Havel, Vaclav. "On the Temptations of Political Power." Reposted at Vladimir Lifschitz's Website.
"On May 28, 1991 President Václav Havel of Czechoslovakia accepted the Sonning Prize for his contribution to European civilization. The biennial prize has been awarded by the University of Copenhagen since 1950. This is the text of Havel's acceptance speech."
2 comments:
The really disappointing thing about Havel's stint in political office is not that he let himself be driven around by a chauffeur and have his cavities filled by a special dentist. It's that he didn't make as much use as he might have of the power of the Presidency to stem the less-savory aspects of the Czech transition from Stalinism (which, I hasten to say, still went much better than in most of the former Soviet bloc). The two specific issues I have in mind are, (1) the various forms of graft and outright theft that occurred--very much in the open--in the process of privatizing former state assets, and (2) the nasty treatment of the Romani ("gypsy) population, which ranged (and still does) from casual racism to serious deprivations of civil rights. It is true that the Czech presidency is a largely ceremonial office with little actual political power; but Havel certainly managed to accomplish a great deal under the old regime from a position of far less formal power. Yet, as President, apart from some tame and toothless comments "deploring" these ills, Havel didn't really do anything to rally public opinion, or otherwise expend his political capital to stop or mitigate these serious blots on the Czech post-communist record.
While I'm picking bones, I'd also note that Havel is now a co-chair (along with such reactionary luminaries as former Spanish premier (and closet neo-Francoist), Jose Maria Aznar, and Reagan's Secretary of State, Georege Shultz) of the neo-con Committee on the Present Danger, which largely exists to promote the power of the powerless to get blown up by the powerful in the name of fighting terrorism.
Continental Op,
It seems that Havel recognized his "powerlessness" early on (as reflected in the post) and that he no doubt would change, probably for the worse, by becoming incorporated in the system (as opposed to his radical days resisting the Soviets).
He was also reflecting on power in a typical system--the vacuum in which the post-soviet societies were operating in must have made his job even worse. Probably most efforts were directed toward keeping the powderkeg from being lit...
As the Continetal Op knows (per Hammet's "Red Harvest") it is difficult to act effectively according to your codes in the best of situation, but it becomes even more difficult when chaos rules and you have become part of the system.
What is good about Havel is that he was a poet who wrote about his situation in an honest manner (as honest as these writings get?)... how often do you have a world leader reflecting on the possibilities of corruption as there acceptance of an award?
I'm not familiar with Havel's current position or the group. I'll try to look into it when time permits.
Thanks and I'll keep an 'eye' on your new collective weblog 'P'
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