Respect and Honour

A touching, if minor, news item (original in Polish) from http://kielce.gazeta.pl.

Chamber of Memory for MP Gosiewski

The parents of Przemysław Gosiewski - Jawiga and Jan Gosiewski - yesterday opened a chamber of memory in Kołaki Kościelne, where they live, dedicated to their son. His widow, Beata Gosiewska, and their children participated in the ceremony.

The president of PiS, Jarosław Kaczyński, also came to the ceremony. He gave a copy of the new Polish constitution to Przemysław Gosiewski's parents. "This is the supreme work of Przemek [diminutive of Przemysław], which symbolises the meaning of his life. His purpose was to serve Poland and the Polish Parliament which, with this new blueprint, had at last to begin to serve the Polish nation. I honour his memory", said the president of PiS. Earlier he had stressed that Gosiewski had been his friend, and a man with huge energy and organisational talent. "He had an unusual gift of acting among people. He managed to achieve success, whilst surviving the most difficult times", underlined Kaczyński. A small museum has been created in farm buildings on the grounds of the family's property. The centre of this is a fire-place, over which hangs a portrait of Przemysław Gosiewski surrounded by a shroud.

Among the exhibition exhibits are mementos which, as a politician, he received as presents from voters of Świętokrzyskie Ziemi [region], amongst others. One can also see the certificate conferring on him the status of honourable citizen of the town of Włoszczowa. The Chamber of Memory will be open up to 1 November, afterwards only in spring.

Someone reading about Poland in English will know of the Smolensk air crash, but will primarily be assailed with controversies centred around who was to blame, where to place a memorial cross, the PiS political party and its president. This report, however, gives a very different perspective. Everyone is expected to know that Przemysław Gosiewski died at Smolensk and that he was the successful PiS organiser in Świętokrzyskie. The only things required for the people in Kielce and the region are respect and honour.