Kalousek's defense 'privatizers'

Miroslav Kalousek of TOP 09 has shifted his original meaning of "privatizers of public authority" away from ČEZ to the regional "godfathers" made infamous by Mirek Topolánek. These regional "privatizers," Kalousek says, are deciding on the redistribution of billions of crowns in tax money, no matter who wins the elections. True enough, but if Kalousek really wants to save billions, he should start closer to home. As deputy defense minister, he pushed through a law requiring private arms- trading companies to be involved in all military purchases. This has made wealthy men of Richard Háva of Omnipol (a close Kalousek friend), Michal Smrž of MPI (a close acquaintance of Defense Minister Martin Barták) and even benefited some non- defense firms like Alseda (perhaps Barták knows who owns it). If Karel Schwarzenberg wants to prove that his top leopard has indeed changed its spots, as he keeps insisting, he should ask Kalousek to push the idea of cutting all "privatizers of public authority" out of military procurement. [Czech Republic ministry]