Instead of explanations we have invectives
Wieslawa Lewandowska talks to Antoni Macierewicz about the MAK report and its consequences.
Wieslawa Lewandowska: – Just a moment ago you participated in the meeting with the ‘Smolensk families’ that are looking for support after the presentation of the MAK report concenring the causes of the plane crash as they want to defend the honour of their relatives…
Antoni Macierewicz: – The families of the Smolensk plane crash are shocked by the contents of the report that announces to the whole world that drunken General Blasik, under the President’s pressure, led to the crash. Even the birch tree, which was so frequently shown earlier and which was to turn the whole plane upside down, has disappeared… This birch tree played symbolic final evidence. Instead of the tree we have a drunken Polish general and he led to the crash…These are the headlines in the world media!
– And the Polish government does not raise any objection: the President remains silent; the Prime Minister is wondering whether he should return from his skiing holiday or not. And only some Polish politicians make a row, as usual
– Exactly! One should pay attention to the passiveness of Donald Tusk’s government concerning this matter from the very beginning. The whole procedure related to the choice of the Chicago Convention and thus giving up a separate investigation, no protests when the Russians infringed the regulations of the Convention and not asking for expertises of European experts although since 2 December 2010 we have been obliged to do that by the new regulation of the European Parliament. All these activities must have yielded such fruit.
– Many of us seem to be ‘shaken’ not only by the contents of the report but also by the style of its presentation during the meeting in Moscow.
– First of all, the families of the victims were deeply shocked by the meeting in Moscow and the style of the presentation of the MAK report. That’s why we have the meeting I have just attended. We all came to the conclusion that a parliament session should be summoned and we have already made such a motion. It was such a big crash and tragedy that has not been explained; instead of explanations we have invectives. Together with the families of the victims we think that the Polish Parliament must state clearly that it rejects these conclusions of the MAK report, that it does not approve these sentences of the kangaroo court undermining the good names of Polish officers and the President of the Republic of Poland. I think it is on the forum of the Polish Parliament we should demand a real investigation conducted by an international commission.
– Were you astonished by the contents of the MAK report very much?
– I say it straight. I expected such an attitude of the Russians. Russia is known for its way of action.
– But you are acting against the Polish reason of state, the sense of which is to improve insistently the Polish-Russian relationships!
– Hard luck! I want to add that nowadays we are dealing with the same affair – step by step – like in the Katyn massacre. But the place of Boleslaw Bierut, his approval and support of the lie about Katyn, was taken by Donald Tusk and his support for the lie about Smolensk. I am experiencing a kind of déja vu: I remember that years ago we were forced to believe the lie about Katyn, and the truth was closed in people’s homes. Now, I think, we have the same way of behaviour. It is completely unprecedented!
– The MAK report, which as the official Polish governmental experts stress, concerns only the very concrete facts and is not any speculation.
– In my opinion, it is not true. Consider only these ‘facts’ connected with General Blasik, his presence in the cockpit and the amount of alcohol in his blood. There is no evidence that he influenced the pilots’ decision in any way. Similarly, the other circumstance is unclear. We know that the toxicological examinations were conducted almost three weeks after the crash. We are not certain which human remains they concern. Anyway, we do not know any irrefutable evidence about it. In my opinion, everything has been invented here and the aim is to present a propaganda message useful for Russia.
– Counting that Poles are helpless as usual?
– The extremely shocking thing is that the Polish government washes their hands of that… It will require a huge mobilisation of all Poles to wash off this slander from Poland’s good name.
– Do you hope it will be at all possible? Many Polish politicians, especially members of the ruling party, speak about the MAK report with great approval.
– That’s why it may be hard… Just a while ago Speaker Schetyna rejected our (Law and Justice) motion to summon an extraordinary session of the Parliament tomorrow. And it seemed to be the most obvious thing in the world!
– Well, little can be done!
– I must admit that I still count on the people in the US Congress, and especially in the American Senate, we talked to. They clearly declared to opt for an international commission. I count that our efforts will be successful.
– And do you count on the Polish government that seemed to be astonished and somewhat irritated by the form of the presentation of the report, especially by the fact that the Polish demands were not included?
– I must admit that I did not see any astonishment of the Polish government. I count on the Polish government but not on Mr. Tusk’s government. I deeply believe that soon the Polish state will have such a government that will support the Polish reason of state and good name of our country. But I do not count on Mr. Tusk, Mr. Sikorski and Mr. Miller at all.
– What activities is the still biggest opposition party going to undertake in the near future?
– Our activities will focus on international matters, on finding allies to create an international commission that will investigate the Smolensk plane crash thoroughly. Therefore, the political stand of the Polish state is important but first of all, the stand of the entire Parliament is so important. It must reject explicitly this Russian slander created by the MAK report. We will do our best to pass such a motion. At the same time we are going to work on creating an international commission. The next step is to organise a public hearing of international experts in the European Parliament. We planned to do it in April and in the present situation we must organise it earlier.
– And now you are waiting with anxiety to the press conference of Prime Minister Tusk.
– No, I rather expected Prime Minister Tusk to present a broad analysis of the situation that led to the crash during the extraordinary session of the Parliament. I expect him to propose remedial measures for the scandal he evoked.
– Don’t you expect too much?
– Perhaps. Although Speaker Schetyna rejected the possibility to summon the Parliament session tomorrow, i.e. two days after the publication of the MAK report, I do hope that such a session will take place.
– Aren’t you really interested in what the Prime Minister is to say about the MAK report?
– I do not expect anything important after the speech of the Prime Minister. As usual, he will mince matters, make serious looks and at the same time he will confirm the Polish fault. It will be manoeuvres of a slave, a vassal who has no courage to tell the truth (which he knows) but he would like to maintain remains of his autonomy. It is worth paying attention to the fact that Mrs. Anodina pointed to the negligence of duties of the Polish authorities preparing the flight of 10 April 2010, and consequently, she pointed to the responsibility of the Polish Prime Minister.
– Do you believe that we can manage to deny this image of Poland, which was broadcast from Moscow on 12 January 2011?
– Yes, of course I do. I believe in spite of all. I am convinced that some day this image will be shown in its whole truth and not in today’s falsification.
The conversation was conducted on 13 January 2011.
"Niedziela" 4/2011