Czech change of govt might have positive effect amid crisis - Klaus

Some economic and political analysts have criticised the fact that Topolanek's centre-right government was toppled by a no-confidence vote amid the economic crisis and the six-month Czech EU presidency.

They say this weakens the Czech Republic's position.

"I base my position on the opinion that anti-crisis measures arouse problems rather than solve. That is why I don't mind the 'rotation' of cabinets," Klaus told the daily.

He says the changes of governments "will prevent us from pondering bombastic projects of solving the crisis on our own," Klaus said.

Klaus would not comment on individual steps Topolanek's outgoing cabinet has taken to tackle the economic crisis, with the exception of the planned introduction of car-scrapping premiums, a system of state subsidies to those buying a new car and having their old car scrapped.

The measure, aimed to enhance car industry, has been promoted by the Social Democrats (CSSD), so far the senior opposition party, and Topolanek's Civic Democrats (ODS) might support it.

"I hope that common sense will win and no car-scrapping will be ever introduced in our country," Klaus said.

He said Fischer's nascent cabinet of unaffiliated experts might come up with bigger key state interventions in the economy than what Topolanek's government came up with.

"In this respect the new government might be worse than Topolanek's," Klaus, a conservative advocate of the pure free-market idea, said.

Commenting on the causes of the global economic crisis and the countries' way to solve it, Klaus called "totally undefendable" the attempts "to pour money in the economy as has been done at many places in Europe, Japan and mainly in the USA."

He expressed fears that "we are considerably approximating the former system under [what the ruling communists called] real socialism."

"Indeed, the same chimaera of egalitarianism, which we so resolutely rejected through the collapse of communism, is re-emerging in the world again. We aren't promoters of this idea. It has been promoted by EU politicians and states, and politicians in the U.S. unfortunately seem to be joining them vehemently," Klaus says in Mlada fronta Dnes.

Author: ČTK
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