Open letter

to President of the Czech Republic Václav Havel from citizens' initiative Action 99.

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President of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel

Prague Castle

118 01 Prague 1

May 26, 2000

 

OPEN LETTER

 

Copy to: Czech Premier Miloš Zeman, Czech Parliamnet

Chairman Václav Klaus, Czech Senate Chairwoman Libuše Benešová.

 

Dear Mr. President,

 

just as you had no executive powers after November 1989, you have no executive powers today. After November 1989, however, you had tremendous real powers, powers given by your moral authority. You yourself know best, how, and for what reasons, you did not utilize that power. You made it possible for those, who for more than forty years suppressed freedom and democracy, misused police, justice and the military, ruined economy, devastated nature, kept independent culture smothered under dictatorship, and thus contributed by all the above towards demoralization of us all. You allowed the nomenclature communists, officers of the Secret police, police, army and all their collaborators to avoid just punishment, and prevented the Communist party from being declared illegal. The "political will," which has caused all of this, was co-created and co-established also by you.

 

Now you have very little of that power which arises from the moral authority. However, we take the liberty to understand your declaration about the "Mafia" capitalism as a desire to fight against it. Perhaps it would be beneficial to put a precise label on the state that has existed here for the last ten years: "Bolshevik" capitalism. We were very foolish indeed - all of us - to expect that a democratic, free and self-respecting society, free-market economy based on fair competition, just judiciary and un-corrupted police could be built by the same people who, for throughout the forty preceding years, were building socialism and communism. It is monstrous (but that should have been forseen, and should not have been allowed) what, in the ten years just past, former communist nomenclature, former Secret police and their confidents, but also some "non-party" collaborators accomplished: they squandered and plundered 300 miliards (billions) Czech krons from banks, and additional hundreds of billions from tens and hundreds of privatized fonds and companies. It is not true, that all this has happened because the banks and companies remained in Czech hands. The truth is, that this happened because they remained in dirty hands of Czech communists and members of StB (Czech Secret police), with the diligent help of those most demoralized from our midst. They became demoralized, because they have never seen any pre-November 89 criminals punished. It is hard to believe, indeed, that the agreement that enabled pre-November 89 nomenclature communists and members of Secret police to elegantly flow into economy, police and military structures of a newly constituted democratic republic was, on the side of the leaders of the Velvet Revolution, only the fruit of their political as well as numan naivete.

 

The crimes of communism were not punished, and their perpetrators thus strengthened their power. It happened, and we all have to start on the basis of this reality. We know, that crime remains a crime even after years and years, and that no criminal, in the end, escapes justice, whether human justice, or God's justice. For this very moment it is important to uncover and punish the crimes committed after November 17, 1989. We may be sure, that thus the essential and important segment of the communist nomenclature, agents and officers of the Secret police, together with those who united with them in order to committ fraud and plunder on the citizens of this country, will be rooted out. In order to do this, we need cooperation from un-corrupted politicians, captains of the industry, journalists, policemen and judges; the wide public support is already there. Our people keenly realize, that the decay of morality, widespread corruption, colossal frauds and losses reaching hundreds of billions committed on our economy and paid for from our pockets, were primarily perpetrated by the very same people, who for forty years were "leading" in our communities, our towns, in our offices, in our factories, and in all spheres of our lives.

 

We, therefore, Mr. President, take the liberty of presenting to you, as a part of this letter, a list of 99 people, who, in our opinion, bear the heaviest responsibility for our current state, state, that you call "Mafia", and which we call "Bolshevik" capitalism.

 

We earnestly hope, that you will mobilize your strength and lead this struggle against concrete people, although some of them may be your friends or colleagues. You have at your disposal enough resources to convince yourself, that these people indeed carry the political, moral, material, and many of them also criminal, responsibility.

 

For CITIZENS' INITIATIVE "ACTION 99"

signed:

 

František Červenka, Čestmír Hofhanzl, Jaroslav Joudal, Karel Kuklík, Rudolf Mazač, František Parožek, Martin Rejman, Radek Rosenhöfer, Michal Semín, Radovan Šimek, Luděk Toman, Jaroslav Tuček, Jaroslav Zelenka,

 

For authenticity: Jaroslav Tuček,

Cílkova 666/5, 142 00 Praha 4 - Kamýk

 

Enclosure: list of 99 builders of "Mafia" capitalism

 

You may add your signature to this letter

at the Jaroslav Tuček's address, above

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