Poland Watch

Does the Obama's Nobel Peace Prize matter?

A few weeks after surprising announcement of the Nobel Committee awarding the Nobel  Peace Prize to current US president, it seems that this event was just another blip on the mediasphere. During that otherwise uneventful Friday, the consensus among commentators in Poland developed very quickly. One has to bear in mind the fact that some of these pundits already had been hostile towards Obama due to his cancellation of missile shield, but for me the uniformity of opinion was a little bit surprising. However, the topic itself disappeared almost as suddenly as it emerged.

Across the media spectrum, the verdict was unanimous. The whole situation is a joke. Marcin Gadziński of Gazeta Wyborcza entitled his blogpost “Nobelol”  [PL] and summed best twitter one-liners mocking the event. Meanwhile, his colleague Bartek Węglarczyk, head of foreign news section of Gazeta Wyborcza wrote on his blog [PL] that the Obama’s Nobel proves total devaluation of the prize, and ironically pointed out that since Chinese dissidents did not get the award since they’ve stopped planning anything, and in this year Nobel was awarded only for plans and hopes (hopes for world without nuclear weapons, to be specific).

Wojciech Romanski [PL], journalist of Rzeczpospolita daily, said that it seems that before the announcement on Friday even a Polish prime minister Donald Tusk had a fighting chance of getting the prize, because the Nobel committee said that Obama got his award for – among  other things – creating new diplomatic atmosphere and Tusk can be credited for that as well in Poland.  Jaroslaw Gizinski [PL], commentator of Newsweek pointed out the gap between Obama’s election promises and his actual accomplishments. He also hypothesizes that the Committee was still under the charm of the senator from Chicago campaign, triumph and slogans while making the decision. Dominika Cosic [PL], Brussels correspondent of Wprost, another major Polish weekly opinion magazine, said that Obama won’t change the world only using his rhetoric and he was awarded Nobel was only awarded for great PR skills.

It’s true that Obama during his short presidency did not achieve anything comparable to most of the previous Nobel Peace Prize recipients. It is also true that this Nobel became a congeniality and popularity contest more than ever and political cynicism or calculation prevents the Committee from awarding truly heroic figures. But in the world, where difference between “real” and media factoids is blurry, and where mere rhetoric can change hearts and minds, can the Nobel committee be at least credited with audacity of hope? In this case, it is hope that Obama will remain a great communicator, and his oratory skills – while not sufficient to change the world – will be at least a good start.

Michal Kolanko

President of Poland signed Lisbon Treaty

Gambling affair: the great triumph of Donald Tusk

The recent scandal involving top politicians from the ruling party, Civic Platform, had a potential to uproot its popular support and grant victory in the next elections to its opponents. But a way of defusing the affair may be shown as an textbook example of solving political crises.

Let us start from the beginning. After the 2005 elections the triumphant Law and Justice established a new governmental agency – Central Anticorruption Bureau (Centralne Biuro Korupcyjne – CBA) – in order to pursue one of the most explicit goals of party agenda. As the PiS chairman and mastermind Jaroslaw Kaczynski proclaimed, Polish politics and economy has been dominated by the so-called uklad (“deal”) – vast network of informal and illegal connections with mafia and corrupt security agencies which hindered the national development. CBA, led by staunch anti-Communist Mariusz Kaminski, started to fight with that ephemeral notion, gaining controversial and rather mixed results.  Nonetheless, after the new elections in 2007 and victory of more liberal Civic Platform the new prime minister Donald Tusk decided to retain Kaminski at his post, feeling his zeal would discipline other politicians from his party, who could potentially hinder Tusk’s support and dream about the presidency. The Bureau kept a rather low profile in the last years, being occupied mainly with arresting fraudulent football players and referees.

Logo of CBA

The dubious activities of CBA under the Law and Justice government  came however under judicial scrutiny as one of local prosecutor offices decided to file charges against Kaminski for his actions regarding minor coalition parties of that time. Just when the Bureau’s director was to be charged with misuse of powers and interrogated by the prosecutor, the right-wing paper Rzeczpospolita which has been sympathizing with Kaczynski for several years printed recordings from another CBA’s operation, this time related with the so-called gambling bill. The proposed novelization of the law regulating gambling business in Poland, lobbied for by entrepreneurs from that industry, could, according to the Bureau, seriously hurt Polish public finances. And the published records proved without a shadow of doubt those businessmen convinced to lobby in their name some politicians from the core of ruling party: chairman of the Civic Platform parliamentary caucus Zbigniew Chlebowski and minister of sport Miroslaw Drzewiecki.

What is more, conversation between them suggested that eminence grise of the government, the immensely powerful deputy PM Grzegorz Schetyna might also be involved. The media and the opposition had a feast unknown in years. The first for a long time scandal involving top ruling policymakers encouraged their political opponents and pundits to cast serious doubts on the future of the government and the ruling party itself. Tusk and Schetyna disappeared from the public view. Chlebowski and Drzewiecki tried to defend themselves on their own but those attempts were disastrous. Both the left- and the right-wing opposition called for formation of special parliamentary committee which would clarify the matter and bash Civiv Platform from all its might. Civic Platform was initially seen as unable to react quickly. But the time has proven that approach was right.

Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland. Author: Sebastian Zwez. Lic. Creative Commons Attribution Deutschland 3.0

After some time taken for reflection Tusk did not hesitate to act decisively and cut big names from his surroundings. Chlebowski and Drzewiecki, still reassuring about their clean intentions, submitted their resignations. As the situation progressed, the PM reacted accordingly. Deputy minister of economy Adam Szejnfeld, who was most likely also interested in changing the bill, was as well asked to leave, despite attempts of his superior Waldemar Pawlak. The same fate met minister of justice Andrzej Czuma whose unconditional support for Drzewiecki and Chlebowski cast doubts about the impartiality of judicial system in solving the case. Last but not least, Tusk decided to finally fire Kaminski who, while being interrogated by the prosecutor, in his uncompromising stance publicly accused the prime minister of paralyzing the Bureau’s activities.

By these decisions Tusk  achieved everything he could. Firstly, he placated the public by giving what it demanded – punishment for those involved. Secondly, quick pace of decisions reinforced the image of a man who is not afraid of taking dramatic decisions if necessary and protected him from all the stain that can come out in the next weeks or months. Thirdly, by simultaneously dismissing Kaminski, Tusk could present him as the source of all evil, which promptly he did.

But the true example of political mastery is resolving the situation of Schetyna. Tusk’s closest accomplice was indeed removed from government but under completely different conditions than that of Chlebowski or Czuma. Schetyna, officially proclaimed by Tusk to be clean, is to replace Chlebowski as the chief of caucus and supervise the establishment of special committee, which is for now also supported by Civic Platform. This solution does not diminish Schetyna’s status (after all he is a man who does not need formal position to have power) and allows the party to gain control of a tool which otherwise would be used against it. The committee won’t be able to force Tusk or Schetyna to testify when the latter will be its chairman and its activities will most likely end with the conclusion Drzewiecki and Chlebowski acted alone.

Changes in government also require new names to replace the old ones and also in this context Tusk showed real political cleverness, considering Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz as the replacement for Czuma. Inclusion of Cimoszewicz, well-known, very experienced  and popular left-wing politician in the government would boost its ratings and in the same time helped the PM to pacify perhaps his most serious rival in the 2010 presidential elections. If this affair did not stop Tusk on his way to the Presidential Palace, nothing will.

Maciej Jozefowicz  

Prime Minister Tusk on Piasnica massacre

"Atrocites of Nazi Germany here in Piasnica are those of the worst kind. Not only Polish elite from Pomerania have been murdered, but also Jews, the handicapped and the sick, including handicapped and sick Germans. How heinous nazism was, how full of hatred Germany was those days. This place requires a special remembrance" said today Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk just before the requiem mass. 

 

Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister (source: firenok.pl)

From September 1939 to April 1940 Nazis have killed in Piasnica's woods over 12 thousands of people. In 1944 they forced Stutthof Nazi Germany extermination camp prisoners to work for a few weeks to destroy the evidence of the massacre. The prisoners were killed afterwards. 

Anna Dryjanska

source: rp.pl [PL], Gazeta.pl

Under the new Polish law Polanski would be castrated

Both Polish and abroad media are still abuzz with Roman Polanski's case. The famous Polish director, citizen of France, was arrested last Saturday in Switzerland in connection with sex charge.

"The Academy Award-winning director pleaded guilty in 1977 to a single count of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, acknowledging he had sex with a 13-year-old girl, but fled the United States before he could be sentenced. U.S. authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in 1978." (CNN).

Roman Polanski (source: Guardian.co.uk)

Many Polish politicians and artists decided to speak up for Polanski:

Lech Walesa, former president, refers the case using catholic discourse: Polanski is a great person, he has done much for Poland and world. He might have sinned. If he had, then forgive him this one sin (Gazeta.pl).

Radoslaw Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs also calls Polanski's crime a sin: I think that everyone who admires his films just like I do, shares my opinion that when you sin you might get a free pardon (Gazeta.pl). 

Krzysztof Zanussi, filmmaker, was interviewed by journalist Monika Olejnik and blamed the 13-year-old, outraging many people: 

Krzysztof Zanussi: If Polanski wasn't famous, then the fact, that over thirty years ago in Los Angeles, which is the city of particularly easy virtues, he decided to have services of the underage prostitute, cause that might be what had really happened...

Monika Olejnik: No! She was a 13-year-old girl who wasn't a prostitute. Money wasn't concerned, so it wasn't a prostitution.

Krzysztof Zanussi: In this world a whole lot of things is done not for money, but to get famous, to make a career. I think Polanski made a mistake (...) I don't believe in innocence of the victim. She didn't seem to be there accidentally (Gazeta.pl).

Bogdan Zdrojewski, Minister of Culture points out that Polanski didn't have a fair trial: We can't forget that the victim has forgiven Polanski and stated clearly: it wasn't a rape. At the beginning of eighties I was very interested in philosophy of law and American law, and even then it was a common opinion, that Polanski avoided the legal lynch in court: the jugde wasn't acting fair (Gazeta.pl).

Donald Tusk, Prime Minister seems to be more distanced: None of us would like to see Roman Polanski going to prison, this is obvious. But I don't think we should perceive the things that are going on as a particular tragedy or harm. A serious crime had been commited and it was well known that in these matters Americans are consequent and pretty ruthless (Gazeta.pl).

The Polanski's case is by no means simple. It raises a lot of questions of political, moral and legal nature. Opinions in Poland are much more polarized and divided than mainstream media discourse might show. Some people admit Polanski did wrong but want him to be immediately released. Some argue that nobody should be above the law. The polarization is clearly visible in the internet. There is a Polish petition on Facebook demanding release of Polanski, signed by Oscar winner Andrzej Wajda and other known Polish artists. The opinions of Polish Facebook users are divided: almost four hundred declared to support the petition, still over three hundred declared to be against it.

But there is one thing most of them could probably agree with: over thirty years ago Polanski did wrong, but he deserves a fair trial. Yes, Polanski have had sex with 13-year old girl (and admitted it), but yet he didn't have a fair trial as even Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza in Los Angeles says there was "substantial misconduct" in the handling of the original cast (Associated Press).

The biggest irony of the moment of Polanski's arrest is the fact, that a few days earlier the lower house of Polish parliament approved legislation that would make it obligatory to chemically castrate offenders who rape children under 15 (Taiwan News). The bill still needs approval from the upper house and president, but if it was in force and Polanski would have commited the crime in Poland, he would have been castrated. Now, some of the members of the government which proposed the bill want Polanski to be forgiven for committing the very same crime. Apparently life isn't as simple as preparing the bill.

Anna Dryjanska