World Forum on Democracy

Mr. Jerzy Buzek, Prime Minister of Poland

ADDRESS TO THE WORLD FORUM ON DEMOCRACY

Ladies and Gentlemen!
I would like to greet all of you most warmly and to express how delighted I am by the fact that we can meet here, in the capital of Poland - Warsaw. My cordial and joyful words of welcome spring from the awareness that, only eleven years ago, the organization of an official meeting of such a distinguished group in any country of Central and Eastern Europe would still have been inconceivable, not only because of the existence of the increasingly corroded iron curtain, but also due to the fact that any activity remaining beyond the control of the communist authorities was regarded as suspect. After 1989, we, the inhabitants of this part of Europe came to feel that our Fatherlands became again our Homelands. It was now up to all of us to bear responsibility for our countries. That is why I deem it to be my honour and privilege to appear as the host opening this three-day debate of a distinguished group of international leaders, specialists and donors, engaged in the activities of non-governmental organizations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The building in which the debates of this conference are being held constitutes, according to my belief, an excellent symbol of the transformations which have occurred in Poland over such a short period of time. Those of you who have visited our country during the period of communist drabness and hopelessness surely remember the empty shelves in the shops, the queues for almost any goods (which were anyway available only in limited quantities rationed by coupons). If we add the widespread conviction, prevailing at least since the beginning of the nineteen eighties, concerning the absurdity and surrealism of the "leading political and economic system", we recognize the dramatic situation of the people who were aware of their historical ties with western culture and how overwhelmed they were by the seemingly futile sacrifice of the generation which experienced the war and the struggle with the two totalitarianisms intruding upon their country, after having fought side by side both with the Western Allies and with the Soviet Union. I think that the choice of the capital of Poland as the place for our meeting is extremely appropriate and eloquent. Warsaw is a city which suffered most severely during the Second World War. A great numbers of its distinguished citizens lost their lives, the continuity of generations was brutally interrupted. Almost the entire city was not only wiped out and levelled to the ground, but also extremely valuable masterpieces representing many centuries of our national heritage were destroyed. After the war, as if that were not enough, the town was disfigured in many parts by communist architecture and communist quality of the reconstruction. Today, Warsaw is an expansively developing city, a vast construction site, apparently second in Europe only to Berlin. A city of many opportunities and hopes. The traces of history, therefore, and above all of the most recent history, together with the manifestations of currently progressing transformations are particularly strongly visible here.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is for good reason that our ancestors called 16th century Poland, comprising the teo distinct entities of the Polish crown and the Great Duchy of Lithuania and joining many different nations, cultures and religions, the Poland Republic - a concept derived from the Latin term Res Publica, which may be translated as common property, a form of universal good, for which each and every citizen was responsible. Let us stress - every citizen, and not a subject. One of the key points of the legacy remaining after the fall of the First Republic was the attachment to liberty. Our ancestors viewed the liberty of participation in public life, of participation in the decisions concerning local and national affairs as extremely important but, on the other hand, they regarded highly the responsibility borne for the common good of the state. One of the most distinguished statesmen of the 15th century, Jan Ostroróg, wrote the following words: "It is the duty of the nobility to be always prepared to defend the fatherland, and even to sacrifice their life for it when necessary. If during the review of armour and of the army, which should necessarily be done every year, anyone not equipped with arms should be found, such a person should be deprived of the privilege of nobility."
At the same time, another extremely important understanding of liberty also existed as, meaning the independence from others, as the right to the sphere of privacy which was not to be interfered with not only by state institutions, but not even by the closest neighbours.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Democracy consists not only of procedures, and a spiritless political system. You know very well that the democratic system can and should provide also for the engagement of our positive emotions. Let me refer to the thought of Edmund Burke, who believed that our public emotions were rooted in our families, that cool relationships did not produce eagerly committed citizens, that family-related feelings were extended towards the neighbours and local community ties. According to his views, a structure of the country developed through customs and habits rather than by sudden and arbitrary decisions of the government leads within a large country to the formation of a multitude of small homelands, capable of attracting dear attachment.
The combination of the two previously mentioned categories of liberty: protecting the privacy of each person, in concert with responsibility for the closest family members, as well as for both the larger and the local fatherland seems to be a particularly pertinent challenge facing the democratic societies at the outset of the 21st century.
Reforming of the country, alleviating the damage wrought by fascism and communism, and the reconstruction of the structures of the state constitute a task of utmost importance for our own generation as well. A generation which has been blessed with the gift of developing freedom. In the last decade, we have set about - with much success - rebuilding the territorial self-government, and the network of non-governmental organizations has been strengthened. Efficient self-government bodies and non-governmental organizations determine, to a large extent, the strength of contemporary Poland.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
A healthy state is one which is rich in the freedom of its citizens who feel themselves to be in their shared home, of citizens who feel respect for the common achievements. The people of Poland still are not content with the long way back into the fold of democratic countries which we travelled in recent years; on the other hand, however, the time is ripe for boasting about some of our achievements.

The importance of non-governmental organizations in Poland is coming to be increasingly appreciated. The Constitution of the Republic of Poland adopted in 1997, in Article 12, obligates the state to create conditions conducive to the operation of non-governmental organizations. What's more, it is with rising frequency that units of the central and the self-government administration reach the conclusion that various associations discharge duties heretowith attended to by the state in ways which are better, less expensive, and more effective; for these reasons, they are happy to delegate their authority, thus sharing their rights with the citizens. This way of regarding the state is very close to my heart, and I hope that the growing importance of non-governmental organizations in all areas of public activity in Poland will be a sustained tendency.
The multitude of non-governmental organizations, foundations, and trade unions convened in response to actual needs of the citizens is a veritable treasure for our country.
It would be hard to overestimate the importance of these organizations which not only provide for the needs of specific persons and communities, but also function as a civic school of sorts. Within the self-government structures and associations, we receive crash courses in the devising of compromises, the solving of problems, and - most importantly - in accepting responsibility for our commune, county, voivodship, and - ultimately - for the country. The practical knowledge of the public sphere gained by councilmen, by members of the different associations will - in the future - constitute a very real social capital. Thanks to the associations, foundations, and trade unions, a vast potential of civic energy is finding its creative output.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is difficult to imagine democracy in the 20th century without a well-developed non-governmental sector. It is equally hard to picture a modern state without efficient and competent self-government bodies and non-governmental organizations. Today's Polish Republic, likewise, could not function without them, and her success in the final decade of the 20th century is, first and foremost, a success of her self-government and non-governmental sectors.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please accept expressions of my profound respect for the effort of all those who, rather than looking for assistance and solutions from the omnipotent state, courageously take matters into their own hands. I am confident that without the work of all these people, without those of you gathered here today, without these associations, contemporary democracies would be "spiritless", cold systems. I therefore take this opportunity for thanking you that you and the values which you propagate serve as the salt of modern democracy, as its very essence.