Donald Tusk’s team is framed here as aiming beyond public media and the Institute of National Remembrance. Lieutenant Colonel Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz is portrayed as directing a disruptive process across memory institutions, while the Ministry of Culture is criticized for withholding funds needed to complete the Museum of Memory and Identity in Toruń. Saint John Paul II is named in relation to the same issue, and Rafako SA is accused of demanding substantial sums from the Lux Veritatis Foundation. Lidia Kochanowicz-Mańk emphasizes that this is a state cultural institution, not a private project of the Lux Veritatis Foundation or the director’s family. Kochanowicz-Mańk, a representative of the Museum Memory and Identity, is shown speaking on Radio Maryja during News of the Day about these tensions.
An attempt to undermine institutions shaping Polish identity
The article argues that after what is described as a political shift, the Institute of National Remembrance faced targeted pressure. It claims that a coalition led by Tusk moved to reduce funding and ultimately to liquidate the institution that preserves Polish history and collective memory. The budget cut is described as nearly PLN 70 million, framed as a first step toward liquidation.
The piece extends this critique to other memory-preserving centers, alleging that the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage is withholding funds from the construction of the Memory and Identity Museum in Toruń. Saint John Paul II in Toruń is referenced again to illustrate the context of the center’s mission.
The center is described as a venue that examines Poland’s history and highlights figures and events that have shaped national identity. Following the political change, purges are alleged to extend to this institution as well, with the ministry allegedly refusing to allocate public funds for the project. The sum cited is more than PLN 13 million, intended for the museum’s headquarters and its permanent exhibition.
The ministry presents its actions as part of broader measures, but the article casts them as not involving additional funds since the investment value supposedly did not increase. It notes that last year the Foundation returned the same amount with a rationale tied to securing funds for the current year, citing delays by the main contractor Rafako in fulfilling contractual obligations.
– emphasized Lidia Kochanowicz-Mańk, financial director of the Lux Veritatis foundation in an interview with Nasz Dziennik.
Maryja Kochanowicz-Mańk is quoted on radio, suggesting the Minister of Culture has not fully evaluated the case.
The article then discusses how financing for the museum’s construction was arranged in 2019 with Rafako as the main contractor, and asserts that the project is a state cultural unit rather than a private initiative of the Lux Veritatis Foundation or the director’s family.
– she pointed.
READ ALSO:
— The Museum Memory and Identity in Toruń is now open. President Duda: It reflects Poland’s heritage
– ONLY HERE. The narrative continues with a claim of long-standing attacks on Father Tadeusz Rydzyk over the years. See for yourself.
RAFAKO SA seeks more than PLN 25 million
RAFAKO SA is described as withdrawing from the contract and demanding more than PLN 25 million from the Lux Veritatis Foundation. The museum opened in October 2023, which the article attributes to a settlement with Rafako that supposedly allowed completion and defect removal. It claims Rafako later did not meet obligations, leading the Museum to issue a statement about withdrawing from the contract.
On January 17, Rafako announced withdrawal and demanded over PLN 25 million from the Lux Veritatis Foundation, claiming the Foundation hindered repairs, a claim the museum disputes. The museum’s statement asserts that the withdrawal does not have legal effect and emphasizes that no valid contract or settlement existed that could be withdrawn at that time.
As of January 17, 2024, the museum maintains that there is no effective contract or settlement from which Rafako could withdraw. It states that it cooperated fully with Rafako and undertook actions aimed at completing the contract and settlement, highlighting the public value of the project and the use of taxpayer resources.
– wrote a statement from the Museum of Memory and Identity. Saint John Paul II on the January 17, 2024 submission about Rafako’s withdrawal from the contract and settlement with the museum.
RAFAKO is accused of publishing a letter with numerous inaccuracies, prompting the museum to announce intentions to pursue legal action to protect reputations. Lidia Kochanowicz-Mańk, referring to the case on Radio Maryja, reiterates that the museum fulfilled its obligations, transferring designs, land, and compensation for work performed, and notes continued adherence to the agreement in good faith.
She adds that the Memory and Identity Museum signed an agreement with Rafako in October 2023 after an eight-month mediation, and that the settlement was processed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Poland.
Under the settlement, the museum postponed deadlines and took over the property on October 13. After an acceptance inventory, it became clear that Rafako did not perform satisfactorily. Thousands of defects were identified, and Rafako was to remedy them by March 31 of the year in question. Rafako failed to provide a repair plan or schedule, and as a result the museum withdrew from both the settlement and the contract on December 20 of the prior year.
– Kochanowicz-Mańk explains that if Rafako informed Saint John Paul II of withdrawal on December 20, 2023, that effectively dissolved the legal transactions on that day. She notes it is difficult to determine what Rafako’s January 17 claim represents.
Perhaps a form of communication about problems. It is not possible to withdraw from something that no longer exists in legal terms.
– she said.
Lidia Kochanowicz-Mańk draws attention to a claim that Rafako’s president has presented false statements in filing against the Lux Veritatis Foundation, and reiterates that the Foundation was not a party to the contract and thus should not bear financial responsibility. She stresses that Rafako’s conduct is not necessarily representative of a professional company with solid legal counsel and a large staff, and she notes that the foundation was never a party to the contract.
– said on Radio Maryja.
ALSO CHECK:
– OUR INTERVIEW. Prof. Jaroszyński about the Memory and Identity museum: knowledge will radiate to future generations
– OUR INTERVIEW. Prof. A Pole defends the Memory and Identity museum: it serves society and helps shape Poland’s image worldwide.
wkt/Radio Maryja
Source: wPolityce