- March 13, 2013
- 341
Waldemar Tomaszewski: „The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania is very politically active.”
The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania has always enjoyed a lot of interest from journalists, politicians and publicists. In the last days we have heard a lot about the EAPL.
It has become a shameful tradition that the voices of the people who talk about the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania through the media are biased, and even with the naked eye we can see that they resound on somebody’s request. A paradoxical phenomenon, but recently very characteristic, is that in the matters of the national minorities mainly nationalists speak, and the issues of morality is commented by both atheists and agnostics. For these reasons, the discussions are held at an embarrassingly low level, smack on the cheap populism and dilettantism. The opponents are stigmatized by the people who are unfamiliar with the issues. However, it is beneficial for profane and laymen who ultimately make the discussion seem like biased and destructive dialogues.
The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania is very politically active – they act both multidirectional and multidimensional. Some people still claim that the EAPL issues are only limited to the matters connected with national minorities, to the matters from the realm of spirituality and matters connected with the development of the Vilnius region where the local authorities, despite the implementation of a number of investment projects, can boast of a lack of debt. It is widely known, not from today, that the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania deals with lots of other issues: to start with taxes, through social policies and matters connected with stopping the wave of emigration, ending at the fight against corruption.
The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania as the only parliamentary party has never been implicated in any corruption scandal. As we are a solid party with a large program, we consider all these issues to be important because they are all connected with themselves, are closely linked to the principle of causality. The program of the EAPL consists of specific acts that are consequently implemented by the help of our experience and the knowledge of reality. By all means. Although the dice are loaded against us. This fact is even admitted by the opponents of the party. The members of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania are extremely active which stems from a strong position and support that they enjoy.
To make use of the tourism potential of the country
Recognizing the enormous tourism potential which derive from the advantages of nature, and of a multitude of unique monuments of architecture, history and others. The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania brought the proposal to the governmental working group set up by the Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius of reducing VAT to those companies who work in the tourism industry. In the long term, tourism could become one of the basic branches of the economy in Lithuania. Unfortunately, the liberal-conservative majority who ruled the country make the tourism industry impossible to develop by raising the VAT on hotel services with 9 percent until 21 percent. In neighbouring countries, this tax is in the range of 8 percent so that the Lithuania loses in the battle with competitors.
To improve the condition of local roads
The EAPL solicits to increase the funding for local roads with 20 percent to 30 percent. A successful solving of the problem of improving the state of local roads, most of which are in a deplorable state, concerns many voters throughout Lithuania. Being aware of this, the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania take all kinds of the possible steps to improve this situation.
To reduce the price of heating
Representatives from the EAPL in the Ministry of Power Engineering – Jarosław Neverovičius, Renata Cytacka and others – on the behalf of the party do a lot in order to decrease the price of heating for the residents of Lithuania by 20 percent. It is one of the biggest problems of the single citizen of the country who pays for the heating probably the greatest price in this part of Europe. The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania is of the opinion that the government can reduce heating costs, which account for a significant part of the budget of the average family in Lithuania, by, for instance, switching to the alternative energy, such as biofuels, by the fight against monopolization of the heating networks and, finally, by a greater impact on the local economy of thermal issues.
As we can see, the claims of opponents about the alleged focusing only on individual issues are fabricated. The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania consistently implementing the provisions of its comprehensive program, in a sincere and conscientious way to show their voters that they fulfill all that they promised in their program.
To protect the rights of national minorities
Speaking about the steps which were made in order to protect the rights of national minorities we have to mention about the declaration made by the superintendent of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania – Rita Tamašunienė – in which she proposed to make the extension of the validity of the Act on National Minorities until the adoption of the new Law on National Minorities. The representatives of the EAPL work in different Lithuanian ministries over the fact that the draft of a new Law on National Minorities could as quickly as possible be voted for or against by the Members of Parliament. However, to the time of its adoption the EAPL propose to restore the existing provisions of the Act on National Minorities. What is more, the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania also tries very hard to the restoration of the previous act about the education which was valid for over twenty years and, until recently, did not disturb anybody. Appropriate amendments to the laws have also been reported for the spring session of the parliament.
To develop spiritual but not to make people happy forcefully
The program of Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania also consists of very important issues connected with morality and spirituality, for instance, the protection of the unborn child and the compulsory teaching of religion in schools. This last led to the inadequate comments of our opponents, especially from liberal circles, although the draft Law on Teaching Religion in the previous term has been made by Member of Parliament – Jarosław Narkiewicz. A statement on this matter was also given by the Kaunas Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevičius. Nobody knows for sure if his opinion reflects the views of all the hierarchs of the Church in Lithuania. If it turns out that yes, it will be possible to consider the withdrawal of the project. We are extremely pleased that in Polish schools in Lithuania one hundred percent of student learn religion. However, it may not make much sense to force the other environment to be happy.
To consistently protect a life from conception to natural death
Speaking about the actions which aim to protect the life beginning with conception, the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania does not intend to resign. Blessed Pope John Paul II said that “A nation that kills its own children is a nation without a future.” The protection of the life from conception to the natural death is one of the most important factors in an European civilization. The EAPL for years would like to give more value to the unborn life. In 2005 I developed and reported the draft Law on the Protection of Unborn Life and now the parliamentary fraction of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania newly recorded this project which was also signed by the members of other parliamentary clubs. Then, in the spring of 2005, after the death of Pope John Paul II, political scientists, politicians, representatives of the so-called elites and the media of various sorts, including liberal, commented on the activities of the Pope, and also have spared no good words about him.
However, the accolades are not very important aftermath of the Pope’s teachings, the most important is the recruitment of the life, which was done in 2005 by the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania: we registered the draft Law on a Conceived Life. With not favourable political factors we managed to get our project approved in the first reading. The project was also accepted the Committee of Human Rights, but eventually it was blocked because of, for instance, the passive attitude of the conservatives on this issue, particularly by the contemporary chairman of the Health Committee Antanas Matulasa.
However, on the occasion of the creation of law in 2005, the discussion on this topic erupted. Community have the opportunity to explore the little known subject. The ignorance of the theme is one of the reasons of alarmingly high rate of killing unborn children. The statistics are merciless: now is killed about 8-9 thousand of unborn children, before 8 years this rate was almost two times higher. So that we should not be shocked that the initiative of the EAPL, even without the final victory, gives positive effects. The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania is of the opinion that the lack of legal protection of the unborn can make – having regarded to the demographic wave of emigration – that we as a country will simply die out.
To transform a criticism to the constructive stimulus for further action
The criticism only confirms the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania that our actions are necessary and carried out in an appropriate way and it is worth raging on. The EAPL always fulfills their promises made to the voters and still is going to work in this direction – once again becoming a perfect example for other political parties in Lithuania on how to make politics in this country to be more principled, decent and honest.
Waldemar Tomaszewski
Member of the European Parliament
Tłumaczenie Diana Omiljaniuk w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Diana Omiljaniuk within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.
