Final Word from Tuesday, November 15, 2011
In an interview in HN two years ago, Martin Roman of ČEZtold a tale about how ČEZ has 200 MPs in Parliament and saidthat this is the way it should be. How times have changed! In avote in Parliament earlier this month, ČEZ was able to muster"only" 179 votes to revise the public-procurement proposal toexclude utilities such as itself from the provisions of the law.One MP actually voted against it. The lopsided vote means thatČEZ and other "sector" companies won't have to disclose thepurpose of a given procurement project, explain the suitabilityof the requirements, or publish the contracts, the ownershipof subcontractors or the amounts paid. Development MinisterKamil Jankovský has been called a "tool of the corrupters," buthe actually refused to include the exemptions in the governmentproposal, so trusty old Milan Urban of ČSSD had to doit for ČEZ in his economics committee. The bottom line is thatthe CR could have the most leak-free procurement law in theworld, but the biggest corrupter wouldn't be subject to it.
Glossary of difficult words
to muster - to collect or assemble (a number or amount);
lopsided - with one side significantly lower or smaller than the other;
trusty - having served for a long time and regarded as reliable or faithful;
bottom line - the underlying or ultimate outcome;
leak-free - void or absent of holes.