For better or for worse

It was difficult at times yesterday to tell whether Czechs were more engaged in celebrating 20 years of freedom or in lamenting a partially missed opportunity. ODS Chair Mirek Topolánek says that the rising frustration and disillusionment in Czech society has been magnified by the economic crisis, and ex-Interior Minister Jan Ruml lays much of the blame squarely on Václav Klaus. He surrounded himself by people of the old regime who considered him the guru of the very change that would benefit mainly them, Ruml said. They took advantage of the situation to steal the country blind, he added. The consensus among many Czechs is that change must come again. The problem is that everyone has a different idea of what is needed, and no leader is emerging. The challenge will be to ensure that when the next big change finally arrives, it's in fact an improvement on the current situation.