The Prague Post Online: Opinion: After an embarrassment, time to get serious

September 7th, 2008

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After an embarrassment, time to get serious

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February 20th, 2008 issue

The leaders of the Czech Republic did themselves no favors with their conduct in the presidential election. The speedy denouement this past weekend was, more than anything else, a reflection of the outrage and disgust triggered by the previous weekend’s debacle. Even normally tolerant Czech citizens were so embarrassed and angered, their elected representatives felt pressured to act responsibly for a change and take care of the nation’s business.

There is little consciousness of how such behavior looks on the international stage, and one could argue that it doesn’t matter. Many countries have messy internal politics, particularly in this part of the world. But, if the Czech Republic wants to be regarded as a serious player in European affairs, it will need to show a lot more maturity. Re-electing a president who takes pride in being a Euroskeptic and in denial about climate change is damaging enough to the country’s international reputation without the added burden of a sophomoric, incompetent government.

And no matter what the country’s international standing, there are a number of pressing domestic matters that need to be addressed. Here’s a partial list of issues and problems for the president and Parliament to put on their to-do list — now.

Finance reforms: The governing coalition pushed through public finance reforms without the support of the Social Democrats. The pension system is up next, but with only fragmented political support, whatever reforms are enacted are unlikely to last. Strong leadership is needed to hammer together a new system that has bipartisan support.

Energy security: Like every nation in the world, the Czech Republic faces serious questions about how it will meet future energy requirements. Nuclear power is being touted as the way to go — a questionable decision, but if it’s the one the government adopts, it has to be done now, to accommodate the long lead time on construction.

Euro adoption: This has become a joke, with new dates constantly proposed and then postponed. Trying to stall the pain of the inevitable increase in the cost of living that euro adoption will bring, while raising taxes on everyday necessities like food and housing, is both irresponsible and hypocritical.

Inflation: New taxes are only part of the story in the upward spiral that is expected to slow the country’s growth rate this year. That makes decisions about interest rates and other economic policies by the Czech National Bank critical — and the president’s appointment of ČNB governors even more so.

Health care: The new fees are only a stopgap measure and, in the long term, no answer to larger questions about the frequency of doctor and hospital visits and privatization. Again, the problem begs for a comprehensive and bipartisan solution.

Election reform: If the rest of these items read like a wish list, this may be the most fanciful of all: A direct election of the president by Czech voters, free of intimidation, charges of bribery and coercion, suspiciously “sick” legislators and endless vituperative debate. The final outcome might not change, but at least the election wouldn’t degenerate into a farce.

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