The Prague Post
November 20th, 2008
Endowment Fund     Business Listings ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Prague accomodation

Home » Archives » Opinion

Editorial Review

From the opinion pages of the Czech press
Editorial Review | Search restaurants | Archives

October 5th, 2005 issue

The cooperation of the two biggest leftist parties, the Social Democrats and the communists, is increasing. Such cooperation can threaten the freedoms enjoyed by citizens of this country, warns Emanuel Mandler in Mladá fronta Dnes Sept. 30. The undisputed leader of the Czech left, Prime Minister Jirí Paroubek, promotes a pragmatic approach to the communists. Thanks to Paroubek, the communists now seem to be a more acceptable party than anyone could have imagined a year ago. However, Paroubek's treatment of the communist party has already shown that further cooperation of both parties can pose a serious threat. If the two leftist parties win the parliamentary elections next year, Paroubek intends to quickly pass a new press law. In his own words, this law will terminate the "unjustified denigration of his party" by the media. We should not forget where such ideas have led in the past, says Mandler. Everyone knows the communists undertook large-scale confiscation of property from huge companies, banks, mines and small private businesses. However, few people know that the nationalization decrees were preceded by a law on film from 1945. This law nationalized film studios and established a state monopoly on the screening, export and import of films. Back then, films were as important as television is now and the communists were well aware of it. Could the possible victory of the left in the next elections lead to something similar — from a press law to other socialist laws? History cannot exactly repeat itself. However, there are always people who want to suppress our freedoms. And they are always able to find creative and sophisticated ways do it, Mandler warns.

Renata Vesecká will replace Marie Benesová as state attorney. She is definitely a good choice, writes Petr Uhl in Právo Sept. 30. In her career she has respected the law and sought justice. She did her best to convict several murderers, who received strict sentences that were welcomed by the public and law experts alike. In her professional and personal life, she did not succumb to political or other pressures. As supreme state attorney, she could guarantee the office remains independent and unbiased. Unfortunately, there is a problem. Vesecka has not officially become supreme state attorney. The government only appointed her to head the office. Justice Minister Pavel Nemec said a new supreme state attorney will be named in two months. Why wait that long? It is possible that someone else and not Vesecka will then be officially named supreme state attorney? The long period of waiting indicates that the new supreme state attorney could be a former judge, speculates Uhl. According to the law, a judge can be named supreme state attorney only after three months of giving up the bench. If a judge gives up their post Sept. 30, they could be named on Jan. 1. There is one more problem: The law says that the government can name and recall the supreme state attorney, but it does not say that someone can head the office without being named. According to some, the person in charge according to the law is in fact Jaroslav Fenyk, deputy to the ousted Supreme State Attorney Marie Benesová. Three months should be long enough to discover who really is in charge, concludes Uhl.

— Compiled by Frantisek Sístek


Other articles in Opinion (5/10/2005):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Business Listings

Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.