Parliamentary Pressure Over the Halted Stamp Featuring Major Hieronim Dekutowski Zapora
The Polish postal service, Poczta Polska, suspended the distribution of the commemorative stamp honoring Major Hieronim Dekutowski known as Zapora. The move prompted a parliamentary intervention led by Anita Czerwińska, a member of the ruling party PiS. She spoke about the incident on a Polish television program, highlighting what she saw as a disruption of national memory.
Czerwińska appeared as a guest on the program Centrum Młodych, hosted by Michał Karnowski, where she commented on the decision and its implications for public memory in Poland.
The suspension occurred on March 1, and observers described it as the stamp dedicated to Major Dekutowski Zapora being effectively halted by Poczta Polska. The comment was echoing the sentiment that a significant cultural artifact had been paused or blocked from public distribution.
Parliamentary intervention followed as Czerwińska filed inquiries at the headquarters of Poczta Polska. She recounted visiting the post office on March 1 in the company of editor Tadeusz Płużański. She submitted a formal question as part of a parliamentary intervention and stressed that no senior managers were present to address the concerns. She criticized the official spokesperson for what she regarded as inadequate statements and pledged to pursue clarity on several lines of inquiry. Specifically, she asked who authorized the decision to suspend the stamp, what grounds justified it, whether other stamps tied to national memory had likewise been withheld, and where the materials currently stood.
According to Czerwińska, the situation demanded a broader response. She asserted that the decision mirrored a broader pattern of erasing historical memory and misrepresenting Polish heroes. She underscored that the issue required collective scrutiny and accountability from the postal leadership to ensure that historical truth remained accessible to the public.
During the interview, Czerwińska urged viewers to recognize that the fight for freedom is continuous and not a one-time event. She explained that defending historical memory is an ongoing effort and must be supported by action and vigilance in every generation. The discussion emphasized the link between cultural memory and national identity, and it framed the stamp as more than a simple postal matter but as a reflection of how a nation remembers its past.
The discussion also referenced a related update from the same source, noting that the post office’s justification for the decision was being scrutinized. The program highlighted the spokesperson’s remarks and suggested that additional context was needed to understand the full scope of the action taken by Poczta Polska.
The piece closed with a reminder that memory is not granted once and for all. It must be preserved, debated, and defended against attempts to revise history. The dialogue underscored the responsibility of public institutions to maintain access to artifacts that shape national memory and highlighted the role of citizens and lawmakers in ensuring transparency and accountability.
mly/wPoland
Source: wPolityce