The Doomed Soldiers
“In the end, they finally eliminated the enemies they hated for so many years."
It is difficult to even find an analog in history to these events. Deaths
that befall much of a nation's leadership aren't usually accidents,
either legitimate or designed to look like such. |
| Above: Beata Gosiewska; her children. |
The television channel “TV Trwam” broadcasted how on the day the coffin with my husband's body was flown [to Poland from Russia], Mr. Marshall [of the Polish Sejm (Parliament) Bronislaw] Komorowski, stood along with Prime Minister [Donald] Tusk, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw ["Radek"] Sikorski, all jubilant, and in great moods. I noticed very quickly, that it was with great difficulty, that they were hiding their elation, and feelings of at last, being finally victorious.
Did you receive any information about what happened, aside from the [official] media reports?
No. No one told me anything.
After two days, the then Marshall [of the Sejm - Polish Parlimanent]
Bronisław Komorowski called me. With some cursory niceties, he expressed
his condolences to Przemyk's mom [translator’s note: “Przemyk” is
short for “Przemysław”, the first name of Beata’s husband, the late
Deputy Chairman of the Law and Justice Party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość)
Przemysław Edgar Gosiewski]. After that, there were no further official
contacts. On Sunday, the family flew to Moscow..
You decided not to fly [to Russia] to identify the remains of your husband …
I decided not to
do that. Przemyk's mom wanted to fly there. We all thought that it was a
bad idea. Her brother, and his wife, traveled from Nysa [a town in
southwestern Poland]. We decided together, that they should fly to
Moscow. I believe that it was a right decision.
What were they saying about the process of identifying the remains [once they arrived in Russia]?
Truthfully
- they [my family who traveled there] say as little about this tragedy
as possible; and we, on the other hand, try to gather as much
information from them as we can. They want to forget about this
nightmare as quickly as they can.
We
were shocked by what we’ve learned from the official media - that my
husband’s remains were identified. When we called our uncle [who
traveled to] Moscow, he told us that they didn't even make it to the
coroner's office. These are exactly these two [peculiar] worlds of which
I spoke earlier.
It
became apparent that madam Minister Ewa Kopacz [translator’s note:
Minister of Health in Donald Tusk’s government], who was in possession
of, then obviously misleading information, didn’t call the families,
didn’t relay any information, but instead, was busy with her press
conferences. Even then, faced with this tragedy, all they [the Donald
Tusk’s government] cared about was the image of the governing crew; they
spoke of more, and more [phony] successes, how many bodies were
identified, and so forth. Now, from the perspective of time, I think, it
was both inhumane, and brutal [towards the families].
At least officially, as it was reported in the Polish press, that the [Polish] government extended much help to the families of the victims [of the Polish government’s TU-154M crash]. Did you, as a Polish citizen, feel, that such help was indeed extended to you?
After
this crash, as a Polish citizen, who has lived here for forty years – I
recently celebrated my birthday – I learned much about how the Polish
nation functions. It became apparent that government institutions don’t
function either, or function in a pitiful manner.
You ask - who
has the right to assess if the families were helped? Did we, as a
nation, indeed, pass this difficult test brought upon us by the crash?
Would, and should, those [who are entitled to answer this question] be
exactly the people who were directly affected by this tragedy? Isn’t it
them, who should provide this type of assessment? Or, should it be the
government [of Donald Tusk] who when not praised for their [imaginary
successes] resorts to praising itself?
We
were shocked by what we’ve learned from the official media - that my
husband’s remains were identified. When we called our uncle in Moscow,
he told us that they didn't even make it to the coroner's office.
Immediately after
the crash, the majority of families, didn’t need much financial support
- the type of support for which this government bombastically praises
itself. In my opinion, they are doing this on purpose.
Unfortunately,
Poland isn't doing well. Poverty is becoming increasingly widespread,
and people, who hear that the families [of the crash victims] received
large sums of money, reacted to this fact in various ways; often with
negative feelings … Someone probably wants exactly that [to polarize
us]. When I saw what is taking place, and what the official [Tusk’s
government leaning] TV is reporting, I decided that I have to defend the
truth. This cannot be swept under the rug. Since the Platforma
Obywatelska [Eng. Civic Platform] is in cahoots with the media, it isn’t
important [anymore] what the truth really is. All that is important is
that they can con the population into believing [whatever they want].
Our
quest for truth isn’t easy. Since last year, we see how many outright
lies we are surrounded by. Once again, I’ll repeat, I wish that we were
truly helped, and were given honest information [to which we are
entitled to]. To the contrary, however, I was neither helped, nor
informed. All we knew, was what we’ve learned from the official media,
and from the telephone calls from Moscow.
The day the coffin [with my
husband’s remains] was to arrive was a nightmare. I felt as if time
stood still. And we felt that much more pain, because of the information
vacuum. At all times, we felt uncertain, if what they say on TV is
really true. We could see, that there is so much lying that is taking
place and it is impossible to hope, that a miracle would have happened,
and at last, they would begin to tell the truth.
In
addition, an incredible organizational mess accompanied all of this.
Everyone [of the victims’ families] was told something different.
Everyone tried to get more information from different sources. Often,
something that we found out was contradicted by something that somebody
else dug up. It was a real nightmare.
What I mean by saying that we were not helped, are these twenty-eight funerals at the Powązki Cemetery;
they were not coordinated at all, as far as the dates [of the funerals]
are concerned. I had to change the date [of my husband’s funeral] three
times. At last, I managed to establish the date [of the funeral]. There
was nobody coordinating any of this. [Then], while trying to ascertain
the date [again], I was told that somebody else already made the funeral
arrangements; as if it was proverbial horse-trading in which we were
engaged in with the [Donald Tusk] government’s representatives.
There is so
much being said, that the government covered the funeral costs, and that
all of our expenses were reimbursed. These talks were truly
embarrassing. They asked us every time: “Could you pay for this [or
that] yourself? Will you pay for the transportation yourselves?” There
was neither rhyme nor reason how any of this was being done. I
understand some of the officials. They didn’t fully know what they
could, or could not do. It was one huge mess. Only after the fact, it
became apparent that the government in fact did pay. But, what we had
endured was a nightmare.
Jacek Sasin [1], Deputy Director in the Chancellery of the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski interviewed by “Nasz Dziennik”, 2011:
“Both myself, and Maciej
Łopiński [2], heard from the hospitality staff in one of the
presidential offices in Warsaw, that shortly after the crash, Bronisław
Komorowski [3] and Radosław [“Radek”] Sikorski [4] had a great time
during their meeting that was accompanied by alcohol. According to what
they [the staff] said, at one point, Komorowski said to Sikorski: 'Lech
is gone, but the other one [Jaroslaw Kaczynski - Lech Kaczynski’s
brother] is still around'. Sikorski responded: ‘don’t worry Bronek
[short for Bronisław], we still have one more ‘Tutka’ [Tupolev Tu-154]’.
We were told that this is what was said.”
[Earlier,] I
spoke about the confusion and the lack of goodwill. Later, after hearing
what the government officials were saying, [I realized] that they
treated me exactly the same way they treated my late husband - as a
member of the opposition. I didn’t understand what was taking place as
these events were unfolding. I blamed it all on the prevalent mess.
There was much being said, over the coffins of the deceased, about the reconciliation with Russia.
Today, we already know who spoke about this reconciliation. It was an [communist] operative!
Who do you have in mind?
I am talking about an employee of the
Polish embassy in Moscow, a certain Tomasz Turowski, who was one of the
first people at the crash site. It turned out, that during the period of
the [Communist] PRL [Pol. abbr. Polish People’s Republic - subservient
to the USSR], he was a notable SB [Pol. abbr. Służba Bezpieczeństwa - Polish secret police] operative, spying undercover on Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. It was he, who was the author of this reconciliation. [Read more about Tomasz Turowski here]
Left: The "Smolensk Widows": Ewa Blasik (left), Beata Gosiewska (center), Ewa Kochanowska (right)
There was no one
to help, or care for the families of the MP’s who had lost their loved
ones. The Marshall [of the Sejm] Komorowski, already then, felt being
the master of the Presidential Palace, and wasn’t interested in us. We
were destined to find out what happened by [personally] contacting
individuals who were at the crash site, by private phone calls, and the
[independent] media. In hindsight, we know that many of these [official]
media reports were outright misinformation.
With each passing
day, we saw that the statements made by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and
his ministers were - and I am not afraid to call a spade a spade -
outright lies. Their stories changed everyday, or every couple of weeks.
The Polish Prime Minister said that he has no reason not to trust the
Russians. For us, it was yet another slap in the face. We wondered whose
interests this man represents: the Polish government, or his buddies
[in Russia]?
It was shocking.
Our loved ones died, and [all he wants to] speak about is the
reconciliation. At the same time, on May 9th [2010], public calls were
made to light candles at the gravesites of Russian soldiers. A question
of erecting a monument to the Bolshevik soldiers who died invading [the
Polish capital] Warsaw, in 1920, and who were buried in Ossowo, surfaced
as well. This decision has been contested. The Polish authorities’
incriminating statements accompanied it; some of them uttered by Mr.
President Komorowski himself, who during the [initial stages of the]
ongoing investigation publicly stated, that the reasons for the crash
were mistakes made by the Polish pilots who wanted to land [at any cost]
in bad weather. [See "Russian Image Management", et al., by the retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Senior Scientific Intelligence Officer, Eugene Poteat]
The same reasons were given immediately after the crash. It appeared,
as if this version of events was already carefully prepared at the top.
[It was prepared] and then carried out by the masters of disinformation
themselves - the Russian secret services. [Read more about Polish Government plane crash disinformation here ...]
Did you give much thought to the type [and credibility of the] information reaching us through the media?
From the
beginning, to the very end, I didn’t really know what was going on. When
we were invited to take part in the joint Parliamentary proceedings by
the Marshall [of the Polish Parliament] Mr. Bronisław Komorowski, I
believe it was April 13th [2010], he didn’t even make an effort to come
and see us, let alone, greet us. They packed us into a room [and that
was it]. They didn’t tell us why we were there. I thought then, that
Marshall [Komorowski] was already amidst his ongoing electoral campaign.
Other issues … this additional mass burial at the Powązki cemetery ... I
was at the cemetery the day earlier, and I saw a hole they dug up, and
truthfully, I didn’t know what this was all about.
During the days
that followed, many families [of the victims] began to get together, to
meet each other, and to comment on the behavior of the [Tusk’]
government before these important events. The television station “TV
Trwam” showed how on the day the coffin with my husband's body was flown
[from Russia to Poland], Marshall [of Polish Sejm (Parliament)
Bronislaw] Komorowski, stood along with Prime Minister [Donald] Tusk,
and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Radoslaw ["Radek"] Sikorski,
all jubilant, and in great moods. I noticed very quickly, that they are
hiding their content with great difficulty, and felt truly victorious.
The enemies, whom they have hated for so many years, were at last
eliminated. This is what it looked like.
When my husband
was still alive, I asked him many times about the teamwork between the
PO [Pol. abbr. Platforma Obywatelska – Donald Tusk’s party] and PiS
[Pol. abbr. Prawo i Sprawiedliwość – the Law and Justice party lead by
the late President Lech Kaczyński], and what could be done to create a
coalition of both [of these parties, that my husband and others] so much
desired. “Why aren’t you able to work together?” - I asked. My husband
said: “They smile only in front of the cameras. Truthfully, they hate
us. If they could, they would kill us all.” In this respect,
unfortunately, he foretold what would happen.
What were the reasons for this hatred?
In my opinion,
this hatred was caused by their fear. The government of Jarosław
Kaczyński, of which my husband was part, opposed and vocalized its
disapproval for the [prevalent] corruption. Many people, who built their
fortunes, have done so through dishonesty, and they were scared. As my
husband said - "The biggest of these [crooks] fled abroad when the PiS
party was in charge."
I think that they
are united through a solidarity of fear; and you have to add to this
the liquidation of the [Soviet trained and controlled, Polish] Military
Information Services [abbr. WSI – Wojskowe Służby Informacyjne - a
Soviet-trained, Polish Communist military intelligence services]. In the
end, it was this mixture [of unsavory characters] that got together,
and decided to change the existing reality. They rose up against the
Polish government. I think that this crew supports the present
government, and had united with them above any politics. But, this isn’t
about their convictions at all, but rather, their common interests.
Their power is accompanied with a preponderant fear - a fear that
someone honest would enter the political arena, and would undermine
their influence and fortunes.
At the time when
the Civic Platform took over power, or earlier, when it lost the
elections, the media, with an unprecedented perfidy, began to turn
Polish society against the Law and Justice party. It [the PiS party] was
depicted in despicable ways. But, truthfully, the people who along with
the Kaczyński brothers wanted to transform Poland were driven by
ideals. They didn’t smile to the cameras [for show and tell]. They
wanted normalcy to return to Poland. And to this end, they declared a
war against dishonesty [and prevalent corruption].
Did your husband feel that he was indeed, in the trenches, fighting to reshape Poland?
I think so. This
occurred when he was an MP and earlier, as a member of the
[anti-communist] opposition, and later as a politician, when he was
unjustly and brutally attacked by the media. He knew that these weren’t
isolated and incidental attacks against him. The more he forged ahead,
the more he was attacked. In the end, he became a workaholic [singularly
devoted to Poland’s future].
He loved what he
was doing. Public service became his passion. He understood politics as
being service for the common public good. And for these reasons, the
[Donald Tusk leaning] media painted his false image. They made him look
like a tyrant who is unapproachable, who is difficult to like, or
dangerous, and who is uncompromising. He knew that this false image
could be changed only through his personal contact with people, his
electorate. There wasn’t a week that he wouldn’t travel to the
Swiętokrzyskie District, where he was elected. In fact, he spent every
weekend there, every Monday, that is, at least three days of each week.
He attended numerous gatherings there. He joked that at some point in the future, he would publish a travel guide to all the Fire Stations in the Świętokrzyskie District. He was able and willing to take part in several, or a dozen of events a day - by travelling from city to city, from dawn to dusk. Public service brought immense satisfaction to him. He would be so happy, as if he was a child who received a new toy, when he was able to help another human being, to help his constituents, or to help his district. He cared more about the interests of his nation, than his own. Now, many people with whom I meet, say how singularly my husband was devoted [to Poland and its citizens].
He attended numerous gatherings there. He joked that at some point in the future, he would publish a travel guide to all the Fire Stations in the Świętokrzyskie District. He was able and willing to take part in several, or a dozen of events a day - by travelling from city to city, from dawn to dusk. Public service brought immense satisfaction to him. He would be so happy, as if he was a child who received a new toy, when he was able to help another human being, to help his constituents, or to help his district. He cared more about the interests of his nation, than his own. Now, many people with whom I meet, say how singularly my husband was devoted [to Poland and its citizens].
Translated by Jola D.
------
[1] Robert Jacek Sasin
(born November 6, 1969 in Warsaw) - Polish government official, former
deputy head in Lech Kaczynski’s Chancellery, former Governor of Mazovia,
Member of the Polish Parliament.
[2] Maciej Jan Łopiński
(born 19 August 1947 in Gdańsk, Poland), Polish journalist, minister in
the President's Office from 2005 until 2010, since 2011 member of the
Polish Parliament.
[3] Bronisław Komorowski assumed the duties of Poland's president following the death of president Lech Aleksander Kaczynski.
[4] Radosiaw "Radek" Sikorski, is Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment