“The generals responsible for martial law are no longer with us. However, there are those who have changed the image of our army and adapted it to NATO standards, General Roman Harmoza, honorary president of the Club of Generals and Admirals, explained in an interview with Rzeczpospolita in 2021.
“Rzeczpospolita” points to the increased activity of the controversial Club of Generals and Admirals, ie an association that gathers in its ranks prominent military personnel from the time of martial law. Recently, the former military initiative has had a series of meetings with opposition parties, most recently with Civic Platform.
The meeting took place at the end of March. It was attended by the head of the Civic Coalition club, Borys Budka, and Tomasz Siemoniak, former defense minister and deputy head of the Civic Platform. It was another gathering of opposition leaders with an organization politicians had until recently steered clear of
– announces “Rzeczpospolita”.
The controversial club was founded in 1996 and anyone who has reached the rank of general or admiral can join it. The reality, however, showed that for the vast majority of the club’s duration, the main members were PRL period servicemen, often with discredited biographies. For example, the presidents of the organization included General Roman Misztal (chief of military intelligence during martial law), General Franciszek Puchała (martial law planner) and General Teodor Kufel (head of military security) or General Józef Baryła (former member of the WRON) should be listed among the members of the club.
The activities of the Club of Generals and Admirals received much publicity in 2013, when its representatives eagerly sought honorary assistance at the funeral of General Florian Siwicki, the commander of the aggression against Czechoslovakia and one of General Wojciech Jaruzelski’s key associates. A few months later, the club signed an agreement with the Ministry of National Defense, which was broken shortly after the Law and Justice government took power in 2015.
Despite the long-standing avoidance of the Club by politicians, the climate around it changed in 2019, when PSL leader Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz met with members of the Club of Generals. Two years later, Szymon Hołownia met the club’s activists, followed by Włodzimierz Czarzasty, the leader of the Polish left. In September 2022, the generals met with the ombudsman, Marcin Wiącek.
A post-communist lobby group?
The main topic discussed at the meetings of the Club of Generals and Admirals is the question of burial of former commanders. This echoes the decision of Minister Błaszczak, who decided to change the paradigm of providing military and honorary assistance during the funeral of the most important officers. From 2021, it is the Minister of National Defense who decides whether or not to grant it. It is not hard to guess that the new rules introduced by the PiS government did not appeal to the communist generals. Another topic is the issue of military pensions.
The main reason that opposition politicians are no longer afraid of meetings with the discredited Club of Generals and Admirals is nature – simply retired martial law commanders died.
The generals responsible for martial law are no longer with us. However, there are those who have changed the image of our army and adapted it to NATO standards
– explained General Roman Harmoza in an interview with “Rzeczpospolita” in 2021.
Former Defense Minister and prominent PO politician Tomasz Siemoniak points out that the club’s past is marked by its communist heritage.
In the room, however, the oldest, by my observation, were 1990s generals. The deputy head of the club in Warsaw is General Anatol Wojtan, who was the deputy chief of the general staff in my time
said Simoniak.
My role is to meet different organizations when they invite me. I don’t always have to share all the opinions of its members
– added the former Minister of National Defense.
Yet the Club of Generals still raises serious controversy. For example, “Gazeta Polska” described the generals’ relations with Szymon Hołownia and his political environment. Meetings with the leader of Poland 2050 would be attended by, among others, Moscow-educated Jerzy Słowiński, former head of the WSI General Marek Dukaczewski, as well as several employees of the communist security service.
According to “Rzeczpospolita”, Club generals do not sleep with pears in the ashes, and their political ambitions are greater than it seems. They have often stressed that they would like to play the role of security adviser if the opposition wins parliamentary elections.
The strained relations between the opposition leaders and the representatives of the communist repression apparatus, grouped in an elite club, may indicate that indeed – the expert base for the potential opposition government could be members of an organization uniting people responsible for the martial law in Poland.
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Source: wPolityce