‘WHO HURT AN ORDINARY MAN’
FR. IRENEUSZ SKUBIŚ, The honourable Editor-in-Chief of ‘Niedziela’
The beginning of a poem by Czesław Miłosz, placed on crosses of Gdańsk Shipyard, is a reminder about the harm done to people, often very poor, being not only a warning for those who were hurting people in communistic times, but also a loud calling in the modern times. We saw miners dirtied with coal, who, being on strike, were calling for workplaces, for their human dignity. Their families were also calling for it, and in this cry one could hear the cry for all Polish families. We are still at the time of the so-called transformation. There were many changes, governments are also changing, and somebody who has the power, can do a lot of good or bad. We expect that people who hold the authority, who receive the mandate of our trustfulness, will do everything for the sake of their co-citizens. The country has got big tools used for the welfare of its inhabitants. We often say: a country friendly for a citizen. And the country cannot be unfriendly for its citizen, the country is supposed to take care of him – for everyone, both for the one who can do everything and the one who is less able to do anything, about an ordinary man. Both a citizen is obliged towards the authority and the authority is obliged towards a citizen.
We witnessed another social shock caused by a decision about the liquidation of mines – workplaces. People want to work, take care of the fate of their families, want to live in dignity. After all, it is a very important issue of the nationwide dimension. Securing workplaces is an issue of a worthy life of millions of Poles and it cannot be diminished. Unfortunately, the governments of the coalition of the Civic Platform party and the Polish People’s Alliance, which have been for 7 years, do not show their care for people. There were various declarations, promises that mines would not be closed down, that workplaces would be provided for – and what! We will see how the promises of the government will be implemented.
A Seym debate at night was extremely tempestuous and was carried out without any earlier social consultations. The governing coalition is the majority in the Seym and wins even when a problem requires more discussions. In such a situation it is impossible to solve any disputes. Therefore one must still refer to conscience, asking questions about reliability and honesty. Many people in the government admit to respecting commands of conscience. They must remember that they are responsible towards the nation, history and God who will judge their decisions as the basic criterion considering love towards other people. ‘Who hurt others (…). The poet remembers’. The nation will also remember, as well as history, and, first of all, God will remember. And he will claim for those who were hurt.
AA
„Niedziela” 4/2015