Poland Thanks a Lot, But No Thanks

By Marguerite Johnson

Why share power? Solidarity leader Lech Walesa could see no good reason last week as he turned down an invitation from President Wojciech Jaruzelski to join a grand coalition government with the Communist Party. After a two-hour closed meeting with Jaruzelski at the President's residence in Warsaw's Belvedere Palace, Walesa declared, "I must say I don't envy the President. He has an awful lot of problems."

Rather than joining the Communists, Walesa said, he told Jaruzelski that Solidarity should be permitted to form its own government. The trade-union movement earned that right, the union leader declared, with its dramatic June 4 election victory, in which its candidates captured all 161 seats that were open to it in the 460-seat Sejm, or lower house, and 99 of the 100 seats in the Senate. Said he: "The only sensible decision would be to give power to those forces that have the support of the majority of the electorate."

Jaruzelski offered Walesa seven of 21 Cabinet posts, including Deputy Prime Minister and the ministries of health, industry, environment and housing. Again Walesa refused, on the grounds that only a Solidarity government would have enough support to carry out the tough austerity measures needed to ease Poland's economic crisis. A junior role in a coalition government would implicate Solidarity in that crisis without giving it the means to bring about significant change. "By remaining in opposition," said Walesa, "we can make sure that the government doesn't leave the road to reform."

Jaruzelski did not reject outright the idea of a Solidarity government, but, according to Walesa, preferred to press ahead with a plan to form a Communist- led coalition. Jaruzelski "must take on all the responsibility for the formation of a new government," said Walesa. "For my part, I intend to form a shadow cabinet to prepare for the measures that sooner or later will become inevitable." In fact, Walesa created a 15-member shadow cabinet last December; its role then was to formulate the trade union's position in preparation for so-called round-table talks that led to the June elections.

Jozef Slisz, the leader of Rural Solidarity and deputy speaker of the Senate, was among other opposition officials who met with Jaruzelski. He said the President explained he could not allow Solidarity to form a government, because several of Poland's East bloc neighbors would "look at this askance." Specifically, Jaruzelski mentioned East Germany, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union.

Later in the week the President took the extraordinary step of announcing his resignation as party leader, a position he has held since 1981, when he took power largely to crack down on Solidarity. Jaruzelski also withdrew from the Politburo and the Central Committee, reportedly so that he can concentrate all his energy on the presidency.

Jaruzelski was replaced by outgoing Prime Minister Mieczyslaw Rakowski, who was elected by a Central Committee secret ballot, 171 to 41. In his acceptance speech, Rakowski proposed an unspecified reshuffling of the party's top leadership and declared, "I believe I will have the support of all party members who drew conclusions from the failure of the last elections. I would like to change this unfavorable situation into a favorable one."

Jaruzelski was expected to name Rakowski's replacement as Prime Minister this week. The government leader's most immediate project will be the lifting of a month-long wage and price freeze and the introduction of free-market prices for foodstuffs, measures that are also expected this week. The price plan, which was drawn up by Rakowski himself, met with strong opposition from the Communist Party, and with some reason. Over the past 20 years, food-price increases have triggered strikes, demonstrations and, in 1980, the formation of Solidarity.

With reporting by Angela Leuker/ Vienna