WUI (Writing under the influence)

This should have happened 16 years ago.

Poland's New Gov't Recalls 10 Ambassadors

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press Writer

January 4, 2006, 8:38 AM EST

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's new conservative government will recall 10 ambassadors with links to communist-era authorities, the first such sweeping move in 16 years of democracy, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Stefan Meller decided to cut short the ambassadors' missions amid a broader attempt by the new government to purge state offices of ex-communists, ministry spokesman Pawel Dobrowolski told The Associated Press.

Dobrowolski refused to identify the ambassadors being recalled, but Polish media identified them as the ambassadors to Algeria, Argentina, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Israel, Lithuania and Slovenia.

The ambassador to Germany, Andrzej Byrt, has said publicly that he was informed his term was ending.

The ambassadors were "linked to communist-era special services or to the communist party" before communism's fall in 1989, Dobrowolski said.

"This means that to the current state authorities in charge of foreign policy, they have lost credibility as representatives of Poland," he said, adding that it was the first large-scale diplomatic recall for such political reasons since Poland's transition to democracy.

Marek Siwiec, adviser to the previous, ex-communist president, Aleksander Kwasniewski, described the decision as "disturbing, unprecedented" and "personal revenge."

New President Lech Kaczynski, a former anti-communist activist, was expected to approve the decision, which will take effect later this year.

The new government of Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz took office on a program that includes purging ex-communists from positions of influence.

Kaczynski, a co-founder of Marcinkiewicz's Law and Justice party, won the presidency on the same promises.

Is this a sign of something worse to come? Is this another McCarthyism? I really hope so. McCarthy was more right than he was wrong. After 16 years since communism was officially abolished, Poland is about 15 years behind schedule reforming its economy because ex-Communists clinged to power until they were finally separated from it last fall. Their corrupt policies contributed to the highest unemployment in Europe, which currently stands at 17.6%

Unemployment rises in December

Warsaw, Poland January 6, 2006

Poland's unemployment rate measured 17.6% in December 2005, up from 17.3% in November, the Labour Ministry informed, citing preliminary data.

The number of unemployed stood at 2,774,462 persons and was 51,639 persons higher than in November.

The number of employed measured 12,973 mln persons.

Yesterday, the Ministry estimated the December unemployment rate at 17.4%-17.5%.

So I really hope this move will be followed by a thorough cleanup. Something similar to debaathification that has been taking place in Iraq.