- By ===============
Dr. Nick Skrekas
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- Author, Economic Analysts and International Lawyer
It would be disloyal to our self-respecting people and proud nation not to respond to such rude and insolent insults, because we will only encourage repetition by other rogues.
In this case it was the notorious Czech President Vaclav Klaus, not to be confused with his statesman like predecessor and major opponent Vaclav Havel. Klaus has brought his high office into disrepute tearing down the respectability and principled deportment that Havel injected as the first post-communist president.
The quite infamous Klaus recently spouted to Czech paper Pravk absolutely outrageous and disgracefully libelous anti-Hellenic propaganda.
"I do not blame the Greeks. Any country should have the choice whether to live with half, a quarter or full determination," he said.
But he didn’t stop there.
"[Hellas/Greece] should be able to decide itself: we want to sit for more hours in a shadow under cypresses, drinking ouzo, or we want to work more," Klaus said.
"If Greece decides to devote more hours to ouzo or cypresses, it is absolutely all right. Nevertheless, it cannot enter a currency union with Germany," Klaus added.
Unfortunately, most don’t know about the life and times of Mr. Klaus and may take him at his word.
But for the avoidance of doubt let’s bust some myths.
Suspend judgment about the much disparaged Mediterranean work ethic and recall 75% of the Hellenic/Greek labor force works in the very demanding local private sector.
According to formal OECD statistics, Hellenes/Greeks work the second longest hours in the world, only to Koreans are an edge ahead. In fact, Hellenes/Greeks work 17% more than the OECD average and – yes you guessed it – 8% longer than the Czechs!
So maybe it’s the Czechs swilling beers in bohemian dingy micro breweries and not the Greeks/Hellenes downing ouzos under the shade.
A OECD link for any doubting Thomas: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=ANHRS
The Czech President's illegitimate deceptions don’t end there.
For the Head of State of the Czech Republic to give lessons about the Eurozone to Hellas/Greece is astonishing since they can’t even qualify to join Euro. What a ridiculous paradox?
How soon the Czech political system forgets that they owe a debt of gratitude to the Hellenes/the Greek people for allowing them to join the European Union in 2004. We could have vetoed them at our whim, but aren’t that kind of prejudiced society.
They also readily forget Hellenic/Greek citizens also pay taxes to the European Union which they enjoy as subsidies and capital injections to fund their prosperity. And with a currency they can devalue they still have unfair and unfettered access to our market putting our own people out of work. And Hellenes/Greeks are thanked with absurd public smears.
The outlandish roaring mouse Klaus also forgets Hellas/Greece has more than double their population and an economy even in this crisis is still at least a third larger – and double if we add the shadow economy.
And talk about the Czech kettle calling the Hellenic/Greek pot black.
In 2009 the European Commission formally warned the Czech Republic about its own excessive budget deficit. A move spearheaded by their neighboring Big Brother Germany, who absorbs the bulk of their exports and readily dresses them down. So what have the fastidious and laborious Czechs done since the warning two years ago? Their budget deficit for this year will still be above EU limits and likely to hit 5% to finance their economic stimulus.
After selling off all the productive Czech crown jewels in "run wild" post-communist series of "fire sale" privatizations, the IMF is still warning the Czechs this very year that they need structural reforms to buttress growth.
If they aren’t careful they may be seeking loans from Athens in the not too distant future - especially if German growth falters and Hellenes boycott their visits to Prague because we have perfectly good beer, as well as ouzo, here.
And maybe if the preposterous anti-Hellenes chorus continues in Prague we locals in Hellas/Greece, and our powerful and numerous global Diaspora brothers and sisters, may decide we prefer to buy the exports of other nations that don’t insult our honor.
Turning to the great man of the moment, dear President Vaclav Klaus, one can hardly fail but smile at his unscrupulous hypocrisy on issues. Ruthless, dodgy and corrupt are the usual labels bestowed on him by many within the Czech borders, let alone those overseas who have expressed their dismay at his boorish and deviant behavior.
A reputational and factual checklist on the dear Czech president that is publicly available information:
• Frequently accused of being a spy for the former brutal Czech communist secret policy, a status quo from which he heavily benefitted in cushy appointments, so he was hardly against totalitarianism and repression, or pro-democracy.
• His propriety is suspect since financing scandals forced him in 1997 to step down as Prime Minister to avoid more punitive investigations.
• Klaus in the past has publicly met a number of times with Russian secret service agents, and has turned a blind eye to corruption and foreign influence on domestic Czech affairs.
• While vociferously against any European Union or Humane/Enlightenment ideals, he benefits from EU money and during the 2003 Czech accession referendum he made no recommendation to voters, since he rarely puts his money with his mouth is.
• In another backflip of his many, Klaus also signed the Lisbon Treaty into effect in 2009 after failing to black mail Czechs and the whole European project. There was even doubt under the Czech constitution whether he had the power to hold the country hostage so long by delaying his signature.
• He has intervened in other nations’ internal affairs, and few in Ireland have forgiven and forgotten his extraordinary intervention in 2008. On an official visit he open sided with parliamentarians and took part in a joint local press conference against the Lisbon Treaty. However, a few years early he was deadly silent and played Pontius Pilot in Prague’s domestic referendum.
• Even these days he is decried as a Kremlin crony and his close associates are linked to questionable energy deals, and suspected of link to organized crime. One of his associates was found guilty of kidnapping.
I save the best on President Vaclav Klaus for last: This year’s hysterical Chilean Pen “Diplomatic Incident”
On a formal state visit to Chile in April of 2011, Klaus was recorded by TV cameras stealing a expensive pen which sparked an international diplomatic stir and made him a laughing stock around the world.
So not only is he a bigoted Anti-Hellene, former totalitarian henchman, lacks propriety, a proven hypocrite, a potent crony and traitor, associated with corruption and anti-Europe meddler – but it appears he may also be a thief.
Klaus is in no position to advise Hellas/Greece nor should the global but of pen jokes dare to even cast aspersion on Hellenes.
I doubt the majority of the good and friendly folks in the Czech Republic subscribe to their President’s nasty bigotry, his anti-European/Enlightenment extremism, let alone his rancid anti-Hellenic sentiments. The Russians, who are more sincere friends of the Hellenic/Greek people, may have already "boxed his ears" and pulled him into line.
My question is has the Hellenic Foreign Affairs Ministry launched a formal complaint with the Czech Embassy in Athens?
How egregious does the insult to our people and nation have to be before we begin to respond? Not making impolite waves and being liked is all well and nice, but being respected is an imperative since international relations aren’t based on continually turning the other cheek to vilification.
Time to unite, fight back and protect our good name!All comments welcomed as allways.
Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 4:48am
What Greece needs to do is, to export a lot more Ouzo than it does now! Ouzo represenets a national treasure for the Greeks!!
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