Final Word from Thursday, June 7, 2007
Africans have their blood diamonds; Czechs have their blood electricity. Profits from the electricity trade are used to finance government spending, curry favor with political parties, pay outrageous fees to ČEZ board and supervisory-board members, lobby against changing the system, and buy off almost anyone who might want to criticize it. Everyone in the service sector is either working for ČEZ or wants to, which is the most effective form of censorship. Industry Minister Martin Říman is supposed to be a watchdog and said boldly in April that ČEZ missed a good opportunity to keep quiet when its sales director predicted a huge rate increase for next year. Since then, Říman is the one who has kept quiet, and ČEZ's share price has risen by 10%. Of course ČEZ CEO Martin Roman will give 20% of his options to a private school. The first to be built on blood electricity.[Czech Republic ODS power]