Corruption in Czech

I would like to tell you the story about my numerous telephone calls to my mortgage company and the solicitors today, however, it is far too traumatic for me to re-live for the record, suffice to say, it didn't go well and I am still astonished at the incompetence shown by 2 supposedly professional organisations! Instead, I feel the need to remark on an article from www.stuff.co.nz outlining and commenting on 'Corruption in the Czech Republic'. It's fascinating to me, and hard to believe, having lived my life in the UK, to read the opening paragraph about a young Czech man named Tomas who needs the papers passed on registering a new car purchase for his business, so, he simply tucks 200Kc in the middle of the paper work as a 'sweetener' when handing it over at the vehicle registration office! It is one simple example that shows corruption is still prevelant in a country just 2 years into it's membership of the EU. The article goes on to say how 'Bribery is simply a part of life' Apparently, 1 in 3 Czechs have paid a bribe and don't seem concerned about doing so. It appears from my reading, that the sector suffering the most from this 'disease' is the public sector with sport being another-- "no, not sport" I hear you say! It doesn't matter if your talking about the multimillion pound end of sport or the guy who referees the local league volley ball game. Match fixing can be lucrative. They are trying to combat the bribe culture, with an agency named "Transparency International" So, maybe in 50 years we'll notice the difference? But I would still agree with the final quote of the article "corruption is the trade mark of the Czech Republic"

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