NEWS
SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 6, 2013
www.wbj.pl
3
United Nations
Komorowski blasts UN, demands reform Poland’s president had some harsh words for the United Nations Security Council in New York
nent seat in the Security Council for the years 2018-2019. “We believe that we will be able to serve the aims and principles of
“Much too often, the immediate interests of countries take priority over values, laws and obligations.” adding that in the case of Syria “this was amiss.”
Reforms to strengthen the council COURTESY OF KPRP/FLICKR
Polish president Bronis∏aw Komorowski, while addressing the UN’s General Assembly in New York last week, castigated the members of the organization’s Security Council for taking biased positions on the current civil war raging in Syria. According to the Polish president, the UN Security Council’s stance did more to fuel the conflict rather than assuage it. “It is with regret that I say the members of the Security Council were more eager to choose sides in the Syrian conflict and supported them in various ways, rather and force them to stop fighting altogether and to embark on peace talks,” Mr Komorowski said. The Polish president said that the Syrian conflict had “exposed the inefficiency and
courage to propose concrete solutions, activate some of UN and Security Council’s procedures,” said Mr Komorowski
President Bronis∏aw Komorowski ineffectiveness in the United Nations decision-making process.” Mr Komorowski talked about an “internal blockade” in the Security Council, which he said is in need of reform.
“Much too often, the immediate interests of countries take priority over values, laws and obligations with fatal consequences for human rights,” said Mr Komorowski. The Polish president called
for swift action aimed at conflict resolution from the permanent members of the Security Council, the US, the UK, France, Russia and China. “If one has the power to veto, one should also have the
Stressing the urgency for UN reform, Mr Komorowski said that, “one should not postpone things or wait for another anniversary as an excuse to once again make efforts to reform the Security Council.” According to the Polish president the council needs reforms which would “increase its authority, representative qualities and effectiveness.” In New York, Mr Komorowski also stated that Poland will be seeking a non-perma-
the UN well, as well as represent the interests of member states in accordance with and in the spirit of the Charter [of the UN],” he added. Mr Komorowski also met with US president Barack Obama in New York where he extended to his counterpart an invitation to attend next year’s 25th anniversary of the first semi-democratic elections, which were held in Poland on June 4, 1989. “We are counting on the active involvement of the US in the anniversary, which is an occasion to celebrate freedom not only in Poland,” Mr Komorowski told journalists Remi Adekoya afterwards.
Politics
Gowin to establish an economically liberal party? Jaros∏aw Gowin, a former justice minister who quit the ruling Civic Platform in early September announced he will be cooperating with several experts in creating a plan to govern Poland in the years 2015-2019 with the ultimate aim of establishing his own political party. Amongst the experts who will be working with Mr Gowin on the program are Stanis∏aw Gomu∏ka, an economics professor and former deputy finance minister, Krystyna Iglicka-Okólska, an economics professor and demography expert and Konstanty Radziwi∏∏, MD and long-time head of the Polish Chamber of Physicians and Dentists. Mr Gowin, who lost the leadership election of Civic Platform to Prime Minister
Donald Tusk in August this year, has been a harsh critic of the present government’s economic policies, accusing it of veering to the left and abandoning its liberal economic roots. When he quit the party in September, he listed the government’s recent transfer of assets held by private pension funds (OFEs) to the state-controlled Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) as the proverbial “last straw.” “Mr Tusk wants to take money out of Poles’ pockets,” said Mr Gowin then. At the press conference where he announced he was working on his program, Mr Gowin also said there was “too much party politicking and too little policy in Polish politics.” “Today, I want to start work on a program to govern Poland in the years 2015-19,” he added.
A new party? Yes Mr Gowin made no attempt to hide his political plans for the future. He said his aim is to win 20 percent support in the 2015 parliamentary elections by cre-
ating a party which would “decide what kind of policies to employ when it comes to families, demography and the healthcare system.” “I want to create a wide socio-political formation, which will be convincing and will be addressed to the disillusioned voters of Civic Platform, to those who choose [opposition] Law and Justice as the lesser evil and also to those millions of Poles who say they have no one to vote for,” he added. WBJ asked John Godson, Poland’s first black MP, who likewise recently quit the ruling party, what he thought of Mr Gowin’s move. Mr Godson said Poles are “sick of political parties run by bureaucrats.” He also said that Mr Gowin consulted him on his plan to “mobilize the grassroots electorate, NGOs and other civic societies by engaging experts not involved in politics.” Asked if he planned to get involved in Mr Gowin’s initiative, Mr Godson said he hoped to be “part of the electoral committees which would put such policies into place.”
A September CBOS poll revealed a party led by Mr Gowin could count on the support of 7 percent of Poles, enough to get into parliament. Interestingly, the major opposi-
tion party, Law and Justice, stands more to lose than Civic Platform if Mr Gowin were to form a new grouping, the study showed. While only 3 percent of current Civic Platform sup-
“Mr Tusk wants to take money out of Poles’ pockets.”
COURTESY OF KPRM
The former justice minister who recently quit Civic Platform has announced he is working on a political program along with some notable experts
Jaros∏aw Gowin intends to establish a new political party
porters would defect and vote for Mr Gowin, as many as 7 percent of Law and Justice’s supporters declared they would do the same. Remi Adekoya