Test of Polish conscience
Fr. IRENEUSZ SKUBIŚ
Today let us focus on conscience. It can be defined as the ability to evaluate one’s behaviour as consistent or not consistent with the accepted ethical norms, the awareness of moral responsibility for one’s deeds. Therefore, living in this world we evaluate reality, including the social and political reality, in this way. Pupils will follow their conscience to evaluate education and teachers in their schools and. Similarly, workers will evaluate their places of work. We all will look at our Homeland in this light – through our conscience.
Those who will go to vote in the nearest presidential elections have a very important task to perform. They must elect a man who will represent them, who will express what they want. If we want to have the values, appreciated and promoted and defined as Christian, we should vote for such a candidate that preserves and promotes them. For the good of the country it is extremely important to have a president who has knowledge about economy, is surrounded by competent people and to the highest degree could secure what is mot important to us. However, the most important thing is the sincerity of his views and authentic desire to work for the good of all people and not for some group of citizens. For example, one cannot vote for someone that pretends and creates a beautiful image of himself. We are looking for a candidate who will be sincere and worthy.
Each citizen should follow his/her citizen’s conscience that commands us to vote. Omission of this duty testifies about the fact that we do not care what Poland will be like, what our family and school will be like, what will be the conditions of education for future Polish generations, whether people will be better off or their material situations will get worse. A citizen who is not interested in elections seems not to care whether an honest man or a swindler becomes a president.
Here we also discuss the problem of the biding election systems: voting for the representatives of the big parties or single mandate constituencies where each candidate collects his/her votes and the one that collects the biggest number of votes wins. Today the party option is prevalent although it seems to have negative aspects: the party leader imposes his/her own way of thinking on others and in some sense he or she is a dictator and other must submit to him/her. In some cases there is a party regime, which creates a big threat to democracy and taking right decisions. But a proper management of the electoral reality has not been worked out yet.
Party leaders want to win elections and when they are successful they can become ruthless, independent and begin to think that have the right to do anything they want. Today we can see the example of the acting president who is the Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski. He seems to use the situation for the benefits of his party and makes quick nominations, signs controversial bills, for example the bill on the Institute of National Remembrance although people would like him to consider the will of the late president and be more cautious while taking such important decisions. Such activities are not praiseworthy and do not help him win common esteem. This is a question of citizen’s conscience of politicians at whom we should look carefully because their behaviours show their reliability, sincerity and attitude towards the common good. I want to mention that according to the Internet the acting president has already signed 45 bills! Why is he in such a big hurry? The canon law has the principle ‘Sede vacante, nihil innovetur’ – when the See is vacant they are no innovations. I think that this principle should be biding in the state legislation, too.
During the presidential elections in the Republic of Poland we have the chance to verify our citizen’s conscience. The thing is to elect such a candidate that will secure the good of our Homeland and citizens’ future. Poland is most important because we have our homes and families here. If we do not sell our Homeland – strangely enough some politicians care for that – we may be saved.
Therefore, let us guard our Poland as we guard our homes, father’s land. We should follow the examples of many European countries, which are rich and respected, caring for their properties, welfare of their citizens, have worthy people on right positions; countries acting with honour when the situation is out of their control. And what about us? How often do we hear about the authorities who are not worthy of their posts? The example is the gambling bill.
The true elite of the nation is eminent people who deal with the most important matters concerning the Homeland in an honest, reliable and demanding way. Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and the Holy Father John Paul II fought for men and women of conscience. Since we can win Poland only with such men and women.
"Niedziela" 24/2010