A tale of two countries’ corrupt prime ministers

Just for once, let’s state the obvious: It is very likely that the prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, not only knew everything about the US corruption charges — knew who were the accused, knew what they were accused of, knew what they actually did, and knew the evidence the US had against them, but, by far the most important of all, it is also very likely that the accused had been doing it with an explicit or implicit nod from Orban all along.

Now here is the difference between Hungary’s current government and governments in other countries: Other countries have corrupt politicians too, all the way up to the prime minister. Canada is a star example, with two criminal prime ministers who were up to their ears in corruption not long ago: Brian Mulroney and Jean Chretien.

Now, although both corrupt Canadian prime ministers had their day in court, both beat the charges against them. So things are not all that well with the Canadian judicial system.

Four men sit round the tax man and blow smoke in his face / C. Wellcome. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Four men sit round the tax man and blow smoke in his face / C. Wellcome. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

But here’s the big difference: if their respective charges of corruption had been brought out while they were in office as prime minister, they would both immediately have resigned (even if their party had a 2/3 majority!).

That’s because although there is corruption, and the judicial system is not always in the best of health, democracy is alive and well in Canada.

It is simply inconceivable that a Canadian prime minister could have stonewalled with these goings-on taking place on their watch, the way Orbán is doing, while still in office, openly, and with complete impunity. Not only would the judicial system (as well as his fellow politicians) have taken him down if he did not openly investigate corruption charges in his tax office, but the Canadian people would never have stood for it — nor would Canada’s free press.

Let’s hope the Hungarian people are beginning to wake up.

And make no mistake about it: This is about Orbán, the rotten apple at the core of the Hungarian body politic, though the rot seems to have metastasized to all of the Fidesz party too.

Chances are that Orbán would be voted out, if elections were taking place today (though his media control might still have trumped that). The head-shaker is that things like this have been known for years, and till now the populace’s response has been to just shrug and say “They’re all corrupt!”

Perhaps. But when they are caught out they need to be given the boot.

And Orbán will be given the boot — the only question is how long (and much) it will take.

Stevan Harnad

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