Warsaw, Poland 25 October, 2007 Now that the Polish "elete" (defined as the young and educated Polish people of Europe) have spoken, Poland may see some radical changes. An Outlook reader has sent us "Some Random Thoughts For Mr. Tusk" that we present here for his consideration, assuming he reads our articles, which he probably does not, and for your comment.
Our reader is a bit "shy" of the CBA so he prefers to remain anonymous and sent it to us. We expect that CBA has probably been monitoring us so there is nothing lost by us printing it totally unedited.
If you have any comments on this, or would like to add your own thoughts for Mr. Tusk to consider, please add them in the comments section below.
Ministerial Positions - Don’t make the same mistakes that were made in the past. Find the most experienced person for the task at hand, shun the expedient temptation to put political hacks in the positions. If all positions are filled by experts so be it, an expert is more effective than an inexperienced politician. Work with your ‘new coalition partners’ on this. A ministerial position filled by an expert who can add value is better for the Polish people and government than a simple ‘product placement’ who cannot add value. In today’s environment all ‘coalition’ partners should understand this. The success of the ‘coalition’ and the new government is more important than which position is filled by a person from a particular party.
Privatisation - Have a goal to sell off 100% of the businesses that are in the government’s portfolio within 18 months. They should be either sold to the highest bidder. The entire process should be managed by an outside Internationally recognized financial/consulting institution with a blue ribbon government watchdog committee representing the interests of the Polish people. The government should not be in business with the great exception of what may be considered to be a strategic business however that definition must be put under a microscope.
Media - All media outlets that have government shareholding should be privatized with immediate effect (ie. TVP, Polish radio etc). The government has no place in the media business which is obvious. The entire process should be managed by an outside internationally recognized financial/consulting institution with a blue ribbon government watchdog committee representing the interests of the Polish people. In addition, the so called TV tax should be abolished within the next 12 months. Those media sources that are relying on this ‘hand-out’ must compete in the free market as do their commercial competitors. Public subsidies have no place in a market economy.
National Health Service - Bring in experts to develop a strategy for this conundrum. The past governments have only thrown money at the problems on an episodic basis and have shown a total lack of understanding for the big picture. It is suggested that the government hold a tender for large, international consulting firms to assist it to develop a long term (20 years) strategy and tactical plan to bring the health service up to standard for the citizens and to open the market to private health care. This is an area which needs immediate and high level attention, the government has proven only to be ham handed with respect to health care. In addition, students who in essence receive a ‘free medical education’ should be required to either work for a minimum number of years in the health service or pay back the cost of their education via a loan scheme that is entered into with their matriculation into medical studies.
The writer has great respect for Minister Dr. Religa however, appointing him as Minister was akin to appointing the best Formula 1 mechanic as the President of BMW. The managerial skills simply do not fit no matter how good the technical skills are.
Anti Trading laws - Repeal the recent law on the ban of commercial trading on certain holidays. The government should not dictate what days businesses can trade. The market itself will decide what days are profitable to be open or closed.
International Relations - Seize the opportunity! There is a great window of opportunity to reach out to friends and former foes alike. There is no longer a reason to continue the building of the ‘Kaczynski Wall’, as a cliché, ‘Mr. Tusk, tear down that wall!’
The friends are obvious, what about those ‘evil ghosts’ that haunted the prior government? Russia – It is time to engage Russia in a meaningful way. They are a neighbor and a potential great trading partner. Build a bridge slowly but resolutely. Germany – the Germany of WWII is gone and this must be understood. (the pain caused by Germany during the war will never be forgotten however Poles in general and in government specifically need to get beyond events that occurred 60+ years ago. Today’s Germany is not yesterday’s Germany. Germany has many times signaled it’s desire to engage Poland, the door is open, just walk through it rather than hide behind it as the previous administration did.
Appoint a Foreign Minister who can gain respect of international partners while representing the Polish nation well. Again forget politics, get the best person for the job.
The Military - Create a truly professional military and abolish forced conscription. Pay military staff a competitive wage. Rethink the overall military strategy and manpower needs for the 21st century not the 20th. The overall military overhead can most likely be pared by a minimum of 30% very quickly while remaining staffed at levels which are appropriate to the threat levels and the support expected of the Polish military for humanitarian missions as well as NATO and EU needs. Consult with NATO and EU partners to ascertain projected anticipated future needs.
Past CBA Actions - Create an immediate investigative commission, it is suggested to appoint a Blue Ribbon committee not a committee of Sejm members. Find highly respected lawyers, former Sejm members, business leaders, former law enforcement etc so it is non partisan. Give them the remit to subpoena any and all records, people etc with sweeping powers to do so. Force a reasonably short period to get the job done.
You are invited to add your own random thoughts for Mr. Tusk in the comments section below.
