miloš Zeman suffers from the same illness, which is why he often stumbled and had uncoordinated movement – something the press and social media frequently mocked him for. This disease mainly affects diabetics, but I don’t have diabetes at all. What’s certain is that neuropathy can’t be cured, only slowed down with medication and vitamins, which I take faithfully.
Despite your health problems, did you have a nice summer?
It was wonderful. With my wife Martinka, we visited the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in July at the invitation of friends whose company was a sponsor. We went for walks, met with friends. We have a little ritual – every year we buy a piece of glass from a gallery on the colonnade, and this year we brought home a bowl shaped like a fish. We also went to Croatia and Spain and spent part of the summer at our cottage at Paprsek above Staré Město pod Sněžníkem in the Jeseníky Mountains. True, I can’t do long hikes in the mountains anymore because of the neuropathy, but I still managed about five kilometers without a problem. In fact, the more I walk, the better I feel – just not too much. I also try to walk a lot in Prague. On the other hand, my condition did get a little worse this summer. Unfortunately, because of it I was told to stop drinking wine, which I, as a Moravian from Haná, love. I admit, it was difficult for me. Recently my doctor allowed me one glass in the evening, which I savor, and I’ve started to drink non-alcoholic beer without sugar from time to time, so I’m not drinking just plain water all day.
Do you still paint?
Yes, I still paint at home in Prostějov. I work in acrylic on canvas – plants and landscapes. Last November I had a joint exhibition with Slovakia’s finance minister Laco Kamenický at the Tower 5 Gallery in Bratislava, titled Parallel Dialogue II. About four hundred guests came, and Slovak singer Karol Csino performed for us. It was a wonderful event that we planned for a long time, and it turned out beautifully.
In early September, the harvest festival was held in the Olomouc Region. Did you attend as deputy chairman of the agriculture committee?
Of course! It’s an event organized by the Agrarian Chamber as a thank-you to farmers. The festival was held in the amphitheater in Náměšť na Hané. There was a traditional farmers’ market, regional foods, quality gastronomy and a chill-out zone, educational exhibitions and themed decorations, an exhibition of farm machinery for both children and adults, and even a straw obstacle course for kids. Ilona Csáková and the Slovak band No Name performed. It was a wonderful event attended by several thousand people.
What is a major topic for you in agriculture?
I was chairman of the agriculture committee for eight years. Whether under a Social Democrat–Christian Democrat government, when Marian Jurečka was agriculture minister, or under an ANO–Social Democrat government, when the minister was Mirek Toman, we always supported farmers – from both EU and national funds – regardless of their size or ownership structure. But importantly, only those farmers who actually produced food. We did not support landowners who just mow organic hay once a year and then burn it in a biogas plant.
So you’re aiming for food self-sufficiency for the Czech Republic?
Yes – our goal is self-sufficiency in basic foods. Tell me, what sense does it make to import potatoes or apples from across half of Europe? Why shouldn’t Czechs buy these foods from domestic producers? We want to support farmers who produce food. When you go to a shop to buy anything, including meat, the packaging clearly states “produced in the Czech Republic” or “slaughtered here or there.” People like to buy such food, unlike when it only says “produced” or “packed in the EU.” That tells you nothing about its origin, and we know that not every country follows the same standards we do. But this government hasn’t helped Czech citizens at all in this regard. It has drastically increased support for the smallest farmers at the expense of medium and large ones. The problem is that medium and large farmers produce 80 percent of our food, while the small ones only produce 20. I have nothing against farmers or small producers – their products are high quality, interesting, and definitely enrich the market. But they can’t feed the nation. If ANO returns to government, we will again support all farmers who produce food. Because there are no “small” and “large” farmers – there are only good ones and bad ones.
The election campaign is in full swing. Are you taking part? How do you see it?
Yes, I’ve been going to rallies in Moravia with my colleague Lubomír Metnar, and we continue to do so. What saddens me is the aggression in society. I’ve experienced many election campaigns, but never one so hateful. I mean, for example, the cowardly attack on Andrej Babiš in Dobrá in the Frýdek-Místek region, when someone struck him from behind with a stick. I strongly condemn any violence against politicians in a campaign – no matter if it’s someone from ANO or one of our opponents. Violence has no place in politics! What also surprises me are the comments on social media – many people approved of it, or even claimed that Andrej Babiš staged the attack himself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this level of hatred and malice in society before.
If ANO wins the election and offers you a position, would you accept?
No – I have no ambitions for office. I’ve had my share of high politics and I don’t want to return. We have capable people such as Alena Schillerová and Karel Havlíček, and many others. I’m over sixty, I have health issues, and I want to spend time with my family and painting. I long for serenity. That doesn’t mean I’m withdrawing completely. I still want to be involved in agriculture and help wherever needed.
Exhibition in Prostějov
In mid-September, Jaroslav Faltýnek opened an exhibition of his paintings in his hometown of Prostějov, at the newly renovated gallery in the castle on Pernštýn Square. “I organized the whole event myself, with help from local gallerist Mirek Macík. Over the past year I painted about forty new works for the exhibition, and of course I also included some of the older ones. I invited friends and former classmates from Prostějov. The last time I had a show here was in 1995, so this was something of a return after thirty years. I estimate that since I started painting, about five hundred people in central Moravia have one of my paintings at home.”
CV BOX
Jaroslav Faltýnek (born April 28, 1962, in Prostějov) is the vice-chair of the ANO 2011 parliamentary group and vice-chair of the Chamber's Committee on Agriculture. In the past, he was also a member of the Olomouc Regional Assembly and a member of the Prostějov Municipal Assembly.
Following his graduation from the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno, he started working as an agronomist in ZD Lešany, later moving up to the post of chairman of the Prostějov Chamber of Agriculture, and from 1995 he was a division director at the Prostějov Malt Plants. He also sat on the board of the Tchecomalt Group as a deputy chairman and then went on to work for Agrofert in 2001.
Faltýnek entered politics in 1990, becoming a founding member of the Agricultural Party. He was elected a member of the Prostějov Municipal Assembly, running on the same party's ticket. He remained in that position continuously until October 2018.
After the Agricultural Party was dissolved, he became a member of the ČSSD in 1995. In 2012, he left ČSSD and joined ANO 2011. A year after that, he was elected an MP.
Faltýnek likes to paint, play the guitar, and grow bonsai plants. He is married for the second time and has two sons, two granddaughters, and two grandsons.