About certainty in uncertainty
Fr. IRENEUSZ SKUBIŚ
It is still hard for us to recover after the April events. It was a disaster for Poland that does her best to follow the best world norms as a free, sovereign and democratic state. The picture, which has been shown, is filled with sorrow and tears of the relatives of all the victims of the plane crash and practically the impossibility to replace them as far as the functions are concerned. Besides, new questions and doubts concerning the causes of this crash arise and we are impatiently waiting for the explanations and answers.
At the same time we have the picture of Poland of President Lech Kaczynski. It was a very brave picture when various powers wrestled. Today we can see well what role the media, involved in the political-party struggle and far from being objective, played in the Polish political dispute. Being generally blind and without any scruples they targeted at such an important person as the President of the Republic of Poland and managed to pester, insult, ridicule and mock him with cynicism. Only after the death of President Kaczynski we learnt that he had been a sympathetic and nice person and his marriage with Maria Kaczynska had been faithful and loving. Yet it often happens differently in the circles of the authorities – when one spouse achieves some social or material status the spouse looks for a new ‘wife’ or a new ‘husband’. In fact, the picture of the whole presidential party was very unfavourable.
Looking at all these matters we know one thing: we would like to see changes for better. And it seems that we have the chance to see them. Since a very important thing happened – the nation, including numerous young people, did not follow the media. Despite of what we had been given crowds paid homage to the Presidential Couple. The decisive factor was real and deep feelings, friendship and cordiality as well as objective evaluation. Good and wisdom won. Man won. And this gives us hope: if we have wise society we will not be deceived by the media; people will have their own thinking and will always win.
The same applies to our decisions concerning presidential elections as well as the future election of local governments. The important thing is that all people go to vote and vote according to their consciences. Since everything depends on the nation. One should not listen to manipulators; those that overuse their possibilities. One should follow one’s conscience and the voice of one’s heart. They are always most objective. Our going to the streets to pay tribute to the Presidential Couple and all those that had lost their lives in the crash at Smolensk was an expression of our attitude. The nation actually voted in this way.
We would like very much the result of the presidential election to show that patriotism wins and not conformism, which does not let us identify with our Homeland, our culture, history, the reason of state. We, Poles, must care for our identity. If we lose it, we will lose everything and we will not have our own name; we will vanish in the tangle of other cultures. Let us look at Western Europe that egoistically cares for itself and how proud it is. Let us notice what happened in Greece and how this country is humiliated as if the powerful people of this world wanted to see it on the kneels. We should not fall to our knees – we must be normal. President Kaczynski understood that well. In the international forum he always had his own opinion, respecting others but first of all he cared for the Polish reason of state. It was not indifferent to him what Poland would be like and what her stand would be. One should know that and vote for those who follow his policy.
We have the chance to find our place in public life. There are still good pro-Polish programmes. We have some press that represents the Polish point of view, that respects our national history and identity. So the fate of our Homeland rests in the hands of our society. We must only think wisely and soundly as well as follow the principle of big national prudence.
In the meantime the presidential duties have been taken over by Parliament Speaker. Let us look carefully how he fulfils the tasks that late President Kaczynski had. And we should know that we have the right to demand political culture and respect for the values that the President and his cabinet, elected by the nation, represented.
We must also be alert about the investigation concerning the crash of the presidential plane. We cannot go past this tragedy. It calls for the truth about Poland.
"Niedziela" 20/2010