The shadow finance minister, Jan Mládek, apologized for his statement
made at the Social Democratic Party Congress on Saturday, in which he
characterized self-employed owners of small businesses as parasites who
exploit their employees and fail to contribute to the social security
system. In a press release, Mr Mládek said that his statement was
misinterpreted and that the government, not the entrepreneurs, is the
parasite that is ineffective in collecting taxes. Earlier, the chairman of
the opposition Social Democrats, Bohuslav Sobotka, distanced himself from
the statement of his colleague, following criticism from Prime Minister
Petr Nečas.