In Polish People's Republic NIK’s independence was limited in many different ways. But we were lucky anyway. Most communist-controlled states after democratic transformations had to set up the state audit from the scratch. After the war, NIK was an independent institution, relatively ready to act. Some changes were needed, though.
They were initiated by prof. Walerian Pańko, the first independent President of NIK after 1989. He freed NIK from politics, strengthened legal instruments to screen and evaluate audited areas and set directions of the independent state audit. Also the collegiality of NIK was consolidated under the management of Pańko. The changes were continued by Lech Kaczyński, the author of the new Act on NIK.
Nowadays NIK is a fully independent institution of state audit. It helps to repair the state. It supports citizens. It is recognisable worldwide. It wins external auditor competitions in such organisations as CERN or the Council of Europe. 25 years of freedom has brought NIK professionalisation and facilitated the pursuit of its public mission.
Yesterday NIK President Krzysztof Kwiatkowski took part in the events commemorating the beginnings of that road, such as the opening of the exhibition by the Sejm Speaker Ewa Kopacz, called ”The Poland we will deserve”. This is a quotation from the interview with Lech Wałęsa[1] from the first issue of ”Solidarity Weekly” of 2 June 1989. In the afternoon he was a guest at the Royal Castle, where the ceremony of awarding the Solidarity Prize was held. Its laureate was Mustafa Dzhemilev, legendary leader of Crimean Tatars, long-term prisoner of Soviet prison camps. The prize was awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland Bronisław Komorowski.
Today NIK President is taking part in the events on the Castle Square. He will listen to the proclamation by the President of Poland during the National Assembly. He will also attend a special concert due to the 25th Anniversary of Independence in the Grand Theatre.
The Anniversary celebrations will end with a Thursday meeting in the Presidential Palace. President Bronisław Komorowski will decorate the persons who were fighting for the freedom of Poland before 1989, and the ones who have used it to the benefit of the Poland in the past 25 years.
[1] former President of Poland, human rights activist, co-founder of Solidarity Movement and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
