Poland's New Defense Minister To Be Inexperienced Political Insider
Warsaw, Poland 6 February, 2007 In what is being criticized as a triumph of political loyalty over experience, Poland's experienced and widely respected Minister of Defense will be replaced by the head of the Polish President's Chancellory.
Aleksander Szczyglo, a former deputy minister of defense and now head of the Polish President's Chancellory, is expected to be appointed this week.
The change is being widely criticized.
Zbigniew Brzezinski is quoted in the Polish Daily http://www.gazeta.pl Gazeta Wyborcza as saying, "The dismissal of Radoslaw Sikorski is a serious weakening for Poland, at a time when serious negotiations are taking place with America about the positioning of American defense rocket shield and further isolation of Poland on the international arena. It eliminates from the government the only person who is well versed in strategic and geopolitical issues." As Translated by Chris Borowski
Another political commentator said,
"it still points to one of the foundations of this government: political ties win over expertise and performance.
There are so many examples of this happening since the Kaczynski twins took power. For a government so intent on rooting out former communists, it's amazing that they are taking the same exact approach to filling out posts that the communists did: loyalty to the cause above all else." See Sacrificing the Qualified In The Duck Republic
Another felt it might be good for Sikorski when he said,"So it appears that the government will be losing the only internationally respected politician it has. But it’s good for Sikorski – he always was a little too good to be in the same company as Law and Justice." See Sikorski To Leave Government
The dismissal ends a power struggle within the Polish Government with Sikorski on the losing end. He just had to much working against him.
For one, Sikorski and Szczyglo are said to have had deep differences in opinion. Apparently Sikorski was not replacing Army generals who had past ties to the communist government fast enough to satisfy the country's rulers. There were also other basic disagreements that made the relationship between the two less than good.
But beyond that, Sikorski had asked for the dismissal of the Kaczynski brothers favorite, Deputy Minister of Defense Marcierwicz who was working around Sikorski and reporting directly to the Prime Minister and President rather than Sikorski.
Compounding Sikorski's problems with the Kaczynskis was his propensity to criticize them in private meetings.
Defending the dismissal is the Polish daily Naz Dziennik that claims that under Sikorski the Ministry of Defense had mishandled military contracts. This newspaper is considered an outlet for Government PR.
It is likely that this story will not end quickly with the appointment of the new Minister. It is reported that the Government is now launching an investigation into Sikorski's immigration history.
The change at the Ministry of Defense is probably the first of many changes that are expected to be made in the Polish Government in the near future.
About The Outlook
Voice Your Opinion And Make Your Comments
Free Tutorials
Learn how to sell Polish Pottery, Crystal, Christmas Ornaments, Linen, Glass, Amber and Silver and Jewelry and more. Buy wholesale. Start a business the easy way with high quality Polish products. You don't have to search all over the web.
You can get the complete list of tutorials and more by clicking on this link. FREE TUTORIALS
