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Carolina (English) No 230
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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
Faculty of Social Science of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
e-mail: CAROLINA@cuni.cz
tel: (+42 2) 24810804, ext. 252, fax: (+42 2) 24810987
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
C A R O L I N A No 230, Friday, January 17, 1997.
FROM THE EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK (January 8-15)
Parliament Member Back with Social Democrats
Roughly a month after the Czech Social Democrat Party's (CSSD)
Central Executive Committee (UVV) expelled Josef Wagner and Tomas Teplik
(see Carolina 228), Parliament deputy Wagner rejoined the party's
northern Bohemian branch. In re-establishing his membership January 11,
the Dubi (district Teplice) organization ignored a rule made earlier by
the committee stating that if a local organization wants to accept
a member of Parliament into their group, the move must first be approved
by the Parliamentary Club. Wagner was also chosen to represent the
association at the Bohumin party congress in March. Party Chairman Milos
Zeman refused to comment on Wagner's return to the party, saying only
that all party organizations should respect committee decisions. He also
admitted shortcomings in the party charter, because there is no way to
punish breaches of committee decisions. He did not deny that a proposal
allowing only the committee to reinstate party membership it has revoked
will appear at the Bohumin party congress. However, on a discussion
panel on TV Nova, Deputy Chairwoman Petra Buzkova cited the northern
Bohemian chapter's extension of membership to Wagner as proof of
democracy.
Although the Teplice organization is one of the largest in the
country, its actions were not condoned by all. Before applying with the
organization in northern Bohemia, Wagner's application was rejected in
Vyskov, Plzen, Rokycany, and Kutna Hora.
Third Parliamentary Deputy Resigns Due to Title
Civic Democratic Party (ODS) Parliament deputy Ondrej Zemina
announced his resignation January 14. He will return his parliamentary
mandate because he was using the title Doctor of Law without proper
authorization. He is the third member of Parliament to do so, following
Pavla Jurkova of the Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's
Party and Deputy Prime Minister Jan Kalvoda of the Civic Democratic
Alliance (ODA). Czech daily MF DNES published an ODS pre-election
questionaire January 7, which Zemina had signed using the title. He
maintains that until then he had neither actively nor consciously used
the title. The 30-year-old politician says he resigned in order to
return to politics later.
A special Parliament committee, headed by Karel Ledvinka (ODA), is
to determine which other deputies are using an unauthorized academic
title. All deputies are to submit their academic diplomas by January
28. Ledvinka says that the only punishment can be that names of those
who refuse to submit their diploma or are found to be unrightfully using
the title will be made public.
Titlemania or JUDrgate, as the press calls the affair, started with
Social Democrat Marie Noveska, who had not even graduated from law
school (see Carolina 227 and 228).
President Casts Doubt on Post-Surgical Procedure
Professor Pavel Pafko, who operated on Czech President Vaclav Havel,
asked Miroslav Cerbak, Deputy Minister of Health, to investigate
post-surgical procedures. His request was in reaction to Havel's weekly
radio program Talks from Lany, where the president said January 5 "it
seems that my life was really only hanging by a thread. Whether it had
to be that way or not is something the physicians should discuss among
themselves." Following the operation, Havel was very ill with a lung
infection.
Secretary to the Minister of Health Miroslav Macek says the
situation was "provoked by the new First Lady's characters and their
activities," perhaps in referral to the faith healer she brought to see
Havel. Macek says every patient always wonders, upon arrival home, what
could have been different, and that the phenomenon could be included in
medical study literature.
The Ministry of Health sees no reason to establish a investigative
committee. Health Minister Jan Strasky thanked Pafko and his team for
a successful surgery. The press reported that Pafko accepted the thanks
as satisfaction.
International Committee to Decide Further Treatment
The Czech Committee for the President's Post-surgical Treatment was
dissolved January 10. A new, international oncological committee was
formed to follow Havel's recovery. The team includes Professor Pavel
Pafko, five other Czech doctors, and physicians from Great Britain,
Austria and Belgium. They are to meet January 21 for the first time, and
decide whether Havel needs further cancer treatment.
Michal Serf, the President's personal physician, will resign by the
end of January. Although Serf has been the president's doctor for seven
years, his position weakened during Havel's surgery. Serf refused to
comment. The press reminds us that Serf publicly supported Pafko and his
team.
NEWS IN BRIEF
* The 20th anniversary celebration of Charter 77 (see Carolina 229)
was held in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle. Although President
Havel's health kept him from attending, he had taped a recording to be
played. Human rights violation in the Czech Republic "is luckily no
longer through the will of the state, but that does not increase the
seriousness of such violation, whether the subtext be racist or anything
else," the president said.
* Jiri Padour and Vaclav Maly were installed bishops January 11 at
Prague's Saint Vitus Cathedral. Maly was a dissident during the
Communist regime and was an active figure in the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
* Milos Zeman gave President Vaclav Havel a 50-page document January
14, which according to Zeman proves that a group of people from the
Interior Ministry and the secret service have been following
politicians, adding to the affair which started in October.
FROM SLOVAKIA
Opposition Collects Votes For Direct Presidential Election Petition
A opposition campaign supporting the petition for direct
presidential election started in larger Slovak cities January 9.
According to the Blue Alliance (Jan Carnogursky's Christian Democratic
Movement, the Democratic Party led by Langos, and Jozef Moravcik's
Democratic Union), a constitutional crisis is possible in spring 1998
when Parliamentary elections take place. A head of state would
definitely not be elected in today's situation, where a three-fifths
majority in Parliament is necessary for electing the president. The
government coalition (Movement for a Democratic Slovakia, Slovak
National Party, Slovak Workers' Association) does not have the necessary
number of votes. In such a stalemate, the old government, with its
mandate at an end at the time of Parliament elections, would not be able
to resign. President Kovac's term of office will end three months before
these elections.
About 2,000 people assembled on Slovak National Uprising Square in
Bratislava to express their support of the petition January 9. President
Kovac also signed the petition; however, he has not decided whether he
will run for re-election.
From SME, MF Dnes and VTV reports
Controversial Language Law Comes into Effect
Sanctions in the state language law approved in November 1995 came
into effect January 1. In accordance with the law's provisions on
sanctions, offenses against the controversial law can be penalized by
sums of 50,000 crowns to 500,000 crowns. However, it is not completely
clear yet who can be penalized.
Daily MF DNES published a report (from the CTK news agency) that
the sanctions also apply to private citizens; Slovak pro-Meciar
commercial television station VTV, however, claims the sanctions can
apply only to corporations, politicians, public servants and social life
representatives. In addition, all films dubbed in Czech (which are more
or less ubiquitous in Slovakia) must be labeled with a warning that they
are not proper for children under 12. At the same time, VTV itself has
the majority of its foreign productions dubbed in Czech.
Offenses against the language law will be handled by language
commissars, who, for the time being, are only giving warnings. Whether
a movie is proper for children under 12 will be decided by a special
commission of the Culture Ministry.
IN BRIEF
* The rate of inflation in Slovakia reached 5.8 per cent in 1996, the
lowest rate in post-communist Europe.
* The state budget of Slovakia ended up with a preliminary 27 billion
crowns deficit, which corresponds to original projections.
* Anna Nagyova left her post as personal secretary to Premier
Vladimir Meciar (her resignation was rumored from December).
* EuroTel Bratislava is going to bring the GSM digital telephone
network into trial service January 20 (commercial service is to be
started February 20).
* Slovak Railroads is preparing to start modernization this year of
the two most important lines in Slovakia, which connect the cities Kuty,
Bratislava and Sturovo (the international Berlin - Prague - Budapest
line, which connects to the first corridor built in the Czech Republic),
and Bratislava with Zilina.
* At the end of October, according to the Statistical Office of the
Slovak Republic, 5,377,600 people lived in Slovakia, of which 51.3 per
cent were women (46,100 children were born and 38,000 people died during
the first three quarters of 1996).
ECONOMY
1996 Czech Inflation Rate - 8.8 Per Cent
According to the daily Pravo, last year's inflation rate of 8.8 per
cent can be considered a success when taking into account the dramatic
development in inflation during the year, "because it means continuation
of the trend of gradual decrease in consumer price growth, which began
in 1994". Pravo, however, reminds readers that the government's 8.1
inflation rate prognosis was not as correct.
The Czech Statistical Office predicts 1997's inflation rate will
oscillate between 7.5 per cent and 8 per cent, while the consumer
prices, e.g. living costs, rents and energy, will be deregulated
gradually in the same period.
Exchange Rates at the Czech National Bank
(valid from January 16)
country currency
------------------------------------------
Great Britain 1 GBP 46.106
France 1 FRF 5.105
Japan 100 JPY 23.456
Canada 1 CAD 20.460
Austria 1 ATS 2.451
Slovakia 100 SKK 85.328
Germany 1 DEM 17.241
Switzerland 1 CHF 19.974
USA 1 USD 27.528
ECU 1 XEU 33.512
SDR 1 XDR 39.202
CULTURE
New Ballet Theater Brings World Stars to Prague
From January 14 the capital city has two ballet troupes. In addition
to the National Theater there is now the Prague Ballet Theater, which
presents its performances on the State Opera's stage. Tchaikovsky's
Nutcracker was the first premiere, and an evening of romantic ballets
will follow.
Through artistic director Jana Kurova, the Prague Ballet Theater is
connected to the Czech Ballet Theater Foundation, which has presented
the World Stars Gala since 1995, where renowned dancers and ballerinas
perform. According to Kurova, ballet fans have missed the experience of
regular performances from these masters. So in the Nutcracker, Susan
Jaffe and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet soloist Jose Manuel Carreno were
featured.
Prague Ballet Theater tickets cost between 20 crowns and 530 crowns,
with the lowest-priced seats at 150 crowns.
International Dance Week Jubilee Anniversary
The Prague Laterna Magica theater hosted the 10th annual
International Dance Week festival January 6-11. The festival, organized
by the Dance Center of Prague, not only presented dance groups'
performances, but also served as a meeting place for young artists in
the field. The festival thus consisted of two parts: the second,
educational part was dedicated in particular to dancers, students and
teachers of dance schools, and consisted of workshops, videoscreenings,
seminars and panel discussions led by renowned domestic and world
experts. Evening performances were dedicated to the general public.
This year's festival program presented new choreography from the
Prague Chamber Ballet and the Ostrava Theater ballet group. The
opportunity to show their skill was given also to the students of ballet
conservatories and to young choreographers from the Academy of Music
Arts. One evening was devoted to the activities of ballet departments at
elementary art schools.
The organizers would like to invite some famous foreign groups next
year as well, however budget possibilites will not allow it.
Theater News Survey
The staging of Thomas Bernhard's drama Ritter, Dene, Voss at
Prague's Na zabradli Theater, directed by Antonin Pitinsky, was voted
the best theater performance of year in a survey organized by the
monthly Theater News. The same director won last year's survey with the
staging of Sister Anxiety (Sestra Uzkost), performed in Dejvice Theater.
Pitinsky also finished second in the 1996 survey with his direction of
the drama Jeji pastorkyna in the Zlin City Theater. Theater News
organized the fourth-annual survey by asking 71 theater experts,
translators and theater professionals. Its results serve as an indicator
for the Alfred Radok Prizes, awarded by the theater critics for the best
staging of the year.
Smoke Kicks Off Redistribution
Six years after its premiere, Tomas Vorel's film Smoke (Kour) is
returning to theaters. The film, which had its second premiere January
10 in Prague's Illusion Theater, somewhat fell by the wayside in its
first run. Immediately after 1989 theater and film were in crisis, on
the silver screen foreign films, by and large Hollywood grist, began to
squeeze out Czech production. The showing in Illusion, the only cinema
where the film is being presented, was rather successful. The filmmakers
then decided to make new copies and return the title into distribution.
The quasi-musical, which faithfully and yet exaggeratedly pictures the
days of totalitarianism, is now getting its second wind.
SPORT
Hockey Extraleague Plays 33rd and 34th Rounds
Plzen, getting better and better, lost a televised match with
Litvinov 3-4. The next day, Vsetin proved its leadership with a 6-2 win
over Kladno. Nor did Vitkovice hesitate, defeating Jihlava 4-0. The
excellent play of Opava could not save its lead, ending in a tie with
Pardubice 2-2. Other results: Olomouc - Zlin 3-3, Trinec - Slavia Praha
2-0, Sparta Praha - Budejovice 7-4.
The bombardment in Litvinov ended up with a 5-8 Sparta Praha loss.
Slavia Praha destroyed Opava 7-2 and the Zlin Roosters got a valuable
scalp of Trinec, 4-3. Other results: Budejovice - Vsetin 1-4, Vitkovice
- Olomouc 2-1, Pardubice - Plzen 3-2, Jihlava - Kladno 1-2.
Vsetin leads the standings after 34 rounds, Vitkovice and Pardubice
have six points less. Opava is still last.
Sparta Praha Will Start in European League Finals
Sparta Praha hockey players repeated their January 10 Extraleague
win in a European League match and defeated Budejovice 9-3. Their
opponent's poor play helped Sparta to get to the final four - with
Frolunda (Sweden), Dynamo Moscow (Russia) and TPS Turku (Finland).
TPS Turku advanced to the finals over another Czech team, Litvinov.
The Czech players started the match well, but the final win 4-2 belonged
to Finns.
Radomir Simunek Gets Sixth Czech Cyclocross Title
Radomir Simunek, 34-year-old cyclocrosser, got his sixth Czech
championship title January 11 in Kolin. He broke his uncle Milos
Fisera's record of five titles. Simunek is the most successful Czech
cyclocrosser ever, and the first from any nation to become world
champion in all three categories - juniors, amateurs and professionals.
Jiri Pospisil finished second nine seconds behind him and Zdenek
Mlynar was third, who thus won the under-23 category.
Skiing: Katerina Neumannova Twice Second in Japan
Czech representative Katerina Neumannova got two excellent second
places in the cross-country World Cup in Hakuba, Japan. She finished
twice behind Belmondo (Italy), in the 5 km classic race and in the 5 km
classic and 10 km freestyle combination.
Juniors Star in Gold Ski Race
Juniors Martin Koukal and Katerina Hanusova's wins over Czech
national team members surprised all in the 59th year of the Golden Ski
(Zlata lyze) cross-country races in Nove Mesto na Morave.
Slovakia's Bukvajova won the January 11 10 km classic race, seven
seconds before the next Czech junior, Rajdlova. In the January 12 5 km
freestyle, only Hanusova finished the race under 15 minutes. The best
Czech national team member, Zelingerova, finished sixth the first day
and fifth the second day.
The men's 15 km classic event brought a nice battle, won by
Sweden's Majback only 10 seconds before five-time Olympic medalist
Kirvesniemi (Finland). Koukal finished third. And because Majback did
not start the January 12 10 km freestyle (he was sick), Kirvesniemi got
the final first place. The top Czech team member, Korunka, finished
sixth.
WEATHER
The persevering winter is causing complications. There seems to be
more snow in town than in the mountains. After New Year's unsatisfactory
snow clean-up, the director of technical management of co-ordination in
Prague was fired, and in the mountains icy ski runs are causing
injuries. Frozen surfaces and fog were the cause of a number of
chain-reaction accidents on the highways.
CREDITS
Carolina has been published since October 1991. Carolina is prepared
by freshmen students attending a workshop of journalistic creative
writing led by PhDr. Lida Truneckova.
Today's issue was co-authored by David Simonik (domestic political
news), Jan Potucek (news from Slovakia), Ondrej Slavik (culture news),
Vit Bartek (hockey), Simona Malkovska (other sports news) and
near-graduate Mirek Langer (ballet).
Translation by Andrea Snyder, Denisa Vitkova, Mirek Langer and Milan
Smid. English version co-translated and edited by Michael Bluhm.
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ANNOUNCING: The International Study Program of the Faculty of Social
Sciences. Beginning in February 1997, a one-semester English-language
program will be offered twice a year in Central and Eastern European
Studies, with a selection of courses in modern history and recent
political and economic developments in the region. Some courses are also
available in German. For further information contact Cyril Simsa at:
E-mail-- svoz@mbox.fsv.cuni.cz
Phone-- 42/2/2481 0804
Fax-- 42/2/2481 0987
When e-mailing, please include a regular mailing address so an
information packet can be sent without delay.
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