The Prague Post Online: Opinion: Another veto, another failure of leadership

October 7th, 2008

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Another veto, another failure of leadership

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May 28th, 2008 issue

A recent visit by a colleague from the United States brought with it an interesting perspective on life in the Czech Republic. Impressed, as many people abroad have been, by the progressive politics of former President Václav Havel and the steady stream of first-rate work by Czech writers and filmmakers, he was shocked to run into current President Václav Klaus’ head-in-the-sand pronouncements on global warming and the country’s streak of xenophobia.

“You mean Prague isn’t the progressive, liberal place we thought it was?” he asked in disappointment.

Well, no. For all of its beauty and charm, it is liberal only by comparison to the rest of the country, which remains deeply conservative. In fact, one could make the argument that Klaus is a better, or at least more accurate, representative of the nation’s people and thinking than Havel was. Still, the president’s recent veto of an anti-discrimination law is troubling.

The most dismaying thing about racial discrimination in this country is not that it exists. Virtually every country in the world is plagued by some form of intolerance and abusive behavior toward ethnic minorities. The presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama in the United States has exposed major racial rifts there, with more to come.

What outsiders find so surprising here is the openness of the discrimination. The reaction of a certain segment of the population when confronted with instances of abuse is to shrug and say, “Yeah, we hate them. So what?”

This is not to denigrate the many Czech people who feel such attitudes are wrong and are working for change. One group of them labored very hard for two years to produce the bill that Klaus refused to sign. Is it perfect? No anti-discrimination law is, and they all come freighted with the concerns about social engineering and legal overkill that Klaus voiced.

But attitudes in this country are unlikely to change unless there’s a clear message from the top that discrimination is unacceptable. Instead, what we get is the usual nod-and-wink from an avowed Euroskeptic, masked by a hollow list of high-minded objections.

There’s a need for more enlightened thinking, not just internally but in forging the country’s place in modern Europe. Klaus and his coterie may not like many of the requirements that came with joining the European Union and the Schengen zone. But, when you join the club, you have to play by its rules. When the Czech Republic cut its own deal with the United States on visa waivers earlier this year, there was angry talk in Brussels of kicking the country out of the Schengen zone. Subsequent events rendered that controversy moot, as many European countries started lining up to make their own deal, and Schengen officials decided not to fight the tide. As always, though, the Czech Republic’s standing suffered.

What Czech leaders seem best at these days is jetting around the globe, enjoying the perks of office. Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek was in South America earlier this month, being feted with the key to the city in Bogotá, Colombia, and attending the EU-Latin America summit in Lima, Peru. And, this week, Klaus is in the United States, meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney. Any guesses what they’re talking about?

It’s a safe bet it’s not human rights.

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