Czech President Miloš Zeman wants to fight the mafia, neo-Nazis, and some media

Miloš Zeman wants to fight against the mafia, neo-Nazis, and a large part of the media whom he believes are focused on "brainwashing" during his term as president. In his inaugural speech at Prague Castle he also offered his office as a neutral space for dialogue between organizations and political parties.

Zeman said his aim is to be a facilitator and moderator, not a judge, as he does not believe that is appropriate for the president. He said his first aim would be to calm and stabilize the Czech political scene.

Islands of negative deviance

Zeman called the mafia, neo-Nazi militants, and some media outlets "islands of negative deviance". When he spoke about the media, the hall full of politicians applauded, but did not respond to his statements about the mafia or neo-Nazis.

The president is convinced that a law requiring asset and income reporting that would make it possible to confiscate stolen property would be of most assistance to the fight against the "economic mafia" who are just "sucking" the blood of society without contributing anything to it. "I will patiently do my best to convince MPs and senators to adopt such a law," Zeman said.

"A second such island of negative deviance is, in my opinion, formed by the neo-Nazi militants who sometimes horse around in the streets of our towns. Their members profess an ideology which would lead to the extirpation of the Czech nation and of their very selves if it were to win," Zeman said. In the case of the media, the president spoke, among other things, about "long-winded commentators who write about everything and understand nothing."

Islands of positive deviance

Zeman said he intends to support "islands of positive deviance", whom he views as figures who are of benefit to the country. "Among others, these include entrepreneurs along the Baťa model who reinvest their profits into the area of their business and create new jobs through new investment, reducing unemployment, and paying their taxes into the state coffers properly," Zeman said.

He also mentioned successful mayors and leading personalities in the areas of culture, health care, the schools, science and sport.

"I would like to meet with these personages and expand the number of state awards given today, because I believe many people have contributed to the development of the Czech Republic through their life’s work and deserve such appreciation," the president noted. He also expressed appreciation in his speech for the millions of people performing "honest, small-scale work" and said he would like to meet with them most often during his trips to the regions to account to them for his decisions.

"Prayer"

Even though he professes to be a "tolerant atheist", Zeman closed his first speech as president with a "prayer": "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

Zeman gave his entire speech without notes. He has previously stated that those who read speeches show only that they know how to read.

Full translation of Czech President Miloš Zeman’s inaugural address

Dear Mr President Klaus, Madame Klausová, Madame Havlová, members of the Government, members of the legislature, honored guests:

I am here before you as the first president of the Czech Republic to have been elected directly by the citizens. I am aware of the enormous responsibility I bear and I am prepared to live up to it.

First I would like to thank all the citizens who voted for me. I have received many congratulations from all over the republic, and because it is beyond my power to answer them each individually, permit me to thank you all at least in this way.

Permit me also to express my appreciation for all of the citizens who voted for my opponent. I appreciate that they participated in the elections and exercised their active citizenship.

Each of us has sometimes lost and sometimes won in this life. I know how difficult it is to bear the weight of defeat, but I also know it is difficult to resist the seduction of victory.

This is why I said I want to be the president of all of our citizens, irrespective of their political opinions. I am aware that I cannot meet this obligation through mere words, but I will have to meet it primarily through concrete actions during my time in office.

I also said I want to be the voice of the lower 10 million unprivileged citizens, because the privileged have long had their voice, or rather their voices. I intend to discuss my ideas for collaboration between the President of the Republic, the Government and Parliament with representatives of those institutions, so permit me to concentrate on this particular occasion on the three basic aims that I consider connected to executing the office of the presidency.

The first aim is to calm and stabilize the Czech political scene. I am fully aware that without the support of the public this task would be unattainable for any individual, but I govern my actions by the principle that it is "better to light at least one candle than to curse the darkness".

I therefore offer the Office of the President as a neutral space for dialogue between all parliamentary parties, as well as all significant organizations in this society, whether they be labor unions, employers’ unions, or other institutions.

As a president who is neither directly nor indirectly linked to any parliamentary party, I offer to play the role of facilitator and moderator, should the parties desire, but under no circumstances will I play the role of judge, because that is not appropriate for the President of the Republic.

I am basing this on my experience of previously managing to bring the two strongest parties in Parliament to an agreement that was upheld without exception, making it possible for the Czech Republic to get out of its previous economic crisis and to revive economic growth. I believe that on a much broader basis of truthful and, if possible, friendly dialogue between all of the relevant stakeholders, we will succeed in finding the common denominator in the interest of the Czech Republic’s further development and the defense of her real national interests.

The second aim I consider important to executing the office of the presidency is supporting what I have been calling "islands of positive deviancy" for more than 20 years now. These are islands of above-average performance, personages who benefit our country through their life’s work.

Among others, these include entrepreneurs along the Baťa model who reinvest their profits into the area of their business and create new jobs through new investment, reducing unemployment and paying their taxes into the state coffers properly.

These are successful mayors who have managed to improve their municipality or town. These are leading personalities from the areas of culture, health care, the schools, science or sport. I would like to meet with these personages and expand the number of state awards given today, because I believe many people have contributed to the development of the Czech Republic through their life’s work and deserve such appreciation.

However, I have not forgotten that millions of people live in this republic who perform, to use the words of Masaryk, that honest, obscure, patient, and small-scale work. It is precisely these people who are the salt of the earth, the living ground from which such excellent figures grow. That is why I would like to meet most often with such people on my visits to each region and regularly give an accounting to them of my presidential activities.

In addition to supporting these islands of positive deviance, however, a president must also fight against the islands of negative deviance. One of the most dangerous of those islands is the mafia who are like parasites on the body of Czech society, sucking its blood and not returning any added value to it, whether in the form of new investments or properly paid taxes.

For a long time I have been deeply convinced that the most effective tool in the fight against these economic mafia would be a law requiring asset and income reporting that would make it possible to confiscate illegally acquired (i.e., stolen) property. Even though the president does not have the power to initiate legislation, I will patiently do my best to convince MPs and senators to adopt such a law.

A second such island of negative deviancy is, in my opinion, the neo-Nazi militants who sometimes horse around in the streets of our towns. Their members profess an ideology which would lead to the extirpation of the Czech nation and of their very selves if it were to win.

I consider the third island of negative deviancy to be a large part of the Czech media, the part that is focused on brainwashing, manipulating public opinion, media massage, the part whose representatives excel at a remarkable combination of maximum self-confidence and minimum knowledge. Long-winded commentators who write about everything and understand nothing remind me of Čapek’s definition of a literary critic as a person who advisers authors on how he would write a book – if only he knew how.

A president must support successful figures who benefit society, as these people are often surrounded by envious stupidity. He must constantly tell them "Don’t let yourself be bothered by all that", and to the envious dunces who have never done their own honest work, he must constantly say "Stop bothering everyone".

Ladies and gentlemen, I am aware that I cannot execute these three tasks alone. I am therefore offering the hand of friendship for collaboration, irrespective of political affiliation, to all who consider these three tasks important and are willing to contribute toward their fulfillment.

And now please permit me, even though I am a tolerant atheist, to close with a prayer that many of you know:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference."

Thank you for your attention.