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Washington DC, February 6, 2008 - At an
extraordinary General Membership meeting on February 5, 2008, the Washington
Metropolitan Area Division of the Polish American Congress passed the following
resolution:
Concern About Recent Events in Poland
The Polish American Congress, Washington Metropolitan Division,
notes the significant support of American Polonia for the liberation of Poland
from Soviet domination and expresses concern over recent developments that seem
to indicate an erosion of freedom in Poland. Several recent events appear to be
evidence that some political forces may wish to glorify the communist period,
hamper transparency and the rule of law, limit religious freedom, and muzzle the
media. Such actions harm Poland's standing in West and require an immediate
response by the government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and by the
Polish Head of State, President Lech Kaczynski.
Among the worrisome events reported are:
- Appointment of former communist Marek Borowski to chair the Sejm
committee for liaison with Polish communities abroad;
- Orders by the Minister of Foreign Affairs restricting Polish diplomats'
contact with Polonia and Polonian organizations (in one such case, Polish
diplomats withdrew their participation in the 150th anniversary celebration
of a blacklisted organization);
- Return of portraits of communist Ministers of Education (including
Henryk Jablonski, who repressed student protests in 1968) to a place of
honor in the Ministry of Education;
- Non-disbursement by the Minister of Higher Education of EU funds
previously awarded to over 30 institutions of higher learning (including the
Catholic University of Lublin and the Higher School of Public and Media
Culture in Toruñ), even though this action strikes a severe blow that can
undermine these schools financially (this decision directly targets
independent Catholic colleges and universities);
- Implementation of strict limits on journalists' access to the Polish
Parliament;
- Calls by a well-known Member of the Sejm, who belongs to the governing
Civic Platform, for this party to "finish off" a noted Polish priest that he
views as a political opponent;
- The unexplained removal of Poland's largest-circulation Catholic daily
from the newspapers offered to passengers on Poland's national airline.
In light of the above, we urge both Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
and Polish President Lech Kaczynski to investigate immediately these
events and to ensure that Poland's hard-won freedom will not be
undermined. In particular, funding to KUL and other institutions of
higher learning needs to be restored, harassment of the media and
journalists ended, and attempts to minimize the crimes of communism
stopped. Polish freedom, a long-term accomplishment for all Poles, is
too valuable to be diluted or squandered for short-sighted, temporary
political purposes. For information, contact:
Thaddeus Mirecki,
pacwashmetro@pacwashmetrodiv.org |