Final Word from Tuesday, March 29, 2011
When MP Marek Benda of ODS says that if we don't trust the Czech police, the prosecutors and the courts, we don't trust anything in this country, the irony is that he isn't being ironic. He declared on TV Prima that no one can seriously suggest that the purpose of a police investigation is to sweep things under the rug. Yet many Czechs do indeed seriously believe that the "institutions active in criminal proceedings" are misused and in many cases make little attempt to provide justice, esp. in politically sensitive cases. Such a defensive comment from Benda is ironic not only because he comes from a dissident family that felt the full force of a government gone wild, but also because as an MP, it's his job to provide the checks and balances for the other two branches of government. Though not perfect, the Fourth Estate in the CR probably does more to uncover police and judicial abuses than either the legislative or the executive branches. But while Benda defends the judiciary, he has few good words to spare for the Czech media.
Glossary of difficult words
to sweep something under the rug/carpet - to conceal or ignore a problem or difficulty in the hope that it will be forgotten;
"institutions active in criminal proceedings" - the Czech term for the police, prosecutors and courts;
checks and balances - counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups;
Fourth Estate - media, press; the profession of journalism;
to spare -to make free or available.