Czech press survey - Januar 2

Klaus soberly described people´s far-from-good mood as a consequence of the economic crisis and frozen economic growth, Komarek writes.

Klaus treated the EU unusually mildly in his speech. Moreover, after many years he admitted that the Czechs have created most of their bothersome bureaucracy themselves, Komarek writes.

On the other hand, Klaus seems to believe that the Czechs suffer from massive amnesia when he says that when he became president in 2003, relations between the government and opposition were not as bad as now, nor was people´s annoyance with politics, Komarek writes.

Before Klaus became president, people protested against the then power-sharing pact between his opposition Civic Democrats (ODS) and the arch-rival Social Democrat (CSSD) minority cabinet. This giant fraud was inflicted on voters by Klaus and the then CSSD head Milos Zeman, who is now seeking the post of president, Komarek points out.

After Klaus became president, the country experienced the awkward scandal concerning the then CSSD PM Stanislav Gross´s opaque financial deals, and afterwards CSSD PM Jiri Paroubek´s authoritarian government attempt, Komarek writes, indicating that people´s dissatisfaction has lasted much longer than what Klaus asserted in his speech.

President Vaclav Klaus is right when he says that the initiative of anti-government civic groups has exceeded a usual level, but is it appropriate of him to play their initiative down as something that is not aimed to improve life in the Czech Republic? Martin Zverina asks in Lidove noviny.

True, the democratic system is unchallengeable. However, this does not mean that the political space should be occupied and controlled exclusively by political parties and that those who dislike it should be labelled - in the name of unity - "self-styled saviours," Zverina writes.

Klaus calls for the return to the old good values, traditions, habits and duties that the Czechs have irresponsibly disrespected and abandoned. One cannot but agree with this, but rather than to citizens, Klaus should address this appeal to politicians, whom he embarrassingly omitted in his speech critically assessing the atmosphere in society, Zverina writes.

Klaus´s New Year´s speech looked as if he has been exercising his presidential office abroad or on the Moon, otherwise he would have to mention and praise the recent revival of the Czech judiciary, Jiri Leschtina writes in Hospodarske noviny.

Klaus must have noticed it that the judiciary has started pursuing organised crime more boldly, including economic crime involving politicians. Instead of encouraging the bold state attorneys, Klaus preferred to turn the blind eye on their efforts. Maybe Klaus, too, is watching the progressing emancipation of the judiciary with displeasure, Leschtina writes.

Klaus complained about people´s apathy, but apathy is people´s natural annoyed reaction to the situation where political crimes not only remained unpunished but were not investigated at all [until recently], while political parties played into the hands of opaque businesses, Leschtina writes, giving the gambling business and mediation of foreign arms acquisitions as examples.

Klaus did not utter a single word about these causes of people´s annoyance. Instead, he tried to mislead people by blaming "self-styled saviours" [activists and civic groups critical of the government] for spreading bad mood and inciting people´s apathy, Leschtina adds.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz