IN DEFENCE OF ILLEGAL BUSINESSES

CZESŁAW RYSZKA

On 13 April 2016 the European Parliament accepted a resolution about a situation in Poland, stating among the others that the ‘current paralyse of the Constitutional Tribunal endangers democracy, human rights and rule of law’. Euro-deputies from the European People’s Party consisting of Polish representatives from the Civic Platform party and the Polish People’s Party, as well as socialists, democrats, liberals and the greens, summoned the Polish government to ‘follow, publish and execute resolutions of the Constitutional Tribunal immediately’. This resolution, harmful for Poland and illegal, was voted for by 513 deputies, 142 of them were against it, including the whole fraction of European Conservatives and Reformers, consisting of Polish deputies from the Law and Justice party.

The voting result against the Polish government was predictable, as the resolution had been opted for politicians of the Civic Platofrm, having a lot of influences in the European Parliament and in the Europe Council for years. It was indicated by a euro-deputy Jadwiga Wiśniewska, appealing to the EP for giving the legal basis, on which that resolution is enacted (none of Brussels institutions responded to her appeal). So, in her pronouncement in the forum of the European Parliament, J. Wiśniewiska emphasized that it was not allowed to interfere into inner issues of Poland, on the basis of treaty provisions. Accusing the Platform of actions against Poland, she also added that the second ‘success’ of the Civic Platform was rejecting the candidature of Janusz Wojciechowski for a member of the European Court of Auditors.

It is regrettable that the EP did not wait till the Polish party would implement a recommendation of Venice Commission, so that Polish politicians would elaborate a compromise in this matter. I will remind that the Marshal of Seym appointed a suitable sub-commission, and meetings of leaders of biggest political parties began in order to solve the crisis. The conclusion is obvious: these are the politicians of the Civic Platform party who influenced the resolution of the European Parliament so as to make it start legal actions against Poland, against the Polish nation. Isn’t it intended to settle one’s interests via the EU and its institutions?

What interests are these? Referring to the words of Grzegorz Schetyna that the Civic Platform will be a total opposition, the resolution is inscribed in what has been done by the Platform so far: he goes everywhere to complain about Poland, proving that he does not respect democratic election of the Polish nation, but also brings harm to a good change which is taking place. Thinking on about the interest of the Civic Platform party, I think that the Platform is really afraid of settling its scandals with participation of both its politicians and rank members. One can only listen to Poles not to deceive oneself that the coalition of the Civic Platform party and the Polish People’s Party treated the country as its own farm, and the state companies as a cash cow. Swindlers of the Civic Platform party and the Polish People’s Party must be worried about their positions and gained property.

So, the war of the Civic Platform is used to defend its position, so that the Constitutional Tribunal would remain its Tribunal, and the new authority could not implement promised reforms for long months. For this dispositional Constitutional Tribunal, Seym of the previous cadency chose five judges ‘in advance’ and also after the election of Andrzej Duda – it introduced a possibility of dismissing the president by the Constitutional Tribunal! Well, if the ‘wrong’ candidate won, the future had to be considered.

The resolution of the EP speaks about endangered democracy in Poland, whereas democracy is quite well, we have even more civil rights and freedom of speech than other EU countries (let me mention an exceptional state in France or riots in Belgium, connected with the issue of immigrants). Shortly speaking, reporting and attempts of the Civic Platform for the resolution do not only bring us closer to an agreement, but also disturb a political dialogue in Poland. This resolution is not directed against the Law and Justice party or the government, but the Polish country. Therefore, I am astonished that MPs of the Civic Platform are glad with this anti-Polish resolution, considering it as their success. I hope that Poles will look at it in a proper way.

At the moment a team of experts appointed by the Marshal of Seym is working, and which pays particular attention to suggestions of the Venice Commission, suggestions and notes of various international institutions. There will surely be other suggestions of changes in the act about the Constitutional Tribunal. Shortly speaking, only the Polish parliament can finish the issue of the crisis around the Constitutional Tribunal, as nothing but it has a right to it. If one avoids solving this problem in the Polish Seym and Senate, and the inner conflict is taken to the EP forum, where there is a political majority, it proves the lack of representation of the raison d’etat of Poland, but only represented illegal interests of one’s political group.

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„Niedziela” 17/2016

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl