- February 8, 2013
- 253
Kubilius: Why did Linkevičius apologise to Poles and not to our government
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Conservatives Andrius Kubilius said that the willingness to improve the relations with Poland is positive but too much of apologies may disgrace the whole process.
‘Linkevičius has apologised for the social democrats who in 2010 had rejected the bill on the original spelling of surnames prepared by our fifteenth government. The question arises why did Linkevičius apologise to the Polish government and not to ours’ – stated Andrius Kubilius.
Kubilius asked also whether Linkevičius apologised Poland for the judicature of the Constitutional Court as well, which ‘at least in two cases had pronounced that the change of the rules of the surnames spelling was contradictory to the Constitution’.
‘Being officious in such significant matters leads to misunderstandings like that this morning when the Prime Minister Butkevičius ordered to explain why had he voted for rejecting the Law on spelling Polish surnames in 2010’ – Kubilius said.
In 2010 the bill was supported by only one social democrat, the former Prime Minister Gedeminas Kirkilas. Three social democrats voted against and the rest abstained from voting.
The then bill had been prepared by Andrius Kubilius Cabinet. The government bill was supported by eight conservatives, eleven voted against and fifteen abstained from voting.
The government is to appoint a working group consisting of the heads of the Ministries of Culture, Justice, Education and Foreign Affairs. The group will be managed by Edward Trusewicz, the deputy minister of Culture from AWPL (Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania).
Tłumaczenie Barbara Rożek w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Barbara Rożek the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.
