“We are living in a state governed by weak people, lacking the fundamental qualities required to be guardians of Polish interests – lacking backbone. Fortunately, we have a truly Polish president who is not afraid to speak the truth publicly. What would happen if Rafał Trzaskowski were now residing in the presidential palace?” writes Tomasz Łysiak in a column for Niezalezna.
When Ukraine named one of its military units “UPA”, President Karol Nawrocki announced that he would revoke the Order of the White Eagle awarded to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Immediately, a series of attacks from the government side was launched against the head of state.
It is astonishing that even in such an obvious matter – namely that naming a modern military unit after an organization responsible for a planned, bestial, large-scale, deliberate act of genocide is an international scandal – instead of standing on the side of truth and dignity, some choose to perform the darkest kind of political work.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X urging people to “not argue about the past” and directed this message at both the President of Ukraine and the President of Poland. On the surface, it appears conciliatory. But only on the surface. The problem is that the President of Ukraine, by naming a military unit after the UPA, is not “arguing” with anyone – he is simply deliberately delivering a slap in the face to Poland, while not addressing Poles verbally. It was President Nawrocki who did so, publicly, in strong and appropriate words, naming what had happened and announcing the revocation of the order. So who was the Prime Minister’s tweet actually directed at? Not both presidents at all, nor was it an attempt to “ease the dispute”, but rather an effort to silence the Polish president.
In another statement, Prime Minister Tusk said that “every nation has the right to its interpretations”. One might ask – really? Also, for example, Germany? If Germany, hypothetically, started naming its units after the “SS” or “SS Einsatzgruppen”, should we remain silent in the name of “not arguing” or because “every nation has the right to its interpretations”? And if, in such a situation, the Polish president strongly and publicly condemned such behavior of Poland’s western neighbors, would the Polish government also side with the neighbor instead of its own head of state?
Let us also add the threats made by Minister Radosław Sikorski – comparing President Nawrocki’s situation and behavior to the fate of President Lech Kaczyński and the Smolensk disaster, and thus (again “beneath the surface”, under the words being spoken) implying some terrible consequences – and we obtain a shocking picture. We are living in a state governed by weak people, lacking the fundamental qualities required to be guardians of Polish interests – lacking backbone. Fortunately, we have a truly Polish president who is not afraid to speak the truth publicly. What would happen if Rafał Trzaskowski were now residing in the presidential palace?