Final Word from Wednesday, April 24, 2002
When Prague Mayor Jan Kasl apologized to investors last month for the corruption at city hall, his detractors on the city government demanded that he provide proof. He won't of course be able to provide much, if any, evidence by the deadline tomorrow morning. Corruption is difficult to prove, and it's not the mayor's job to try. That's for the police and the courts. What Kasl can do, though, is to seek to confront the widespread belief that city hall is corrupt by proposing policies that eliminate opportunities for corruption. It seems that some current policies were designed to increase the room for bribery. Kasl's critics will try to push him into a corner, but if they refuse to consider any proposals that he might have, they could end up looking like defenders of corrupt practices. This wouldn't help them politically, especially in an election year.