The promoted idea of Europe’s federalization is, in reality, a push toward central control led by Berlin. Nations such as Poland would become wholly dependent on Germany, effectively losing their independence. This is not a position we ever accepted, and the entire political path pursued proves it. That fundamental difference between us and our political opponents is what is at stake in this election.
Jarosław Kaczyński, president of Law and Justice, stated this in an interview with the weekly Sieci, the latest issue now on newsstands. He added that anyone who tries to dismiss this and attributes attitudes to us similar to those of Civic Platform is engaging in a deliberate deception. The motives behind those drafts remain a question in his view.
The PiS president stressed that these elections are about Poland’s independence, and also about the country’s model of socio-economic development. Since 1989 a dishonest, pathological system formed, though not entirely. The plans were even more far-reaching at the time, and as SP noted, Lech Kaczyński would have rejected cynicism and trickery. A model that exploited poorer segments of society through various pseudo-aid schemes acted as dampers to potential reform. An environment of widespread abuse became a structural feature, and organized crime, which was not thoroughly challenged, was part of this system. In his assessment, it should also be viewed through the lens of Russian influence, as if Moscow directed the mafia and the KGB or FSB outlined the tools to subjugate other nations.
Was there conscious consent by those in power to the activities around VAT and fuel fraud? The speaker believes there was. There was awareness, alarms, analyses, and a decision not to confront it. Someone ordered not to check the thousands of tankers entering the country illegally every week. Someone pretended not to see VAT fraud amounting to hundreds of billions in total. He hopes that the truth about who ultimately tolerated these pathologies will be uncovered, including where the funds that today benefit Poles went. The aim was to change the system. The state was returned to the citizen. Privatization that resembled theft and handed over the market was halted. Restoring state finances allowed a genuine social policy to be launched, and it paved the way for infrastructure and economic investment. Today the budget holds twice as much money as in 2015. If the full plan had been implemented, the outcomes would have been even stronger.
What went wrong? First, the judiciary underwent insufficient reform since 1989. The core issue involved the attack on the European Union’s reform efforts, under a twisted motto of defending the rule of law when the goal was truly to restore it. It is striking to compare Bulgaria, often cited as law-abiding and a model for Berlin and Brussels, with contemporary Poland, which some described as lacking the rule of law. The aim was not a change for Poles but to keep them from a better future as imagined by others. The reversal of that trend signaled a major success and exposed the depth of pathologies that dominated earlier administrations. The opponents’ narrative still carries weight with twenty percent support, but that does not guarantee a return to power. There is a strong opportunity to extend the period of state recovery in favor of Polish citizens.
The differences between our side and the opposition are fundamental, and only ill intent or external pressures could blur them. Cultural distinctions also play a role. There is a belief that imposing all cultural trends or ideologies while subordinating everything to minority groups would be unwise and could have very negative consequences. That stance remains firm.
The overall conversation took place in Sieci, a publication the interview references as a source. For further context on potential regional outcomes, readers are encouraged to consider related discussions on national sovereignty and economic reform.nn Citation: wPolityce