EAPL defends its undersecretaries to the last one

The process of formation of the new government is underway. The secretaries sworn in last week will finish the picking of their number twos this week.  The Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (EAPL) is determined to maintain in those posts their candidates who were undersecretaries in the previous government.

The most recent dispute is about Renata Cytacka, the undersecretary of energy. After the meeting of the coalition’s Political Council on Monday, the leader of EAPL, the MEP Waldemar Tomaszewski stated that there is an agreement and Cytacka will stay in the new government.

„Our attitude does not change. (…) We reached an agreement that we do not change our underscretaries, because our representatives were not involved in any scandals” said Waldemar Tomaszewski to the press on Monday. Meanwhile the PM Algirdas Butkevičius claimed several times, both on Monday and yesterday on 22^nd July, that he will not agree to Renata Cytacka’s return to the government.

“I can only say that it is not Mr Tomaszewski who is forming the government. As the chairman of the party he can only put forward his proposals. However, if the secretary will present me with the proposal of candidacy of those people for undersecretaries  – and he will have to do this – then I will most certainly not accept such candidacy” – Butkevičius was firm when answering the LRT public radio’s question concerning Cytacka’s fate.

On Monday the PM promised that he will discuss this problem during the Thursday meeting with the secretary of energy Jarosław Niewierowicz. However, after  yesterday’s conference neither the PM nor the secretary wanted to reveal the content of their discussion concerning Cytacka.

Recently, the PM accused Cytacka of not being competent enough, however neither the PM nor secretary Niewierowicz had any objections to her competencies. The undersecretary of EAPL made herself unpopular with Butkevičiusowi, who is submissive to Dalia Grybauskaiė, and with secretary Niewierowicz, who is supported by the President, when she publicly exposed President’s lies concerning the situation of the Polish minority in Lithuania.

Cytacka is the chairwoman of the Šalčininkai branch of the Parental Forum of Polish Schools which for a couple of years has been fighting in the defence of the Polish education. It was already then that the PM wanted Cytacka dismissed, but the secretary hadn’t found any reasons for her dismissal.

It was hoped for that Cytacka could be gotten rid of after the formation of the new government after the presidential elections, however EAPL came to her defence. Secretary Niwierowicz, who was under the pressure of the President and the PM – also seconded to the government by the EAPL – even considered resigning. However, he abandoned this idea after the phone call from  Dalia Grybauskaitė, who it deeply involved in the formation of the new government, although, according to the Lithuanian Constitution, it is within the competence of the Cabinet.

Nonetheless, the new government of Algirdas Butkevičius is formed in compliance with the President’s demands.
Valentinas Jukna, the former secretary of agriculture, who was the most criticised one by the President, is not in it, and now the once again chosen secretaries are letting go of their seconds, who were on the so-called Grybauskaitė’s “black list”.

The names of the ministers from five departments can be found on it. The list was produced by the anti-corruption bureau – the Special Investigation Service – also on the basis of the regulation on secret criminal reconnaissance, so in other words – on the basis of delations and reports, and in it also the press ones about the personal and official connections of the undersecretaries. Although the list was classified, the names of nine undersecretaries were leaked to the press. Until now none of them returned to their post.

On the presidential „black list” there were no names of the undersecretaries seconded by the EAPL, therefore Leokadia Poczykowska and Władysław Kondratowicz are already back in the Departments of Agriculture and Telecommunication. Edita Tamošiūnaitė and the undersecretary of culture Edward Trusewicz are also to remain in their posts.

Cytacka’s name also hasn’t been found on the anti-corruption list, however the PM evidently tries to get rid of her at all cost.