MfD: Czechs deeply divided over loan to IMF

Prague, Jan 26 (CTK) - It is bad that the Czech government's decision to give a 38-billion crown loan to the IMF in order to help the euro zone is dictated by internal interests rather than by awareness of national interests, Martin Komarek writes in Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) yesterday.

In the long run, the Czech political elite is unable to define the national interests in relation to the EU as well as NATO, Komarek writes.

The North Atlantic Alliance divides both the left and the right and the attitude to the EU has divided the right or, to put it more accurately, the centre-right that is now ruling the nation, he adds.

This has had an impact on the latest decision. Yes to the loan, but it must be smaller than planned. Yes to the fiscal union, but with the reservation of a referendum on it, Komarek writes.

Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek has stressed that no one understands the Czech Republic's stand on the fiscal union. This is quite right but Kalousek is using the argument for his own domestic needs in order to support the strongly pro-European policy of his TOP 09, he adds.

The division of Czech politics towards the EU originates from the domestic political reasons, Komarek writes.

The reasons are partly utilitarian, partly ideological and partly mythological, he adds.

The utilitarian reasons are sensible. Most Czechs do not have the same approach to the EU as its founding fathers, as a glorious project ensuring peace and prosperity to Europe and as its heading for a humanistic ideal, Komarek writes.

Czechs have a purely mercantile attitude to the EU, only calculating its assets and liabilities, he adds.

The Czech lukewarm attitude is understandable and it is mainly echoed by Prime Minister Petr Necas's Civic Democratic Party (ODS) that feels that voters are reluctant to support something uncertain, Komarek writes.

Now the politicians want to show to them that they prefer Czech national interests and that they are not ready to squander further money on an overpriced foreign project, he adds.

Hence Necas's hesitation, Komarek writes.

The left is criticising the government for its reserved stand on the EU. As usual, the left has voiced much more pro-European views, he adds.

However, it is also largely a slave to domestic politics as proven by the fact that former Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek was ready to harm his own country and topple its government half way through its EU presidency in 2009 as he sensed that he could score some points on the domestic scene, Komarek writes.

Besides, the Czech Republic's stand on the EU is complicated by President Vaclav Klaus's very strong ideological position, he adds.

Klaus is no sceptic, but a resolute foe of European integration, Komarek writes.

In order to shore up his position, he is ready to make most of the deep lack of interest and ignorance among most of the public when it comes to the real decision-making process in the EU, he adds.

Under the influence of the ideological mythology, many people really believe that the Czech Republic has lost or will lose its sovereignty, Komarek writes.

This shapes their own decisions with which politicians must reckon, he adds.

A liberal and democratic integration of European countries is the best way for their succeeding in global competition.

It is in the Czech Republic's national interest to join, if possible, the "EU hard core" despite all of its defects, Komarek writes.

However, given the domestic situation, politicians are unlikely to realise this interest. From this viewpoint, the 38 billion crowns are quite a good result, he concludes.

($1 = 19.597 crowns)