A few weeks ago the death was announced of Vaclav Havel, a leader and ex-President of the Czech Republic. It is somewhat ironic that this person was praised and Eulogies were printed about his struggle for democracy and at the same time nothing was written that this same person, when he came to power, did not hesitate to take positions that contradicted his own beliefs and writings.

When he came to power in the early 1990’s Havel called for efforts to preserve the Christian family in a Christian Nation. He presented himself as a man of peace and justice, he declared that he was never going to be an accomplice in the sale of arms to repressive regimes. However, during his time in office, weapons were sold to the Philippines and to Thailand’s’ fascist regime. He also did not object when in June of 1994, General Augusto Pinochet “the Butcher of Democracy in Chile”, went shopping for arms in Czechoslovakia.

Havel also wholeheartedly joined with U.S. President George W. Bush in the Gulf War, an aggression that killed more than 100,000 Iraqi people. Ironically Havel voted, with the new leaders, pro-capitalist Eastern Europe, to condemn the violation of human rights in Cuba, but he never said a word against the violation of these rights, when his government helped repressive regimes, or spoke out against human rights violations in El Salvador, Colombia, Indonesia, or by any other country that allied itself with the US.

Under his Presidency, the Unions lost many more rights. Militant unions who objected, had their entire property confiscated, and given to other Unions that supported his policies.

Why were these facts never revealed by the media?

■ Victor Degiovanni.

Secretary

Communist Party Malta