It is about being responsible and not mediagenic
Fr Ireneusz Skubis
Flood. A tragic word, especially for those who have been afflicted: they lost their houses, properties and even family members. The ruthless element took everything. What is left is people crying, helpless and with empty hands. We can see great dramatic situations in many places and many families. This is another Polish tragedy. This time it is a little different and it touches ordinary people. But pain, sorrow and big misery are the same. Ruined properties, roads, disturbed work as well as social and state life.
Of course, the state cannot be replaced as far as protection of its citizens against such similar situations is concerned. The state must be cautious and foresee what dangers can threat the nation. Several months ago the Government Inspectorate stated that our country was not sufficiently prepared to floods: it did not even have suitable maps of endangered areas, sufficient lists of needs in case of disaster; it did not build new reservoirs and did not clean the so-called water flows, etc. And the disaster occurred. One should ask, ‘where is responsibility for the country? Do those responsible for this country, for its all structures, realise that it is them that are responsible for that?’ They are paid for this job, sometimes their pay is very big, and should be held accountable. But we can hear, ‘Water naturally comes and goes’ or ‘I have not chosen your borough leader’ as if only the leader decided to protect the whole region or area against flooding. We must have whole structures, law, parliamentary groups and all kinds of consultants to work on it. We should have funds for cases of cataclysms when people lose all that they have worked for in one moment and it is not their fault.
Recently, after the plane crash at Smolensk, we have talked that the state must protect their citizens when they are abroad and something wrong happens. The state must implement tools to examine the circumstances and causes of the crash and it should not rely only on others. The same should apply to internal affairs of the state. These are serious problems. And we do not mean that someone has a smaller or bigger list of witty expressions or shower empty assurances that it is going to be fine, but we want to deal with responsible people, true statesmen.
In the period of a new national tragedy we have the right to ask, ‘Has Poland such statesmen, responsible people who know how to react in difficult situations and do concrete good for people and the state? Have we such MPs who do not look for their own interests, caring only for their financial profits, but for whom people are most important? Have we people who follow principles?’
During the time of great powerlessness and helplessness we would like to feel stronger thanks to wise people who want to govern our country. Today we ask for such people loudly and firmly.
"Niedziela" 22/2010