MfD: Politicians unaware of reasons for declining public trust

Prague, June 26 (CTK) - Czech politicians are incapable of finding an answer to the question why a mere 8 percent of Czechs are satisfied with politics and why people's trust in politicians and their institutions is plummeting, a public debate on Monday revealed, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) writes yesterday.

The debate was held at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague. It was attended by five MPs representing five parties in the Chamber of Deputies.

"How shall I believe political parties if the ODS has (alleged Godfathers) Oulicky and Dlouhy, the CSSD has (David) Rath (former governor, now in custody over suspected corruption) and (Jaroslav) Palas (whom many consider a sort of Godfather), TOP 09 is unable to cope with the problem of (former defence minister) Vasta Parkanova (whom the police want to prosecute over military procurement) and the Communists (KSCM) have their past," political writer and commentator Jan Urban asked in the debate, MfD writes.

He actually pointed to one of the major causes of mistrust of political parties: inability to cope with more and more frequent scandals of their members, MfD writes.

Marek Benda (senior government Civic Democrats, ODS), took issue with this opinion, saying it is not true that if a grouping has a bad member, the whole grouping is untrustworthy, MfD writes.

"True, we are now conjurers, some problems are being solved, while others prevail," MfD quotes Benda as saying. It writes that his answer rather provoked laugh.

MfD writes that the discussion exposed two facts. First, politicians realise the unpopularity of their own and of the parties they represent. Second, they do not know how to react to it.

Petr Gazdik (junior government TOP 09) blamed the problem on people's unwillingness to become involved in political parties, MfD writes.

Former interior minister and former priest Frantisek Bublan (opposition Social Democrats, CSSD) ascribed the mistrust to that society preferred dealing with economic issues to inter-personal relations already 20 years ago when the previous regime collapsed, MfD writes.

Deputy Prime Minister Karolina Peake (from LIDEM that was formed by dissidents from the former junior government Public Affairs, VV), repeated cliches about that normal human decency must return to politics, MfD writes.

It says the most sincere answer was surprisingly made by Zuzka Bebarova-Rujbrova (KSCM). "People will simply no longer believe us, perhaps someone better will be found," she said.

MfD writes that trust in politicians and their institutions has been plummeting in the past few months. According to a CVVM poll released on Monday, a mere 13 percent of people trust the Chamber of Deputies, 16 percent trust the government and 19 percent the Senate, MfD writes.

It writes that in another poll conducted in January 47 percent of the polled said the communist regime was no worse than the current governments.

Political scientist Radek Buben who moderated Monday's debate said the problem is much deeper than a crisis of the political establishment, MfD writes.

Buben said not only mistrust of some politicians and parties, but also mistrust of democracy as such is growing.

"The political elite themselves show mistrust of the state. It is not seen in any advanced country that its prime minister expresses such deep mistrust of state institutions," Buben said.

He was alluding to the recent statement by Prime Minister Petr Necas (ODS) that no "party of colonels" will decide about who will be on the government, MfD writes.

Necas's attack aimed the anti-corruption police who have asked the Chamber of Deputies for release of former defence minister Vlasta Parkanova (TOP O9), deputy chairwoman of the Chamber of Deputies, for prosecution over the contract on the supply of CASA transport planes for the military.

"Mistrust of political parties also steeply rose under the First Republic in the mid-1930s. They were criticised among others for their links with business. This led to the effort at dismantling the whole democratic state," MfD quotes historian Jaroslav Sebek as saying.