Having lived in a former eastern block country, as a westerner, one comes in contact with all sorts of new things. Everything from the foods, the cultures and of course the way the governments (dis)function.
Now, we are talking some three decades after the fall of The Berlin Wall and with it the beginning of the end for the totalitarian communist/socialist regimes in that part of the world.
Sure as a newcomer everything seems to be OK, the old buildings, the remarkable new scenery and the big smiles on peoples faces when they find out that you are a “tourist”.... there to have a good time and spend some money.
What does take some time to figure out is the truth!
All of the eastern block countries are still in transition, they are neither totalitarian nor are they democratic.
Some have passed laws lustrating the former members of the former totalitarian regime. Which is definitely an excellent step towards the right direction. However, have they actually solved the issues they face by doing so?
Well, many would say that they have solved their issues with the skeletons in their closets as far as totalitarians of the past go. Somewhat true, in fact very true. The names and faces have changed. At least as far as first glance at the situation goes.
What they seem to conveniently avoid is the fact that prior to voting in and following through with these laws of “Lustration” they were literally in the first stages of transition. A period in which all the big time socialists via their usual methods of political corruption ensured taht their “heirs” all be “looked after” in the appropriate governmental departments.
What the West considers to be political corruption, and what is political corruption without any doubt is an absolutely normal every day occurrence in all of the “former” eastern block countries. To be fair, some countries like Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia and a few others who have taken the first step in ensuring that the laws lustrating the former members of the socialist/communist parties cannot be in public/government positions are light years ahead of many other countries in which such laws have never been enforced or even voted in.
Another problem that all of these countries have and that is probably the major catalyst to these problems I have addressed above is the fact that their constitutions state how all people are equal in the eyes of the law, yet they haven’t changed their judicial system to suit. Namely the same “judge” can put one person in jail today for a crime and later on on the same day free someone else for the same crime. There is no precedence in their judicial system. Even in situations where their supreme courts pass down to the lower courts what they call “instructions” the lower courts do not have to abide by these. Hence just adding fuel to the fire when it comes to “corruption”. Unfortunately in most of the former eastern block countries the people in the judicial system all have very strong roots and ties to the former one party system.
To go further with this topic, I could go into the details that are on a micro level, however that would just be superfluous information on the topic.
The European Union, seems to be avoiding these topics, as it depends upon all these countries when policies are being made. So again, it is a catch 22 situation on an EU level. If the EU parliament were to start enforcing these laws and basic western standards the western politicians in The EU Parliament would see a mass loss of support from the former eastern block members and this would and probably could destabilize the entire EU Parliament. If they keep ignoring all these problems it again shall financially become a burden, because lets not forget the fact about the former eastern “communist/socialist” block, they all had one problem:
Sooner or later they run out of other peoples money to spend!
I can see the same scenario in The European Union, with the same countries who failed with their corruption under the ideological flag of “communism/socialism”.
There is only so much wealth that can be “spent” without it being used in an orderly and proficient manner.
So as a first hand witness to these issues, I have taken this opportunity to make note of it and to pass on this information to those of us out there who do not have the (mis)fortune to experience this first hand.
Luckily for me, there is no “patriotism” involved when I address these issues, it is all just a cold and very emotionless view based on first hand experienced, two decades of it in fact.
So when you read this post, you are not reading the words of a person who has any personal interest in seeing things change in the former eastern block countries. You are reading the words of a person who would like to see the changes start happening so that the children of tomorrow in these countries and in the entire EU do not have to pay the price for inefficiency and political corruption that has been set in its way from 1945 all the way up to today.
I really feel sorry for kids, they are not guilty for anything, yet in less than two decades every child born into these societies where corruption is a way of life, they too have to adapt and become a part of it in order to live a “normal” life. Normal as what to them is “normal”, by no means normal as per western standards.
I hope that this post may encourage some people out there to become aware of the truth and to start thinking a bit about it. So the next time you watch the news and listen to how The EU has brought about a decision, that you keep this in mind and understand how the decisions and policies are in fact based heavily upon “paying off” corrupt state politicians in former eastern block countries.
Nothing new to those who live in those states, however this could be a piece of information that opens up your eyes if you have never come into direct contact with this.
Sad but true. That is all I can say about the reality in which many children have to be brought up in.