Twenty-three people – including pop singer Karel Gott – awarded country’s highest honours

On Wednesday, October 28, leading politicians, cultural figures, veterans, and others marked the 91st anniversary of the founding of the independent Czechoslovak state. Ceremonies, as every year, were held throughout the country paying homage to those who fought for Czech statehood, while in the evening the country’s highest honours were awarded by the president.

The country’s highest honours are traditionally awarded in Prague Castle’s stately Vladislav Hall and once again this October 28th the hall was packed with notable guests, from the country’s top politicians, former prime ministers and a former president: Václav Havel. All were in the audience as the current head-of-state Václav Klaus commemorated this year’s holiday, addressing guest and TV viewers at home, before handing out this year’s honours.

Václav Klaus, photo: CTK

Among several topics in his speech: the need for greater involvement in the democratic process by voters as well as a greater acceptance of responsibility within the parliamentary system - which he called the best of all possible systems, though not without its flaws or weaknesses.

In the second half of the ceremony, the president recognised 23 people for outstanding sacrifice or contributions to their country, among them, individuals who fought against the Nazi occupation or Czechoslovakia’s Stalinist regime. Anděla Dvořáková, 82, who organised members of the Czech resistance; the late Otakar Černý, who died at the age of 89 just two weeks ago - a former RAF airman who was sentenced to prison by the Communists; or Josefina Napravilová, 94, who worked to find children who had been stolen from their families by the Nazis during World War II.

Anděla Dvořáková, photo: CTK

Also awarded on Wednesday was Josef Váňa - the legendary jockey who recently won the famous Velká Pardubická steeplechase for the sixth time. The most surprising and only controversial choice was Czech pop legend Karel Gott. It was his inclusion on Wednesday that caused the most stir, given the highly-successful singer prospered as few others under the former regime. Some critics slammed the choice of the singer for an Order of Merit, among them critic Jan Rejžek, who I spoke to on Thursday morning:

“I see his inclusion as scandalous and very problematic. My view is that the president should honour people who were persecuted by the former regime, whether they were pilots or political prisoners. And it strikes me as distasteful when someone is honoured for quote unquote ‘only’ being good at what they do - without the same level of merit. I am a bit disappointed that Karel Gott didn’t have the good sense to decline; after all 24 years ago he was awarded another high honour - the title of ‘National Artist’ - by President Gustav Husák."

Karel Gott, photo: CTK

While Mr Gott’s inclusion has raised some eyebrows, there are others who will agree with the president’s choice. Meanwhile, comparisons to Mr Klaus’s predecessor, Václav Havel, twenty years after the Velvet Revolution, are also inevitable. By contrast, when he was president Mr Havel named singer Marta Kubišová – banned by the former regime – for an Order of Merit. The former president also feted the famous underground band The Plastic People of the Universe at Prague Castle in 1997 - the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Charter 77 human rights movement.