WBJ: How do you see your role in the ongoing difficult political and economic situation in Poland?

Edwin Bendyk: I see my role as a continuation of the Foundation’s mission of supporting democracy and civil society. Democracy and its future depend on all of us. We want to popularize such values as tolerance, openness, listening to people and seeking contacts with people holding different views among others. We have a vision of Poland which is democratic, free, open, respecting the law and freedom, rejecting discrimination, supporting civil society, free culture and all public institutions and which defends democracy on various levels of society and rejects all types of undemocratic behavior. One example of our activity is the action “Your Vote, Your Choice.” But we are not connected to any political party. We just support democracy on various levels of society.

So, there are no active members of any political party in the Batory Foundation? 

This is correct. The Foundation, which is a financially independent, private institution, has liberally-minded members, who express their own views. Members of the Foundation’s Council include such personalities as professor of sociology Andrzej Rychard, economist Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, film director Agnieszka Holland and Nobel award-winning writer Olga Tokarczuk. The board of the Foundation looks similar. Various members of society attend our public meetings, sometimes also guests from other democratic countries. We have our own finances and Poles can also choose to donate 1 percent of their personal income tax to the Batory Foundation – last year we collected PLN 1.5 million. Foundation together in consortium with two other NGOs is also an operator of so-called Norwegian funds addressed to NGOs in Poland.

Does the present situation look bleak?

(After a moment of silence) 

No. I think that we try to understand the changes around us and the present situation in the world. The various actions undertaken by the Batory Foundation help us to understand that democracy is now in a difficult state and that we have to change this.

Do you press for changes in Poland?

I hope so but this requires a lot of work. We look at democracy in a very broad sense. We organize important political debates and take practical steps when democracy is being violated in many fields. We want people to understand and react to changes occurring in our country and also in the world. We are, for example, a member of the European Foundation Centre in Brussels. We encourage people to take part in public life, in local government elections as well as in elections to the lower house (Sejm) of the Polish parliament and the European Parliament. Since 2009, we have been promoting the message “Your Vote, Your Choice.’’ We have been delivering grants. We cooperate with other democratic, NGOs in Poland and in Europe. We support civil society protests against hate and discrimination of people with different outlooks and orientations in ethical matters. Our Foundation, together with 1,200 NGOs, supported a non-affiliated and experienced judge Zuzanna Rudzińska-Bluszcz for the constitutional post of the commissioner for human rights in Poland because the term of office of the democratic and liberal Adam Bodnar has come to an end. Yet this citizens’ proposal was rejected by the PiS majority in Sejm. Nevertheless, we support Rudzińska-Bluszcz. [Rightwing, nationalist and populist Law and Justice (PiS) party has been the governing party in Poland since fall 2015.]

Can anyone join the Foundation?

The Foundation is a professional institution, which employs a large number of administrative staff and which analyses problems of democracy in broad terms. We are not linked to any parties but open to cooperation with people with various views. So, any person can take part in our public meetings. There are also similar foundations that analyze the condition of democracy in other countries in Europe and the US. They also have professional specialists in many fields. In present times, when people are linked and the use of technology and fake news is widespread, publications issued by such foundations are important for all democratic societies.

When I watch public debates on TV in which members of your Foundation participate, I never hear personal attacks on politicians but only strong criticism of violations of democracy. Why is it, for instance, that member of your board Agnieszka Holland never mentions Batory Foundation by name but only speaks up against unlawful acts perpetrated against cultural institutions?

This is not the point. Members of our bodies express their own views. We have confidence in each other. We know that we fight for democracy and propagate its value in our lives. We work for democracy, not for the publicity of the Batory Foundation. During 30 years of our work, we achieved recognition among democratically-minded citizens and also among people who hold different views than ours on certain matters.

The Foundation supports citizens’ movements acting for democracy. Will you, therefore, support the citizens’ movement which liberal politician Rafał Trzaskowski – who was the Civic Platform (PO) party’s candidate in the last presidential elections – is organizing to encourage people to vote for democracy?

We will not be a formal part of the movement organized by Trzaskowski, who is a well-known politician of the PO party. We will not support it in a direct way but we can cooperate with it, as with any other movement or organization sharing similar values as we have. We hope we have a similar vision of Poland as a free, open, tolerant and lawful country that respects freedom of speech and democratic rules in all institutions – including educational and cultural, such as historical museums. It is worthwhile to speak with people as a gesture of goodwill even if they have different views on certain matters.

What is your personal dream as chairman of the Foundation? You assumed this post at a very difficult time for Poland and the world.

As I have written in my latest book [“In Poland, that is everywhere. It’s about the fall and future of the world” (in Polish: “W Polsce, czyli wszędzie. Rzecz o upadku i przyszłości świata”)], I am very worried about the changes that are now occurring in many countries in all fields of life. Democracy should never be taken for granted and people realize it now – not only in Poland. We have to analyze the social, economic, political and cultural changes going on in the current times and ask ourselves what is the future of our civilization. I would like the Foundation to ask all citizens about it and to have their voices heard not only in Poland. Right now, not only we but also other nations experience a decline in democracy, justice and equality for all people. We have to understand the changes going on in the whole planet and learn to build a common attitude to shape our societies in the best possible way. This is my personal dream.

Edwin Bendyk is chair of the board of Stefan Batory Foundation – an independent Polish NGO. He is also a published author, journalist of the weekly “Polityka” magazine and head of the Centre for Studies on Future at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw.