Introduction
Political scandals are now the important part of the society. They help to shape public opinion, they help to raise the people’s interest in politics and their role is indisputable.
The political scandals are not a matter of this decade or century, they have a long history. They had been here before the mass expansion of the influence of the media and social networks. The word itself can be found in Ancient Green and Judaeo-Christian time, even though the meaning was probably slightly different than it is today. Then it slowly became the mediated event in 19th century. The biggest development of these scandals was in the second part of the 20th century. Because of the expansion of media (such as the TV) and social media (e.g. Twitter) and news it may seem like there were not so many affairs before the last twenty years because we simply did not hear about them so much. The only way how to get to the news in politics was in the TV in the evening news or next morning in the newspapers. The expansion of the media and social networks led to creating a new place where the scandals can be growing. It’s a double-sided relationship between media and the politics in general. When there is some scandal, the news is selling. When the news is selling, the politicians have profit because of the increased audience.
A scandal is “something that is shown, reported, staged and kept alive day after day”. It requires cooperation between those who are going to medialize the scandal and those who… are the scandal. Journalists and politicians. Politicians’ interest is to be seen (therefore their political party is seen) but not always is scandal the best way how to do this. Journalists’ interest is to sell the news.
However why is the number of political scandals growing? Or it is not growing, we just know much more than we did fifty years ago? Thompson in his The New Visibility thesis focuses on three main factors. It is not because of the moral standards decrease. The moral standards of the politicians are not lower than the moral standards one, two hundred years ago, they are probably still the same. If we have to know why the number of political scandals is growing, we need to focus on the surroundings of the politicians and not only on themselves and their personalities. The first reason is the expansion of the technologies available for the gathering of information and communication. The politicians are more seen, they are closer to the citizens. This means that the interest grows and the media (if they do not want to lose their audience) needs to keep up with that. They need to write more about the politicians, find some personal things that will interests the citizens, they have new ways how to make the coverages. Then it is harder for the politicians to watch their privacy because every media wants to have the best news possible. With the improving technologies it is easier for the journalists to break the politicians’ privacy and find something ‘interesting’. The second factor is the changing culture of journalism. The journalist ship in 19th century was very different than today. Back then, journalists were seen as the investigators with the biggest evolvement before the Watergate Scandal which led to public scepticism. After that in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century the journalism expanded and their own codes and conventions which discouraged them to write about the private lives and affairs of the politicians were liberated. The journalists became more involved in this kind of politicians lives and not just the public appearances and political speeches. The third factor is the changing character of the broader political culture. The social context of the politics changed, and it helped to give scandal a bigger significance in political life today.
In my opinion there are two types of scandals which need to be distinguished. The first type is the ‘private life scandal’. I would include in here those famous sex scandals or mistress scandals or Tony Blair’s moobs. These types of scandals should not have any impact on whether or not we want to elect that person again. Whether the person is a good politician is not given to his loyalty issues to his wife or whether he wears shorts in the summer even though he is not supposed to. The second type of scandals that I think needs to be distinguished are those that have an impact on public life, the lives of the citizens represented by these politicians. These scandals are much more serious because they have a much greater impact on public opinion and the representation of the country in the world.
If I focus on the role of television in these political scandals, I think that nowadays the TV news are not focused on private scandals of politicians as much as in the 80s, 90s of 20th century but rather on those that interfere with public life. This approach is correct, as I think that about these sex scandals and scandals similar to them are presented in the tabloid news and it is not necessary to inform about them on television.
I live in the Czech Republic, so it is natural for me to apply this division and the effect of these scandals on my country. I feel like we as a country are not dealing as much with the private life scandals, but I can say that we have more than enough scandals in the public section of political life.
EXAMPLES FROM POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
As I was born and raised in Czech Republic, I think it is convenient to use examples from my country and I will focus on them in my essay. Unfortunately, for the last few years our political scene is filled with public scandals and excesses.
ANDREJ BABIŠ
The best example is the current prime minister of Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš. He was born in Bratislava, Slovakia but since the Czechoslovakia was separated into two independent states just 25 years ago, he decided to stay in the Czech Republic. When the separation of Czechoslovakia was inevitable, he started his business in a company called AGROFERT, spol. s r.o. Now AGROFERT is the biggest holding in Czech Republic and it owns about 0,7% of all landscape of our country. Babiš also owns the biggest media concern MAFRA a.s. (it publishes two of the most widely read newspapers, radio stations, news websites). In 2011 he founded an initiative called ANO 2011 which means “Akce nespokojených občanů” (in English: Action of unsatisfied citizens). Babiš became the leader of this political party and in 2014 he was appointed as the minister of finance. In 2017 there were election to the Chamber of Deputies. Babiš and his political movement ANO 2011 won the elections and in the end of October, Babiš was charged with framing a new government and Czech president Miloš Zeman appointed him the prime minister of Czech Republic. The government was not framed until now (March 2018).
ČAPÍ HNÍZDO
Babiš’s first and probably biggest and in my opinion also most serious scandal is called “Čapí hnízdo” which is a name of a recreational area near Prague where the riding-hall, cultural centre, hotel, restaurant and a little farm are included. This areal was owned by Andrej Babiš, later he transferred the ownership to his relatives. In 2016 Babiš’s trustworthiness was shook after some conflicting statements about using the European subsidy for building “Čapí hnízdo” areal. This subsidy shall be used only for small or middle-sized companies which Babiš’s AGROFERT is not. There is a suspicion that Babiš purposedly transferred the Čapí hnízdo company to another owner, so it would receive the subsidy. That would be a criminal offence due to Czech Criminal Code. In 2015, Police received a criminal complaint about this. Babiš repeatedly claimed that everything is fine because the subsidy for company was repeatedly inspected by the Office without any discrepancy. After an audit for Ministry of Finance the fine of six million Czech crowns was imposed (it is about 230 thousand euros). After all the fine was forgiven in 99% of the whole amount and AGROFERT had to pay only about 37 thousand Czech crowns which is about 1 500 euros. Until 2016 Babiš denied that he knows something about this and he said that “Čapí hnízdo” is not owned by him but that “it is owned by some company which belongs to the holding of AGROFERT”.
In March 2016, the emergency meeting of the Chamber of Deputies was held and the explanation of the ownership of “Čapí hnízdo” was demanded. Babiš said that owners of the funds of “Čapí hnízdo” are his adult kids Adriana Babišová and Andrej Babiš jr., his partner Monika Herodesová (now Monika Babišová) and his partner’s brother Martin Herodes.
In August 2017 the Chamber of Deputies received a request of removal of immunity of Andrej Babiš (and Jaroslav Faltýnek who is a close friend of Babiš and also first vice-chairman of the political movement ANO 2011). The immune committee recommended the removal of immunity of both of them and the Chamber of Deputies of Czech Parliament voted in September 2017 for extradition for criminal prosecution of the charge with fraud of grants according to the paragraph 212 of the Criminal Code and with damage to the financial interests of the European Union according to the paragraph 260 of the Criminal Code. According to the charges Babiš and Faltýnek were supposed to draw from the European subsidies through a small company although the money was used by AGROFERT company. The damage was almost 50 million Czech crowns (that is almost 2 million euros). After another election to the Chamber of Deputies the removal of immunity was obsolete because Babiš and Faltýnek gained their deputy immunity again when ANO 2011 was elected as one of the parties of the Chamber of Deputies. Police asked for removal of immunity once again after they became the deputies and gained their immunities back. Babiš and Faltýnek were again destitute of immunity and the criminal investigation is about to start any week or month now.
The receiving of the funding from European Union was also investigated by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). First the Ministry of Finance did not publish the final report because of the criminal investigation, after all the online news gave the report to publicity. According to the journalists, the report confirms that the fraud of grants.
The criminal investigation is now in order and we have to wait for the court and the court decision because of the presumption of innocence.
STATE SECURITY POLICE AGENT
In February 2013 the regional court of Bratislava dismissed the suit made by Babiš about him being filed as an agent in documents of State Security Police (StB). Babiš claimed that this is an unjustified accusation. The regional court was bound in their decision by the verdict of Slovak Constitutional Court. It said that the defendant cannot be the Nation’s Memory Institute which has these documents of StB. This proves that Babiš was an agent of the State Security Police in Czechoslovakia which means he did the tasks for the State Security Police in cases of anti-state criminal activity.
The latest news about this scandal is that Andrej Babiš filed an extraordinary appeal to the Slovak Supreme Court.
And this is not even all of course. Andrej Babiš is very controversial politician in Czech Republic and he has many dissenters but apparently not enough. His party won again the elections to the Chamber of Deputies last fall, he was appointed as the prime minister of Czech Republic although he is prosecuted with criminal charges.
I find it kind of sad that after all of this, Andrej Babiš was elected again and now he is the prime minister. It shows the role of populism and people’s way of thinking.
MILOŠ ZEMAN
Another person who is very controversial in Czech politics is the president of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman. When we compare him to Andrej Babiš, his ‘scandals’ are not that significant because it does not involve criminal investigations and charges, no misuse of European Union’s money but Zeman’s speciality is to embarrass the Czech Republic and nation in front of… well, in front of the whole world. Zeman’s views and attitudes are well known worldwide. He does not hide that he supports Russia very much. In 2015 on his visit in China, he said that he admired the Chinese regime. That Chinese regime which does not adhere the basic human rights, that Chinese regime which is ruled by communist party. This denies the idea of democratic state which Václav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic, a former political prisoner, wanted to be present in our country. Twenty-nine years after the Velvet Revolution which led to the end of communism in the Czechoslovakia, twenty-five years after the creation of the Czech Republic.
“HITLER IS GENTLEMAN”
On 27th January 2015 it was the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Zeman made a public speech at the conference ‘Let my people live!’ where he stated that Ferdinand Peroutka, probably the most significant pre-war journalist published an article called “Hitler is gentleman” in the newspaper “Přítomnost”. He said that this is the example how the intellectuals can be fascinated by a monstrous regime. The historians were outraged because according to their opinions the article did not exist. Zeman was convicted that the article is real and he charged his team to find it. The only thing that Zeman added was that he remembers when he read this article because of his photographical memory and that he knows the article was “on the left below”. Then Terezie Kaslová, Peroutka’s granddaughter, filed a lawsuit in which she argued against the violation of the protection of personality. In May 2015 Miloš Zeman announced that if the article won’t be found by his team by the end of June 2015, anyone who will find this article will gain a payoff of one hundred thousand Czech crowns (almost four thousand euros). I consider that really, really strange. Even though he said that the payoff will be paid from his own private money (I mean this does not need to be said, right? Any other option would be really wrong), it was his own responsibility because of his statement and he was supposed to try to find this and not pay anyone else to do this for him. In June 2015, Radmila Kleslová, mayoress of the part Prague 10 announced that she found the article by Ferdinand Peroutka called ‘Hitler is gentleman’ but she also said that the part of this article is missing. But then it was found that this is a falsity which was also proven by the National Museum’s Library.
At the beginning of March 2016, the district court in Prague 1 made a decision that the Chancery of President has to apologize to Kaslová. The apology should be given in letter form and also on their website. The Chancery of President decided that Zeman won’t apologize. They filed an appeal. The decision of the Regional Court for Prague was that the Chancery of President has to apologize. The apology was again not made, and the Chancery of President got a fine.
After all the article was really found in October 2016. But it was not written by Ferdinand Peroutka and it was not published in ‘Přítomnost’ newspaper. The only similar thing is that its title The President’s Office still denies that this was the article that Zeman was talking about.
In my opinion the scandal is not what he said. Everybody makes mistakes, and this can happen. I think scandalous is the way he and his office handled this situation. He could have just apologized and the whole ‘show’ would be over. But no. The lawsuit needs to be made, then he and his office refuses to comply with the judgement of the court which totally undermines the judicial system in the Czech Republic.
BRADY’S STATE HONOUR
Jiří Brady (also known as George Brady) is a Canadian entrepreneur born in Czechoslovakia. He was in two concentration camps – Auschwitz and Terezín. Since 1951 he lives in Canada. He was suggested as the one who should get a state honour many times before. Zeman decided to give him the state honour after a letter from Daniel Herman, the former minister of culture of the Czech Republic who is happened to be Brady’s nephew. The state honours are hand over on 28th October every year as a commemoration of the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918.
Two months before the event, Zeman told Herman that he is going to give to state honour to his uncle Brady in case that Herman won’t meet Dalai Lama who was supposed to be on the conference Forum 2000 in Prague. Zeman also told him that he can meet with Dalai Lama but only as a private figure. However, Herman met Dalai Lama as an official member of the Czech Government. In response to this event, Zeman and three others (President of the Senate Milan Štěch, the incumbent of the Chamber of Deputies Jan Hamáček and the former prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka) released a declaration that they consider Herman’s meeting with Dalai Lama as his personal activity and that they confirm the position of the Czech Republic to China’s politics including the recognition of Tibet as a part of People’s Republic of China. Czech Republic once again imaginary kneeled down to the mud of China. Brady did not receive the state honour. Many Czech politicians, important persons and also the vice-chancellors of the universities expressed their disagreement with this and did not even came to the commemoration. Of course, as always the President’s Office denies this course of events.
The biggest flaw of the president Zeman is that he allies with China and Russia and in this way he undermines the democracy that was built in the Czech Republic after the separation of Czechoslovakia and after the end of communist’s government. He is also not capable of admitting his own mistake and he forces his Office to constant lying and twisting the truth.
Conclusion
Despite Zeman’s and Babiš’s scandals, the Czech people still decided that they are the best what our country needs. Zeman was elected a president for the second term in office and Babiš is now the prime minister. The question is why the scandals do not have any impact on the people’s thinking in the Czech Republic. Is it because they are satisfied with them despite the scandals? Or is it because they are afraid to elect somebody who they do not know? I think that maybe these scandals are not considered as serious as they should be. It is not possible to avoid this news because every newspaper and every TV in the country showed them. Most of the people in the Czech Republic know about this. Maybe they just do not want to admit that the ones they elected are not flawless and they believe that their behaviour is going to be better. It also depends on the kind of news they are seeking for. The only public broadcasting on the TV is “Česká televize” and the others are private companies. President Zeman constantly declines the public debates in the public TV, but before the elections he was on one specific private TV channel almost every week, because the private TVs do not have the duty to be unbiased.
I think the scandal in politics is needed. However, it is necessary to distinguish between what the types of scandals and decide whether it is really necessary to inform the public about it.
In my opinion the private scandals do not belong to the media and they are not needed in politics. They do not help make our own verdict about the person as a politician, as they do not reflect his abilities in political field, but they still shape our perception of that person. Politics do not include personal views on the person’s private behaviour.
On the contrary, I am convinced that public scandals relating to the profession of politicians definitely belong to politics. It increases the interest in politics – in good or bad sense. Although it may seem strange, I think that even if the scandal forces people to find out something new about a person they did not know until now, it is still a good way to increase their involvement in political affairs and then it is just about their personal sympathies.
The role of the politics and the role of the news and their surely changed within the last fifty years. We need to wait how the situation will evolve in the next decades.