“Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope,” this famous Margaret Thatcher quote is how I was greeted by Marek Výborný, who was elected to chair the Parliamentary Club of the KDU-ČSL.
What do you think should be the building blocks of politics?
Civility, honesty, hard work. Freedom, respect for life, and solidarity with those who cannot help themselves are my core values.
“It is not about building something to counteract someone, Andrej Babiš in this case, but about building a platform to win the election. And KDU-ČSL wants to be a part of that. That is the only way we can show people that this country can be run better,” is what you said in our last interview. Now you are in the Government. How exactly do you want to run the country better?
First of all, I would like to thank everyone that voted for KDU-ČSL and the SPOLU Coalition for their trust, which we see as a commitment. I am aware of the hope we have stirred in some people, and we are now responsible for making good on the promised changes. We will definitely put more emphasis on social responsibility. We cannot keep heedlessly increasing the deficit of public finances to the detriment of our children and future generations. We have to focus on education. The previous government did manage to provide reasonable wages to teachers, but we now have to hone in on what is being taught and how, what methods are being used, and what conditions the teaching is going on in. We are bringing our children up into a completely different society and the environment of the 21st century. We do not want to keep dividing society further. We will overcome differences in society and unite it instead. We want to represent all the people, and throughout our work, we will keep in frequent contact with local authorities, the general public, as well as representatives of employees and employers.
“I will stand for the platform of the KDU-ČSL, the support of families and parents, environmental care, as well as proper education. We will stand for the SPOLU platform together in the Chamber,” you said when you became the chairman of the KDU-ČSL Parliamentary Club. How do you want to help families?
We will help families overcome the challenges they face. We will strive for more flexible working conditions, we will offer more options for balancing family and work life. We will make life easier for all honest workers, and offer targeted aid to those who cannot help themselves. We will be the social conscience of this government. That is something our party is well acquainted with. One of the key issues that young families face is housing. We want to actively focus on starter housing and implement comprehensible and accessible What do you think about novelties like parent 1, parent 2, pregnant person, picking your gender when you turn fifteen, editing fairytales because the prince kissed Snow White without her consent, or recalling Dr. Seuss books due to “racist imagery”?
Sadly, this seems to be a part of a sort of culture clash. These tendencies seem like absolute nonsense to me, and we have to draw a decisive line. They are unfortunate products of overly individualized society, a culture of the human ego, and a mismatched perception of people's liberties. We are going through a confusion of concepts and it can sometimes feel like the biblical Babylon. Tolerance is becoming interchangeable with silence, and being able to do what you want. Frequent attempts to be overly correct lead to a loss of critical thinking. A life that follows no rules and order quickly devolves into unpredictable chaos. To do battle for a normal world, one that will not fall to these progressivist tendencies is up to us – conservative politicians.
Protecting the land and the environment is one of your platform topics. Are you of the opinion that everyone should start with themselves, no matter what the Government mandates?
Without a doubt. We must always first start with ourselves in all matters. Climate change is irrefutable. We have vowed to search for solutions that will limit the influence of humans on climate change. We will look for realistic solutions that will actually help protect the environment, waters, lands, and forests. All of that while keeping the responsibility for the prosperity of our country in mind.
Not too long ago, a Czech electricity supplier went bankrupt, which caused quite the stir. Electricity is expensive, it is being imported from abroad, and thanks to “green politics”, coal powerplants will start shutting down. We are also on the brink of a huge uptrend in electric cars, however. Are these things not opposites?
Once again, we have to take a balanced and sensible stance. Of course, electromobility is a part of the make-up of our transportation, and equally so, nuclear energy must remain as part of the Czech energy mix. The fact that caring for nature and the environment and maintaining their sustainability does not come cheap is undeniable, nonetheless.
You initially spoke of education. What are the weaknesses of our school system?
Every teacher will tell you that the impact of Covid on schools was devastating. We have to do everything in our power to stop another lockdown. Not just for educational reasons, but also because of how negatively it impacts young people's social connections. A child belongs in school, in a group of their peers, we must make sure they can develop in a healthy way.
What is the new government's approach to dealing with the pandemic?
There is no magic fix-it-all. Same as the previous government, we must make sure that hospitals keep The question about the choir touched on a very painful topic – the sudden and unexpected loss of your wife, Markéta. How does one come to terms with that?
It is hard, and I do not think you can actually come to terms with something like that. I do not want to play the hero. But it is undeniable that faith and hope are a big help here. They remind us that death is not final, that we will once again meet in some new ethereal form of being and life without end. Faith is an anchor. And even if you feel like giving the Lord a piece of your mind afterwards, you feel the hope, and you see that you are not alone.
Christmas is coming up and shortly after, 2022. What do you wish for in the new year?
I sincerely wish for us to not have to go through anything similar to Covid. For the situation to stabilize. I think it would be a great collective sigh of relief. We have tough tasks ahead, which makes the situation even worse. Other than that, my children and I are looking forward to the summer, we hope to be able to make it to Rome after two years. It was the children's idea. And I wish for all the people to be healthy and considerate to one another.
Marek with his father, Miloslav, and children, Amálka, Michaela, and Vendelín.
Marek Výborný (born July 10, 1976, in Heřmanův Městec) is an MP, former chairman of KDU-ČSL, current chairman of the party's Parliamentary Club and representative of the city of Heřmanův Městec.
He graduated in history and theology from Palacký University in Olomouc. In 2001, he started teaching history, social sciences, and Latin at the Mozartova Grammar School in Pardubice. He was the director of the school between 2012-2018.
Výborný has been a member of the KDU-ČSL since 2005, he was elected as a representative of Heřmanův Městec a year after that. In 2012, he was elected as a representative of the Pardubice Region, but he resigned due to the incompatibility of his work as a grammar school director with that of a regional representative. In 2017, he was elected as an MP, and later as the chairman of KDU-ČSL, after the death of his wife in 2019, he resigned.
He is raising three children, he helps out as an acolyte in his home parish of Heřmanův Městec, and he is an active member of the Czech Christian Academy.
Výborný is a member of the choir Vlastislav as well as of a Boy Scouts organization, he was the coach of a children's basketball team, TJ Jiskra HM.
Father of three
After the passing of his wife, Marek Výborný resigned as Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies to take care of his children. He stayed on as an MP and he currently added another position, chairman of a parliamentary club. “It is not easy! Prior to the election this year, my children and I were talking about what is next and whether I should go for it. I am grateful to my children for their support in my – actually even our – efforts. I try to keep in mind that I, as a father and parent, cannot be replaced. And that to me is more than politics. All of this would not be possible without the help of grandmas and other family members, of course. A big thank you to all of them.”
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