Poland: Capitalist restoration in crisis as conditions worsen
1992Jan Sylwestrowicz 1992-11Read it in the scan (PDF at ETOL), page 13 →
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coalition can last depends most (Part one of a two-part series)
The project of capitalist restoration in Poland, under way for three years now, finds itself in deep crisis. And no quick or easy solution is in sight.
As the events of the summer and early autumn showed, none of the forces leading capitalist restoration in Poland, nor their backers in the West, have any solution that could slow down, let alone reverse, the rapid growth of economic, social, and political instability.
The "solution" being mentioned more and more often today suggested openly by the most dogmatic of Poland's pro-capitalist ruling elite, and echoed by certain Western "advisers" —is that of a dictatorial clamp down.
Various leaders of the parties in Poland's governmental coalition have declared recently that the "key to stability" is "capitalism, not democracy" (these include the leader of the Liberal-Democratic Congress and L. Balcerowicz, the author of the program of capitalist reform begun in January 1990 and known as the "Balcerowicz Plan"). This is quite logical.
As events in other countries of Eastern Europe are demonstrating—particularly in the former republics of the USSR-the popular discontent engendered by capitalist restoration means that this project cannot indefinitely be pursued along parallel lines with democratic freedoms.
At some point a choice has to be made. Contrary to what the mass of the people were led to believe, capitalism and democracy, in the crisis-torn countries of Eastern Europe, are simply incompatible. these people flew to Israel and purchased a controlling share in the largest Israeli petroleum corporation for cash, which he produced from suitcases he had brought with him!
Fox guarding the chickenhouse When the whole affair became known, the government appointed the wealthiest private businessman in Poland, one A. Gawronik, to oversee the "rescue" of the company. Gawronik performed this function for a month, being forced to resign after a public outcry when it was discovered that the government was paying him more for each day of his services than the average wage in Poland for a whole year.
It now transpires that the first thing Gawronik did when he arrived at the Art-B offices was to steal for himself part of the loot the previous crooks had been unable to take with them.
He "appropriated" several Mercedes Benz cars, antiques, and a collection of paintings that includes ones by Renoir and Picasso. The authorities were forced to arrest Gawronik, the millionaire they themselves had hand-picked for the job, at the end of September.
These are only two examples out of very many. As these "facts of life" about how the new capitalism is to operate become known, popular anger mounts at the criminal politicians and "entrepreneurs" who are robbing the economy for all they can while working-class living standards plummet.
The day after the arrest of Gawronik, the editorial in Warsaw's largest and staunchly pro-capitalist newspaper was forced to admit that "after three years, the perspective of moving to capitalism stands discredited."
The same editorial demanded the government "do something" before it was too late. But what can the government do? It can't change the way capitalism works (nor does it want to). It can't halt the recession while adhering to the economic policy dictated by the IMF and the World Bank.