Foreign donors supporting Polish NGO's should reasses the way they spend funds
Adam Fularz Wednesday, 06 April 2011 14:42
Being a liberal writer and free- market economist, I am fed up with the way how foreign foundations are using their money in Polish case. In Poland there is in my opinion no mainstream media that would publish an article debatting, for example, whether tolerance influences economic growth, as urban researcher, R. Florida, claims. The easiest way to get published with some progressive claims is to post it onto a blog.
Problem with foreign foundations and funds promoting democracy in Poland is, that there is no discussion, how to spend these funds more effectively. There is no discussion, what is needed. There was never any meeting of, well, say, „pro-democratic organisations”, and - there are such in Poland. Some significant amount of money is being spent, and, well, to be honest, one hears nearly nothing on pro-democracy policies in Poland. Poland ranks low in EIU Democracy Index, it dropped even below Jamaica nad Panama.With a similar budget than the means devoted to so many Polish organisations, a leftist think-tank „Krytyka Polityczna” runs a daily on-line newspaper, hosts number of discussions and events daily.
Very often money is not visible, because the efforts are not going into public- some insignificant titles with boring content are published, that are read by few. I once tried to convince one of the main Polish beneficiaries of Western monies to turn its activities more into publishing, open discussions and think-tank sort of activity. I was explaining to its Warsaw members at one open meeting, telling how difficult is is for a free-market economist to get published in Poland, and what are the barriers for Polish democratic activists. I was looked at with disbelief. There was no effect of this meeting, I felt I was loosing my time. The organisation I approached was definitelly working in other areas.
Not only I, but many others observed that such institutions, if funded, should enable other same-minded activists to be heard, repeating the strategy of such organisations as „Krytyka Polityczna”. Instead, for the last couple of years we are financing our activities ourselves. I was thought economics, not webmastering, and I have to do both. I am fed up of having to publish myself or having to pay for the work of hired webmasters. I am fed up to have to spend time formatting the articles. I am an economist, and not an editor. I co-run two companies, my time is scarce.
For at least four last years we have been constantly petitioning headquarters of one of such organisations that sends funds to Poland, to have some changes in how the money is being used. And- in Poland things are getting worse in my honest opinion.
I myself grew up in Zielona Góra- a town close to German border. In the past this was a liberal town. Approximately in 2005 there was a conervative revolution in Poland. Most of young people that were meeting in public places of the town were harrased by police, many were arrested and sentenced for possesing weed. Neonazi thugs suddently appeared, grew in force, whereas most of liberal young population left the town, with only like 10 % of liberaly- minded young people remaing.
I was many times beaten at the streets by some right-wing thugs (even for wearing not- the -proper clothes). Then I left my hometown, live in another large town and since 6 years I am training to protect myself on the street of my former hometown (it is useful when I am going back there). Friends that live there complain that they are sometimes being beaten, and that their cultural events are being attacked by radical far right groups.
It is so nice that Western organisations happen to be so prudent as to spend money so clever that the Polish pro-democracy activists (such as the "Demokracja Bezpośrednia group) are virtually non-existent. Polish Greens have at least one common blog, with a very leftist editor in chief. Other political groups, such as the liberals, liberatians, social democrats, have nothing or very little.
For the last 4 or 5 years the situation is not changing, it is even getting worse, with less and less options to get published. The only newspapers that I was allowed to publish or published me recently were: „Gazeta Finansowa” and „Private Banking”. That is quite sad- for You mostly reach the people who mostly are already convinced to Your case.
I would like to expect that foreing donors are financing the institutions that are helping Polish political activists, especially those representing underpressed groups and milieus, to be heard. Sorry to observe that this is not always the case. Something is very wrong, and I am completely fed up, tired of having to repeat it every few months for the last couple of years.
