“The opposition dubbed itself “total”. This is a completely bizarre move on the part of its representatives,” Gabriel Janowski, an anti-communist opposition activist in the communist era and minister of agriculture in the governments of Jan Olszewski and Hanna Suchocka, told wPolityce.pl.
wPolityce.pl: The motto of this year’s “Polska Wielki Projekt” congress is “Sovereignty”. What is the state of sovereignty of the Polish state today?
Gabriel Janowski: This is an absolutely fundamental question. Unfortunately, from my point of view, the answer is very critical. Poland was not given real sovereignty.
Why are you making such an assumption?
The subjectivity of the state consists of four criteria. The first is the appropriate economic development of the state. Here is a rare case in history when Poland practically lost its industry, its big companies and trade. What constitutes the economic strength of each state has been destroyed, though worse words come to my mind. The second criterion is military security. Now people are starting to treat this matter more seriously, although all these purchases are, in my opinion, a bit on a whim.
However, it is worth noting that Polish armament is noticed all over the world. The British press even writes about an “emerging military force”. Could this story be true?
I think so. In any case, this is not without reason. Over the years this business has been neglected, although purchases are now being made. But there is no deeper strategic thinking here. The military cannot be changed overnight. The third criterion that determines the subjectivity of the state is national cohesion. It must be said critically that Poland has rarely been as broken as it is now. Perhaps a similar state took place before the partitions, when the state collapsed with the consent of two factions – Ruthenian and Prussian. Today we have a very difficult and damaging situation in this regard. It comes to a situation that due to differences in worldview, it is not possible to have a family dinner together. It’s hard to accept.
What can such polarization lead to?
This polarization leads the Poles not to focus on the actions that need to be taken. The world does not stand still, we must keep up with the challenges. A society that is broken and unaware of these great challenges of today will not be able to deal with them, and that is our tragedy. On the other hand, the fourth criterion that creates the subjectivity of the state is the ability to influence the outside world through culture, science, etc. Unfortunately, even in these aspects, it can be seen that we are not keeping up with modern challenges. The state needs repair, and a decisive one. Unfortunately, the main forces do not think about repair, but about fighting the enemy. The fundamental mistake is that the opposition is not seen as a competitor, but as an enemy. This is the wrong approach. The government is largely responsible for this level of debate.
But isn’t the opposition positioning itself as an enemy, if only by sharpening the language of the debate?
But of course! However, the rulers have more responsibility, because they have more tools, opportunities, etc. Of course, this does not justify the opposition, which has called itself “total”. This is an utterly bizarre move on the part of its representatives. It would be reasonable to talk about yourself as a constructive opposition, and even to declare your willingness to lean on the government’s proposals in some cases. Laws of systemic importance must be adopted by consensus. Systemic regulation, which is generally prescient, cannot be passed without the consent of broad opposition. Today Poland is at a turning point. Either it will achieve full sovereignty, or its position will be unacceptable to Poles who think of Poland and in Polish.
Thank you for the conversation.
Alexander Majewski spoke
Source: wPolityce