Pehe: Czech political crisis causes lie outside politics

Prague, Sept 7 (CTK) - The real causes of the current political crisis in the Czech Republic should be sought outside politics, Jiri Pehe writes in daily Pravo, commenting on the rejection of the government bill on tax changes in the Chamber of Deputies also by the votes of six government MPs.

Pehe writes that various speculations about the reasons of why the six deputies of the senior government Civic Democratic Party (ODS) had to join the opposition and sink the package aimed to stabilise public finances on Wednesday have appeared.

Almost no one believes that the reason of the revolt was worry for the taxes and the state budget, which is officially stated, Pehe writes.

He says this shows no comprehensible rationality or transparent politics are applied in this country.

Political parties alone were privatised into the hands of non-transparent interests right at the beginning of the Czech post-communist transformation when they controlled the process of privatisation of state property, Pehe writes.

This affected all parties that were making decisions on something, and the most of all the ODS that played the main role in the privatisation, Pehe writes.

When the sources from privatisation dried up, the "businesspeople" with political connections and Godfathers reorientated themselves to manipulating state procurement, Pehe writes.

He writes that some politicians and high-ranking civil servants joined them.

A recently released annual report by the BIS counter-intelligence pointed to that the link, criminal in its essence, has created a certain type of the political backstage that has a fundamental influence not only on the shape of new legislation and reforms, but also on how various frauds are being investigated, or not, Pehe writes.

A majority of society are starting to realise the pathological influence of the "mafia-like capitalism" on politics and only few still believe that the real driving force of the reforms or church restitution is the government's real worry for the welfare of the public, Pehe writes.

Citizens logically suspect a possible further fraud behind any big initiative of the government with billions of crowns involved, Pehe writes.

It seems that also the disintegration of the originally seemingly firm government coalition, leaning on an unprecedented 118 votes in the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies, has been brought about by the struggle for power and influence between various backstage brotherhoods, Pehe writes.

He says they grew nervous about the possible new arrangement of the favouritism ties after the new government parties assumed power after the mid-2010 elections.

Pehe writes that the original government coalition of the ODS, TOP 09 and Public Affairs (VV) gradually disintegrated and the struggle has now shifted to the ODS alone.

The truth about the real causes of the current crisis may become clear only some time later from various investigation files unless the criminal backstage of Czech politics succeeds in time to stop the continuing emancipation of the judiciary, Pehe writes.

This, in fact, may be the main purpose of the current government crisis, he says.