WARSAW: First they prayed, then the leader of Poland’s Catholic Church and top businessmen in the National Chamber of Commerce (KIG) formed an unusual alliance in Warsaw on Friday.
Announcing their “serious misgivings” about the political instability and economic slide gripping the country, they voiced the hope that future membership of the European Union would provide the stability businesses need to prosper.
Polish Primate Cardinal Jozef Glemp and leaders from Poland’s National Chamber of Commerce (KIG), along with other business organisations, pointed to the danger of disarray in Poland. Public patience has been wearing thin owing to politicians being embroiled in scandal and modest economic growth coupled with record high — near 19 per cent — unemployment.
“Enough of these machinations,” Glemp said, referring to the political turmoil spawned by “Rywingate”, a high-level alleged corruption scandal which has cast a dark shadow of suspicion on top political leaders, including the prime minister.
Meanwhile, business leaders complained the scandals and associated instability were diverting attention from the critical task of introducing reforms to boost business and job-creation opportunities and so prepare Polish firms for competition inside the EU
“If there is no swift, radical reform of the legal and institutional framework of business development, then the entry of our country into the EU will not bring the desired benefits,” a KIG statement said.
KIG head, Andrzej Arendarski said: “Polish entrepreneurs know how to work. We’re not afraid of the EU, in fact we see huge opportunities there. But we are calling on the decision-makers, the parliament, the government to start a dialogue.”
He added: “Now there is a monologue.” The government was paying little heed to the concerns of small and medium sized enterprises, the backbone of Poland’s economy, as it forged ahead with competing plans to overhaul public finances.
“We as business people cannot fix all the problems alone, and the government can’t do it alone either,” the KIG head said.
Two government ministers have tabled diverging proposals aimed at overhauling public finances, but given the climate of political turmoil, few observers believe either will be adopted wholesale.—dpa
