Final Word from Friday, August 21, 2009
It's a comment on the state of Czech society that the country's biggest current moral authority, Karel Schwarzenberg, is a political tourist who helped whitewash one of the country's biggest recent corruption cases (Jiří Čunek's). And that the country's biggest budget authority, Miroslav Kalousek, has more fiscal red on his hands than any other single politician. More than ever before, the country lacks a real moral authority, a voice of reason, impartiality and gravitas. It needs a Bill Cosby, able to tell people how to overcome the obstacles set for them by politicians and corporations. For many people, Václav Havel once served this role. He lost some followers by supporting U.S.-led wars and the radar station without weighing the long-term consequences. He lost others this week when he refused to take a stance in MFD's magazine on the implications of the Tuscany affair. Perhaps Havel is too tired to worry about the fate of his country. Or perhaps his penchant for hitching rides on corporate jets has blurred his own moral compass.[Czech Republic TOP 09 KDU-ČSL]
Glossary of difficult words
morality play - something viewed as exhibiting a struggle between good and evil and offering a moral lesson;
political tourist - someone who changes political parties or allegiances often;
to whitewash - to clear someone by deliberately concealing his or her mistakes (Schwarzenberg hired Kroll, which essentially cleared Čunek);
Kalousek - head of the budget committee in Parliament for many years and finance minister when the CR put together what would be its biggest deficit budget ever;
gravitas - dignity or seriousness of manner;
Bill Cosby - U.S. comedian and proponent of responsible behavior by citizens and politicians;
penchant - a strong liking for something;
to hitch a ride - to travel by getting a free ride with someone.