(Article reprinted in full from the "wpolityce.pl" portal, by permission of the editors)

 

Press and television reports on Jarosław Kaczyński's recent visit to the community orphanage in Łopuszka Mała in the Podkarpacie region were extremely perfunctory: the former prime minister walked with the host, MP Jan Bury, over the pond near the manor; he said that "there is no contradiction between solidary and modern Poland"; and - a "bland" answer to a "bland" question from a TVN journalist, "will he talk about a government coalition with the PSL if he wins the election?".

 

Meanwhile, the persons of MP Jan Bury and professor Józefina Hrynkiewicz, with whom Jarosław Kaczyński stood for a press conference on the steps of the orphanage, are so distinctive, as well as the place of the visit itself, that it was difficult not to be interested in the deeper meaning of the leader of the Law and Justice party's arrival there, to Lopuszka Mala. The more so because his words about this place and these people were so significant:

 

"We are in such a place where this idea of a modern and solidary Poland is being realized. This is, one might say, the place of my dreams. This is a place where one man, of course together with many others who support him, has organized something extraordinary, something that is unique on a scale, I think, wider than Poland. In every society there are some such people, you could say, "super-good". If this is combined with ability to act and organizational talent, we have this kind of results. And Mr Jan Bury is an example of just such a person. Out of nothing, in a seemingly hopeless situation, he created a social institution which is already great and which is really very much needed; it helps many people, including children and those most in need. It helps so effectively that the wards of this orphanage, young people, who are already reaching adulthood, also get housing. I would like to see Poland like this when it comes to solving difficult, painful social problems. Everything is possible, if you reach out to such people and not to people who think only about their own benefits and their own profit, who reject everything that is common," said the former prime minister, sharing at the same time his impression that, unfortunately, often on the latter people "is based this social construction, which has been created in Poland over the past 20 years. And this must be changed!

 

Commenting on the Podkarpackie list for the Sejm on behalf of "Law and Justice", Jaroslaw Kaczynski noted that:

 

"There are two people on it who are particularly qualified to deal with social issues. There is MP Jan Bury, who has great practical achievements. And there is Professor Józefina Hrynkiewicz, who works at the Institute of Applied Social Sciences at the University of Warsaw, and has great achievements in the scientific sphere, precisely in this field. The presence of these people in the parliament will be a very serious strengthening of this pro-social front, which is needed both in social life and for the authorities".

 

During the press conference, I asked the leader of the Law and Justice party if - in the event of an election victory - he would continue and expand the family-friendly reliefs initiated by his government four years ago. And this is what I heard (although, the TV audience didn't hear it):

 

"Pro-family policy is one of our main goals, because today we have a depopulation of Poland and any responsible government should today bet on the family, on strengthening it and having children. And this cannot be expressed in words, but in deeds - and this means in money. However, we know that we have a crisis of public finances and there is a certain sequence of actions. First of all, we have to get out of this crisis, to control the situation, and only then to implement further measures, which will enrich Polish families. We hope that we will manage to contain the crisis within a year and then we will be able to deepen these measures. I can promise you one thing: we will not withdraw from the family-friendly tax reliefs. Certainly, we will not make a step backwards, and steps in the right direction will be made if only it is possible."

 

As numerous television crews hurriedly left Lopuszka Mala with Jaroslaw Kaczynski's departure, I couldn't help but become curious about two people whose presence in parliament would be so valued by the leader of one of the two largest political forces in our country. Here is what they told me:

 

Interview with Jan Bury: "I'm actually a social activist, not a politician"

 

"One could say that I started my social activity by accident. After my son's Primacy, which was in 1991, his professor and philosophy teacher, Father Franciszek Rząsa, came to Markowa and persuaded his wife and me to manage the John Paul II Youth Aid Foundation 'Wzrastanie. And so it began. As a result, we gave ourselves completely to this activity. After the death of my wife, 6 years ago, I moved to the manor in Łopuszka Mała, where I still live with my little charges. I am actually a social worker, not a politician. For everybody I am simply "Grandpa Jasio".

 

The Foundation continues to grow. Please provide an overview of its current status.

 

I think it's in pretty good shape as an NGO. Every day we take care of over 2000 people, including children, young people from dysfunctional families, the disabled, seriously ill and the homeless. We have two orphanages - here, in Łopuszka Mała, and a new one, opened this year, in Dynów. We also run 81 free kindergartens for 1200 children in two districts: Jarosław and Przeworsk. By the way, we have saved three historic manor houses: in Łopuszka Mała, in Dynów and in Lipnik. Recently, thanks to a grant obtained jointly with the local government in Dynow, we have begun revitalization of the park and manor complex next to our orphanage there, as well as major renovation of the manor house. Apart from that, we run several day care centres and youth clubs for children from very poor families, occupational therapy workshops for the disabled, a shelter for homeless men in Jarosław and a hospice in that town. We are currently adapting a former hospital building in Przeworsk for 30 homeless women. I hope we can make it happen."

 

Running as many as 81 kindergartens, you seem to be doing the job of local authorities. Where do you get the money for running them from?

 

Yes, we have a partner - Association of Communes of Przeworsk Area. The partners have given us, that is the Foundation, the project leader, their premises for kindergarten centers. However, on behalf of the Foundation I solicited and obtained 24 million PLN from the European Social Fund for this activity. In the kindergartens we implement a very beautiful educational program, the so-called small projects program, which consists in developing and strengthening the habits of small researchers in children. I hope that in the future they will become scientists for the Republic of Poland. Parents don't pay any fees, everything is free.

 

You certainly cannot complain about a lack of work. So why do you still need to be an MP? Why are you again running for the Sejm?

 

"The function of a parliamentarian helps in conducting social and charitable activities. Undoubtedly, it made it easier for me to get the money from the European Social Fund. We started our pre-school activities under the old EU budget, which ended in 2006. And when the new budget for 2007-2013 came in, the Deputy Minister of Regional Development, Mr Hetman, in his guidelines forbade giving money for the continuation of community kindergartens. At that time our Foundation was already running 51 kindergartens. In this dramatic situation, I appeared at the forum of the Parliamentary Commission for Social and Family Policy, in the presence of the Deputy Minister Hetman. And thanks to the presentation of our social activity the Deputy Minister changed his decision on the guidelines, extended the deadline for the application and thanks to that not only did we not have to liquidate our 51 kindergartens but we established another 30. I am again running for the Sejm to be able to convince the relevant authorities that this type of social and charitable activity is extremely necessary and worth supporting".

 

Don't you regret that on the list of candidates for the Sejm from the "Law and Justice", your name was put on a distant 15th place?

 

No. I have never had high political ambitions. In the previous elections to the 6th term of the Sejm my name was on the list initially at the 15th place, and later I was moved to the 20th place. But despite this, the voters gave me a lot of votes and I got into the parliament. If the voters still appreciate my activity, I will try again to be in the Sejm to strive for sensitivity of the Polish law and Polish authorities to the situation of the most needy people. Well, our Podkarpacie list is very strong. I think it's the strongest in the country. There are a number of well-known politicians and many local government officials. So of course I am not sure that I will get a parliamentary seat. And anyway, I am not worried about it. I have something to do - and if I don't get into the Sejm, I will simply spend more time with my children.

 

Interview with Professor Józefina Hrynkiewicz: "I will try to convince everyone in the parliament..."

 

It is difficult for me to see your characteristics as a typical politician. Why do you want to become an MP?

 

"Because if the social policy, the policy towards the family, would be endangered, the threat would also include Poland and Poles. Right now we are experiencing a demographic crisis. There is a very low birth rate, because young people who are responsible, have no income, no job and no place to live - they do not start families and do not have children. Therefore, we must overcome this crisis, we must do everything so that young people do not go abroad; so that they do not work there, for the prosperity of foreign countries and foreign societies. We must do everything to create good conditions for young people to be employed and earn an income, also to obtain housing and raise children. There cannot be a dramatic choice between satisfying elementary needs of one's own - and having children.

 

Therefore, I believe that this direction, started by Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, must be continued. It is "to be or not to be" for Poland today, regardless of the crisis! And the whole society should be thoroughly informed about it, so that it would be ready to make certain sacrifices in order to help families bringing up children. Help for all children, including those who are given away to children's homes, to care institutions, because their parents are too poor to support them.

 

We need to counter poverty in families. We must also counteract the poor operation of schools, and ensure that all children have access to health care, including dental services. If ninety-some percent of Polish children have tooth decay, it means that these children are simply neglected. And these are extremely important issues, I would say, the most important.

 

If I get into the Sejm, I will try to convince everyone in parliament that the most important thing we have to do today is to support young families raising children."

 

Asked and noted: Jacek Borzecki

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