„So far I have impression all of us are managing quit well teaching our beloved students Urban Management ‘on-line’. At the same time I am convinced all of us are missing direct ‘live’ interaction with them, among others to discuss face to face the social-economic context of our profession, which is important part of the curriculum.
To compensate lack of exchange and discussion between students, we introduced at the start of the ‘Corona crisis’ an ‘on-line debate’ between them. We asked UM students to react on column(s) I regular publish in ‘Bulletin’ (the official magazine of the Netherlands Polish Chamber of Commerce) about geo-economic and geo-social developments in Europe and Poland.
Below you will find a series of reactions of our students. They are reacting on the column(s) as well as to each other. The columns are written in such way it encourages critical thinking and self-reflection among readers.
Due to the fact it provides some valuable information about the mindset they approach current era, we decided to share these information with all of you” – Huub Droogh, Main lecturer Urban Management Collegium Da Vinci, Urbanist and partner RDH Urban.
Feedback on column: Voter for sale
“We want it – we got it! Do we need it? We don’t know!”
Lena Paziuk – Ukraine – second year’s student Urban Management
For me it is hard to give an objective opinion about voting. I have a life in two countries. My ‘adult’ life started here in Poland, and will continue here. My other life started when I was a child and lived with my parents in Ukraine, and this life continues when I visit them there. So far I wasn’t able to monitor the situation in both countries at the same time, and to be honest till some time ago I wasn’t really interested in it. Ukraine is going through some interesting times and thanks to the internet, my friends and the fact that I’m allowed to vote I was an active witness in Ukraine elections last year.
Generally, I should start from describing the Ukrainians as a nation and that will explain their position during any elections. From the beginning of existence of Ukraine as a country (approx. 400 years ago) Ukrainians were freedom loving people: this was the main feature and goal for them. They would fight for the sake of freedom, even if there was no common sense.
This is an important traits: Ukrainians are for 100% confident in their rightness and they are for 100% sure that all people around try to fool and defraud them, especially their compatriots. This conviction that everyone tried to fool you, and in particular the authorities, leaded to a common disrespect of authorities. This discretion went to the point of absurdity and it was par for the curse not to trust your relatives or even your family. All these descriptions I made in past tense, because that what Ukrainians were in the past and because it was clearly seen on our history. But the truth is that our nation is still the same in present time, absolutely 100% the same… The difference is only that recent 20 years are considered as new time for the country and not considered globally yet, but it will be.
During the recent election a new candidate surprised everyone by just appearing between candidates who are promoting themselves to the post of president for already 20 years. And 73% of country just elected him… Young people call this situation: “it’s because we were tired, it’s because WE wanted to be like this.”. This situation was huge and shocked consciousness not because he was a comedian, it was because the first time we choose someone who was not politician. “Politician” – the word which in Ukraine always meant ex-prisoner, who want your money, who says unrelated things… You can use this word if you want to offend someone… (read this with irony).
In 2019 we chose the president and it was 100% clear voting. This country is very colorful and we are good in surprising the world. Because of our rich history we lived through everything: times when voters where bought, times when all the candidates were ex-prisoners and people believed them, times when people consciously chose one of these prisoners (even when there was competitor who wasn’t judged), times when the election in the country was for the first time clear without ought voters, times when two candidates like rap celebrities went to the stadium to debate in front of people.
We don’t want to be a part of Russia and I’m pretty sure we won’t be a part of Russia, exactly because of these traits. But at the same time we always wanted to be a part on European Union and I’m barely sure that it is not going to happen any time soon, again, exactly because of this attitude…
So you can see this double affect all the time because of our nature I described before. I assume, that result of these actions is that we don’t move from the one point much. Whenever it looks outside, the country is stable in the same condition already for 20 years. Yes, we have thousands improvements, but at the same time we have thousands losses – that all happens because of our controversial character.
We don’t believe to anyone, we believe in our future, we vote for less evil, we follow the rule “it’s neither my headache nor my piece of cake!” until we get really tired and go to the other extreme using physical strength, we love and hate everyone around us.
I really doubt if in Ukraine people would start to fight because they voted for a different president, or for their nationality (we have around 130 nationalities within the country), but I can imagine they will fight about Russian and Ukrainian languages. (That I relate to Poland, because I really can imagine fights here in Poland for political reasons, or for the nationality, that’s interesting fact). Ukrainians live controversial life…
There are so many things happening in my country all the time, so sometimes I can’t manage to watch the news about my other country. Even worse: there are so many things going on in Ukraine that I even can’t manage to follow all of them…
“Brave voter”
Weronika Szymańska – first year’s student Urban Management
To understand the political aspect in every country, we have to at first understand historical aspects, social structure, and economic situation. It is very easy to judge other countries with the knowledge that we have got from social media or television.
Poland as a nation has a rough past, which still divides people, mostly into two groups. Two main political parties. Elder generations place value on religion which helped them, often also as an institution, to survive the war, annexation or occupation. They feel a need, to vote for the party, which seems to them, nearest to the truth and most patriotic. But they often forget about many other important aspects.
People in their twenties, thirties, want to have options. To have lots of choices in their career, to have the possibility to work fairly, and earn fairly. They dream about the simple life and crazy vacation. They do not pay attention to the same aspects of political parties as people in their sixties, seventies.
As a quite new voter, I see how our generation has been raised. When we are young, we do not receive any information or facts, just opinions. We live in families that treat politics non-objectively, which often judge people by their political choices, which rarely respect other choices.
Voters who can be “sold” focuses selfishly on the politician’s promises. “Voters for sale” are those who only look at promises, not at consequences.
In Poland, it’s common to hear that we need changes and those will come with new generations. As much as we want to believe in these words, we still destroy hope by breeding a new race of people who cannot think on their own. People are often afraid to vote for something/ someone new, but this fear did not come from anywhere. We can speculate how and when but the most important thing is to stop being selfish and irresponsible. In other words, it is time to stop being “sold” . It is time to encourage people to be mature.
Time to become “Brave Voter”…!
“Voter for sale”
Iza Jarmolińska – second year’s student Urban Management
There is no better time to discuss this publication. When I read first this column I was thinking what a faultless summary about the polish system, however, it is not easy to agree with it taking into consideration that is about my homeland.
As a young woman living in XXI century in the middle of Europe, I would like to presume that people in power are as intelligent as judicious to think about future generations and long-term social interest. There are always individuals who will only take care of their own business, but these situations are inevitable even in the most developed and strong countries, although they are eliminated sooner or later.
Unfortunately, in Poland case is a trend to keep narrow-minded units led by cynic, nationalist and full of hatred man, who is effectively attempting to a division of the society and the change of the state system. Rule of law, political nepotism, improper education reform, corruption, restriction of women’s rights… there are only the main infection of the current system.
It really hurts to see that history is repeating over the centuries without any conclusion. Do we really need to reach a bottom to see damages caused by particular actions? Sad to say but probably yes. Nowadays, when the whole world is fighting with the pandemic of coronavirus and the socio-economic impact, the governing nationalist Law and Justice party is trying to uphold the authority and conduct elections by breaking the constitutional law, exposing the society but most of all they threaten democracy and freedom. It is impossible to organize correspondence elections in a righteous way.
Does it mean that all the voters are already sold?
Feedback on column: Digital world, analogue
From anarchy to dictatorship in the blink of an eye
Zuza Romanowska – second year’s student Urban Management
As it is mentioned in the column – Poland is not yet looking like a state of anarchy, but indeed it is an anarchy already, especially in the light of recent events. I could not find information about when these words have been written, however I find them more and more up-to-date every single day. My intention is not to point out all of these ridiculous events, which took place over the last months, because it would take my time till very late evening. What I want to underline is that extraordinary times enhanced deviations of political system in Poland in very visible way – mainly case of “fight” (or its lack) with crisis itself and the case of upcoming elections, which occurred to be much more important than the health of citizens, not even saying about elementary democratic rights.
“Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power” – as Napoleon Bonaparte said. And truly it is by all its means, of which we can be spectators nowadays in Poland. But referring to the fact, that in the profession of urbanist is encoded forecasting of future – what does it mean for Poland in 10 years time? Honestly speaking, I do not care anymore. People should get what they deserve and if they deserve dictatorship, terror and enslavement – they will get it only because of their previous actions. “It is not necessary to go too far from home or too deep into history to see it” – but what if people are not able to go further than their own room or deeper into history than the previous day?
Maybe it’s high time to get back to design of streets and plans of neighbourhoods. To focus on small-scale projects instead of future of whole country. And I am conscious that they are interlinked with each other. As a response to analogue opposition I could propose building of a net, which is independent from governments and guarded by separated organization. I could also undermine double power of governments (in reality and in Internet) and challenge computer specialists to start to build small, local networks in Internet, inaccessible by any authorities. Internet had to be a space for people and became just another tool of surveillance, why not to start the fight with regaining control over it first? To my mind it’s far easier than in reality. I could speculate like this for quite a long time – but I will not. Because I don’t think anymore that urbanists are proper persons to save the world. People who messed it, should take the responsibility. These, who couldn’t take a further look. These, who wanted to work till the age of 60, not 67. These, who “needed” 500zł more. And all the others, who were mentioned in first bulletin and first discussion.
In Poland we have a saying: “You should drink a beer, which you have brewed for yourself” and I think that’s beautiful. Maybe it’s easier to give up than to fight, but last months took all the hope in humanity out of me and as forecasting urbanist I can see that this is not going to change so fast.