During the third reading of the draft amendment concerning Sunday trading, Szymon Hołownia again drew attention to his role by interrupting Adam Gomoła, the youngest member of parliament from Poland 2050. When Gomoła spoke about the committee’s work on the bill and touched on the situation of students, Hołownia interjected with a remark aimed at defining a distinction between two generations. He said, Not Jay-Z, but Gen Z, Mr. Kaleta, highlighting that these are two different phenomena.
Following the resumption of the Sejm session, parliamentarians continued with the third reading of the draft amendment. Gomoła, acting as rapporteur and the chamber’s sole Gen Z representative among the speakers, addressed the floor to present the committee’s findings and to voice concerns about student life. He recalled historical data from a 2016 report prepared by the Polish Banking Association that described the cost of living for students at the time when the ruling party took power. The figures indicated an average monthly expense of around 1.5 thousand PLN, a data point he used to illustrate how student burdens had evolved over the years.
As Gomoła spoke about the broader context surrounding the bill, other members expressed disagreement and raised questions, causing a chorus of interruptions from the benches. In response, Hołownia urged the speaker to stay focused on the subject of the legislation under consideration and to keep the discussion aligned with the actual content of the draft. He reiterated his point, insisting that the dialogue should center on the bill’s provisions and the impact of the proposed changes on Sunday trading practices.
When the debate resumed, Hołownia repeated his remark with a brief clarification that the issues at hand were distinct and should be treated as separate phenomena rather than conflated. The exchange underscored the tension between political storytelling and the procedural focus required in parliamentary proceedings, a dynamic that has frequently surfaced during this legislative session.
The incident drew reactions from various corners of the political spectrum and the public, with commentators noting the performative aspect of parliamentary discourse and the challenge of maintaining decorum while addressing pressing policy questions. Observers argued that the episode reflected broader questions about how lawmakers balance charisma and substance in debates about everyday regulations and the consequences for citizens who rely on predictable rules around work and commerce on Sundays.
Critics suggested that performances in the chamber sometimes overshadow the technical details of proposed legislation, while supporters argued that public figures have a duty to speak plainly about the real-world implications of policy choices. The discussion surrounding the Sunday trading amendment thus became a microcosm of the ongoing struggle to couple robust political communication with careful legislative scrutiny. The episode likewise raised anew considerations about how best to structure parliamentary debate to ensure that arguments remain anchored in the facts of the bill and its anticipated effects on families, students, and local economies.
Analysts noted that the exchange touched on broader themes, including the visibility of Gen Z in political life and how younger voices influence policy debates that historically have been framed by more senior lawmakers. The conversation also highlighted ongoing concerns about the cost of living for students and young workers, a topic that remains central to many policy discussions across the country. In the end, the third reading progressed with continued discussions on the bill, as lawmakers weighed the potential changes to Sunday trading rules against the needs of students and other stakeholders who could be affected by the proposed amendments. These deliberations demonstrated that every clause in the ordinance could carry meaningful consequences for daily life, shaping work schedules, retail operations, and the rhythms of communities across the nation. (Source: wPolityce)