Last week except the unpleasant anniversary of the introduction of martial law in December of 1981, the polish media have found another peculiar date to celebrate and praise. The Balcerowicz’s Plan was undoubtedly one of the most controversial and disputed reforms in the recent history of Poland. It was introduced twenty years ago to transform the centrally mismanaged and close to bankruptcy economy into the free market capitalist one, which you can see in action now. With the growing landscape of Warsaw on the horizon and the overoptimistic macroeconomic prognosis served by the Ministry of Finance one can come to the conclusion that professor Balcerowicz has been right in putting Poland on to the Chicago School economic tracks of shock therapy. For the foreign media and bankers, executives, some entrepreneurs, lawyers, political elites, former security apparatus employees, and possibly for some around 2% of population the ‘third republic’ is a success story. I assume that there is also a group of those who will say that the current situation is OK – not as good as it could be and not the worst of all possible outcomes. These are probably the army of state employees, successful owners of small businesses, farmers who benefited from EU agricultural subsidies or to be as general as possible everyone who can afford a slightly more than every month struggle to pay bills and feed their children.
Having said all that, it becomes easier to forget the dark side of the Balcerowicz shock therapy. It is a national phenomenon this forgetfulness about poor, excluded, ill and hungry. The extent of poverty in Poland is outrageous. Personally, I don’t understand how this government can maintain contingents of troops on foreign missions and with clear conscience wish all citizens Merry Christmas. It can be safely estimated that 15% of more than 36 million people live below the poverty line, and still in a recent pool on the Polityka.pl portal nearly 70% people supported the claim that the Balcerowicz plan has made life of the ordinary Pole better and decent. The liberal economic though seems to triumph under polish roofs.
On this occasion, I would like to wish Merry Christmas to everyone who has been forgotten in the whirlwind of liberal reforms in Poland. I wish you that one day someone will see misery of your lives and change Poland into the country taking care of all its citizens – not only successful ones.
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