Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Interaction, migration and change
Property, power, and emotions 245 The mayor, a Social-Democrat, accepted a capitalist notion of ownership, and did not mind that Czech property feil into foreign hands. He did, however, also believe in shared community rights, and noted that the dynamics of capitalist ownership complicated the introduction of a socio-economic policy which would support the village as a collective. The village community badly needed to enlarge its budget. The roads were in a terrible state, only half of the village was connected to the sewage system, young people needed housing, and the children had nowhere to play. According to Veselý, the best route to take was to build new houses and increase the number of inhabitants attracting young people to the village. Building new houses was restricted because of a nearby fresh water reservoir. Some of the restrictions would be lifted after the completion of the sewage system for which the mayor had secured funding. This meant that once the Pozemkový Fond would sell the plots of land which were still state-owned, more houses could be built, and the village could grow. Young families would most likely not have enough money to build new houses, so Veselý looked for other possibilities. The only large unoccupied building in the village was the old military base that had been used during the Cold War as a radar station. The mayor came up with the plan to turn the building into flats and a children’s clubhouse. He thought that the future inhabitants would be willing to pay half of the reconstruction costs. A bank could provide a low-interest loan, which would be paid back in instalments in the form of monthly rent. The base was still owned by the Ministry of National Defence, but it no longer served any purpose, and in 2000 the Ministry put it on the market for 5,800,000 crowns.15 This was still far too much for the village community, and Veselý who was a member of the ČSSD (the ruling social democratic party) used his party contacts to get in touch with the Minister. With a triumphant smile, he recounted: When the Minister announced that the ministry wanted to get rid of most of its properties because they cost too much
