Restoring the financial stability of the local government, subjective treatment of local communities, restoring the education system, efficient use of EU funds – these are some of the postulates of the Local Government Movement Yes! For Poland. On Monday they were supported in Gliwice by the leaders of the opposition parties.
The press conference at the meeting of representatives of the local government movement from all over Poland was attended by, among others, Deputy Marshals of the Sejm Włodzimierz Czarzasty (New Left) and Piotr Zgorzelski (PSL), as well as the head of the parliamentary club of the Civic Coalition Borys Budka and the president of PSL Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. It was also announced that Michał Kobosko, Vice President of Poland 2050, would participate in the program conference.
You create a structure capable of rallying the Polish opposition (…). Unfortunately, there are few places where the entire opposition can gather
– said Deputy Marshal Czarzasty.
Self-government is a matter of course for us – for the left and for all genuine opposition parties
– he assured, while promoting the Self-Government Movement Yes! For Poland for the initiatives taken.
PSL President Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also thanked local government officials and stressed that the move confirms the ability of the entire opposition to cooperate.
We are pleased that you are supporting all the electoral commissions that are here today in the upcoming elections. There is no freedom without self-government; there is no victory without the involvement of local government leaders – we are asking for it
– said the PSL leader, assuring that many local government officials would be on the electoral lists of democratic committees.
We accept the postulate about changes in education. We are for the financial stability of the local government, for the new law on local government financing, for the refund of VAT on investments and participation in VAT for local communities
Kosiniak-Kamysz listed.
There will be no great Republic without a strong little homeland. We know well, because our DNA is strongly coded in self-government, self-government, local community and small homeland
concluded the chief of the people.
Civic Coalition club president Borys Budka stressed that local government has always been one of the pillars on which KO builds its public mission.
Local government is something that connects; local government is one of those common denominators worth talking about and highlighting
Budka said.
We know how important local governance is. We know very well how important the stable income of local governments depends on clear rules, and not on the whims of the rulers. We know how important education is at the highest level, apart from boring party ideas. And we know very well how important people are, how important trust is – and this trust is expressed every day in local government elections for their councilors, mayors, presidents, heads of municipalities, starosts, members of district councils
– said the vice president of PO.
I want to state clearly: the Civic Platform, the Civic Coalition, will always be on the side of local government, on the side of stable local government revenue; on the side of those who enjoy the trust of their residents on a daily basis
Budka concluded.
Senator KO and former president of Gliwice, Zygmunt Frankiewicz, recalled that a year ago the demands of the movement were accepted and a declaration on this issue was signed by four leaders of opposition parties. “Now we are approaching parliamentary elections, the situation of local government is becoming dramatic. We need a quick, radical recovery program for local government, because the next term may not survive under these central governments,” said Frankiewicz.
He added that “it is important that the programs of the opposition committees in parliamentary elections are consistent so that local government can be restored in a short time.”
A year ago – on May 25 – the leaders of four opposition parties: PO, PSL, Left and Poland 2050 signed the “Yes! for Poland” declaration on decentralization and strengthening of local governments. The document mentions, among other things: on providing of stable funding to local governments and setting up a fund for small municipalities.
Referring to the statement made a year ago, the mayor of Sopot and the chairman of the self-government movement Yes! For Poland, during Monday’s press conference, Jacek Karnowski thanked the leaders of the opposition parties for supporting self-government and supporting, as he said, “the natural principle of subsidiarity and subsidiarity”. He added that the Movement is still in talks with opposition leaders who understand that “democracy should be based on the smallest local governments – both rural and urban, as well as municipal and provincial.”
A press conference attended by the leaders of the opposition parties preceded the Movement’s program meeting entitled “Together for Democracy, Together for Self-Government”, which discussed local government postulates – as part of the consultation on the program was drawn up years ago. The meeting in Gliwice was attended by mayors, marshals, mayors, municipal heads and councilors from all over Poland.
Local government officials presented ideas such as: for the repair of the Polish school, health care, funding of public services for residents and the independence of the local government. Among other things, Magdalena Czarzyńska-Jachim, deputy mayor of Sopot, recalled: postulates to allocate 3 percent. GDP for the education subsidy, the restoration of the dignity of the teaching profession and the establishment of the National Education Commission, which will develop a program to restore Polish education.
The deputy mayor of Lubliniec, Anna Jonczyk-Drzymała, drew attention to the financial problems of small towns (there are about 700 in Poland), which need stable financing (an appropriate level of own income) to meet the needs of local communities to meet. Deputy Marshal of the Province of Silesia, Anna Jedynak, spoke about concerns related to the effective use of EU funds, including non-mobilization of resources from the National Recovery Plan, the ongoing rule of law dispute and the need to raise own contributions supply to EU projects.
Self-Government Movement Yes! For Poland, it was created by more than 700 local government officials – municipal heads, mayors, presidents, starosts and marshals. The main goals of the movement are – according to this organization – “restore complete decentralization of power from Poland, freedom of decision of local governments, the principles of pluralism in social life, freedoms of public debate and respect – respect for the state to the local government and respect of the state to the citizen.”
gah/PAP
Source: wPolityce