Public debate about a particular case often reveals more about the state of the political system than the case itself. Consider, for example, the Bitcoin scandal in the Czech Republic. Ultimately, the public debate revealed that the Minister of Justice had succumbed to temptation and allowed himself to be bought by the mafia. The amount of money involved was simply too high. Perhaps it would have happened to someone else. Much more interesting and frightening is the fact that the Czech Republic clearly lacks the control and restraint mechanisms that would prevent drug and arms dealers — who we can safely assume are involved in kidnapping and contract killing — from buying the entire government, including the prime minister.
I would like to recall Professor Budil’s observation about the ongoing ‘Latinisation’ of our part of the world. However, even during the height of Latin American dictatorships, such huge scandals were rare. We are progressing very quickly. The only thing missing is the scantily clad dancers.
And as the ensuing discussion shows, we are getting used to it. The opposition expresses outrage. But the opposition expresses outrage every few days. It’s just another in a long line of government scandals. It demands the resignation of the government, as is the duty of any proper opposition. And that’s it. We hear no calls for an investigation into the causes and far-reaching reforms. If there are any, they are only marginal.
And on the government side, not even that. The desire to sweep the affair under the carpet is understandable. It is also understandable to try to convince the public that this is a minor problem compared to Andrej Babiš filling out a subsidy application incorrectly more than 20 years ago. And it is understandable that marketing experts are trying to paint a picture of a highly moral government, because the justice minister is no longer a minister, and citizens can argue about whether he will disappear to the Caribbean or elsewhere with his commission.
What is difficult to understand, however, is that not a single person among those close to the liberal elite has come forward to say that we need judicial reform. And no one else has come forward either.
The close ties between members of the government and drug mafias are becoming a hallmark of our political and economic regime. Latin America without samba.