Final Word from Wednesday, January 22, 2014
If the Czech Chamber of Commerce had the interests of its members in mind, it would have removed Pres. Petr Kužel as soon as suspicions of fraud and abuse arose. Whether this should have been last year, when steps were unsuccessfully taken in this direction, or many years earlier, when Kužel was first linked to Milan Kindl of Pilsen Law School, is debatable. Members who have identified Vladimír Dlouhý as a possible successor have made one of the more astute political moves of recent years. Dlouhý could turn the Chamber into the powerful industry group that it should be but isn't, because Kužel is too busy abusing it for his own ends. Dlouhý has the qualifications, although tapping him means accepting the screw-the-world philosophy of Goldman Sachs. It also means accepting that Dlouhý might use the job as a steppingstone to returning to real politics, such as a presidential bid when Miloš Zeman's time expires. Unlike in Kužel's case, though, this ulterior motive could coincide almost 100% with the Chamber's interests. [Czech Republic Economic Chamber]
Glossary of difficult words
astute - having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's advantage;
to tap someone - to designate or select someone for a task or honor, esp. membership in an organization or committee;
screw-the-world - acting in a self-interested way without regard for the damage caused to the rest of the world;
steppingstone - an undertaking or event that helps one to make progress toward a specific goal;
ulterior - existing beyond what is obvious or admitted.