Czechoslovakia: Making Haste Slowly

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While it has brought the euphoria of free expression and an undeniable sense of exciting evolution to Czechoslovakia liberalizing regime of Alexander Dubček has been unable so far to deliver much in the way of tangible reforms. One reason is that since he took over last January, Party Boss Dubček has had to move with caution while he measured Russian reactions. Another is the plain impossibility of dismantling overnight the barnacled apparatus of a hard-lining Communist state. Last week Dubček finally acted against the conservative Communists remaining in both the government and the party who fear and resent the promised economic and political changes. At a meeting of the Czechoslovak Central Committee Dubček ousted his predecessor, Antonin Novotný, from the committee—his last position of influence—and suspended the party membership not only of Novotný, but also of six former collaborators until their share in the political trials of the past is clarified."

Novotný's farewell performance was entirely in character. He reportedly tried to win votes by threatening to reveal stories about bribes taken by committee members in the past; then, when the committee debate went against him he broke into tears. Dubček had come armed with a batch of petitions from workers, students and other Czechoslovaks who called for the dismissal from the committee of Novotný's entire faction. He warned the committee that the party's capacity for action was threatened by "those forces who by words recognize the correctness of the new policy, but have not yet overcome their old opinions." In the end, the vote of the 110 committeemen was unanimous; even the 40 or so conservatives dutifully raised their hands against Novotný.

Winners & Losers. The vote may herald the start of a tougher campaign to force the resignation of others who served under Novotný and who still hold most of the top jobs in the government and in local party cells across the country. Only about 100 people, most of them unrepentant Stalinists and top Cabinet ministers, have lost their jobs in recent months—and almost all have been allowed to resign with dignity. An exception was the hated former Chief of Security, Miroslav Mamula, who was fired. He then got a job at a factory workbench, but when his fellow workers recognized him, they hounded him until he quit. In fact, the lash of public opinion has been harsher than that of Dubček. The suicides of 29 officials in recent weeks are attributed to TV and press exposés of their past roles in the Stalinist terror.