Blog 4: Rise and Fall (Czech Republic corrupt MP)

Politics, history, international relations, bureaucracy, government, finances, corporations; these words have mainly one thing in common: one needs power to get up in the scheme of the world. But the real question is: how do people handle power? I think that history is there to teach us a lesson about how to actually manage situations to improve the living status of people and help the planet. If we go back to ancient Rome or Greece we can actually see that people have always searched for the equality in matters of power and who holds it; however, greed can cause serious damage in men’s minds. The years have gone by and fights over equality in decisions have risen –suffragists, abolitionists –and still nowadays we get the same result: corruption. I was startled to find that, even in countries that one would think are of first world and actually have a very high living standard, there exists vile corruption. Prague, in Czech Republic, is not an exception to the mistakes of men over the lessons of history and morality.

            The article I decided to blog about revolves around David Rath, MP and former Central Bohemian Governor of Prague. This man actually is in the hurricane eye of a legal thunderstorm in order to prove his innocence over a 7 million Kč found in his possession the 7^th of May –not counting the 30 million discovered under his floor –. This mysterious amount of money is the presumable result of a planned mismanagement of the monetary funds of the European Union –obviously including considerable bribes –. Now, along with seven other sidekicks, he faces the removal of diplomatic immunity and a sentence of 12 years in jail. There are barely words to describe how monstrous this is, especially when the entire Union is in crisis, but it lets us see one more time how power is used in different countries and with different purposes.

            In this case, the capabilities that Mr. Rath and his friends used were mainly monetary; he used the money for his own benefit rather than that of the population, and his partners in crime were clearly benefited from it rather than the Czechs or the Europeans, who are counting cents in despair; that money was also useful at the time of exchanging it from favors of others above him. We also find that the concept of reciprocity was also fundamental in his plan to be wealthy: he took bribes from others –physical people or enterprises –and gave them something in return, for example the kickbacks of the hospital in Kladno. The quality of the bureaucracy is also an important capability, since it was thanks to the system of Czech Republic that Rath was able to steal the money, and he was smart enough to operate below water. However, the money found is now the police’s biggest weapon.

            As I conclusion I think that people should start considering the amount of power a man has and that, even if his intentions are honest, money is enough temptation to corrupt a man. Then, I think that there are many tools a person can use to manipulate others and stay in control or, as in this case, roll the dices in his or her favor. I think it’s time that common people start paying attention to whoever is above them and the decisions he is about to make.

Reference:

Cunningham, Benjamin. "Is Rath Corruption Case a Landmark?" The Prague Post. 30 May 2012. Web. 06 June 2012. < http://www.praguepost.com/news/13307-is-rath-corruption-case-a-landmark.html >.