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Poles will conduct a separate census
The general population and housing census, which is carried out every decade in Lithuania, is different this time: there will be no enumerators visiting the population, the census will be carried out electronically throughout this year.
To carry out the census, the Department of Statistics will be based on the population, real estate records, the Fiscal Inspection, Sodra, shelters and other administrative data.
The Union of Poles of Lithuania decided to organize its census and find out for itself how many people consider themselves Polish. “We want to know how many of us there are, how many people consider themselves Polish. Having such numbers will facilitate the organization of concerts, festivals and other events for the Polish community. This will help us to plan our work, “explained the president of the Lithuanian Polish Union the decision to conduct a separate census. Michalas Mackevičius.
According to him, the Polish Union and other organizations that have joined the initiative intend to help Statistics Lithuania collect data, because not everyone knows how to connect to online questionnaires, not everyone knows that a census of this type, so they are explained and encouraged to participate in the census. “It just came to our knowledge then. It is important that people register, fill out the questionnaire of the Department of Statistics, indicate the information. And furthermore, we will conduct our surveys separately, how many Poles are there, how many members of the Polish Union or who they sympathize with her. All according to the law. We cannot collect what data we can, what we cannot collect, “said M. Mackevičius.
When asked if he did not trust the future census data, the president of the Polish Union replied: “And where to look for this information in a state institution? Who will give it? Records Center? Nothing is clear. We will have our statistics and we will not have to look for them anywhere. “
Suspicious confusion
Human rights defenders explain that statistics on nationality are necessary as this may lead to specific policy decisions regarding ethnic communities in the future, but requires only an official survey from Statistics Lithuania. Because the idea of preparing something individually can be confusing, especially since it is not known how the Polish community plans to conduct a survey, what they plan to ask.
President of the Vilnius Society, who knows well the life of the Vilnius region and its surroundings, where the majority of the Polish population lives. Dr. Kazimieras Garšva there is no doubt that the purpose of the separate Polish census is to increase the population of Polish nationality.
According to him, the number of Poles registered in the census of the Vilnius region and surrounding districts, which will be carried out by the Lithuanian Polish electoral campaigns and members of the Lithuanian Polish Union, may be higher than in the official census, since who are interested in increasing that number definitions of nationality, mother tongue. “According to his understanding, a Pole is one who is of the Polish (Catholic) religion, Tomaszewski’s people even have the term” polska viara “. This is a criterion. Watching Russian television, but the census will not be recorded in Gudian but in Polish. So there will be little truth in the Polish census, “Garšva said.
Regarding the actions of the Polish organizations, K. Garšva and Leonas Kerosierius, the Chairman of the Council of the Vilnius Branch of the Lithuanian Movement, wrote a petition addressed to the President of Lithuania, the Prime Minister and the leadership of the Department of Statistics . .
“We must point out that this census initiative, which has not been officially coordinated with the Department of Statistics, is illegal. Please do not acknowledge such a census and pay attention to possible violations of the law, “says the address.
V. RUBAVIČIUS: the objective of the alternative census is to consolidate the Polish character
– A general census has been launched in Lithuania, but Lithuanian Polish politicians are organizing their own census and intend to find out how many people are considered Polish. What do you think about that? – “Respublika” asked the philosopher, bodybuilder Dr. Vytautas RUBAVIČIUS.
– First, let’s talk about the Lithuanian census. From what I’ve seen, this census looks like a parody. A double parody, because even the previous census was a parody of the real census. What is being done today does not meet any scientific criteria, census practice in general.
For me, the census standard is the 1923 census of Independent Lithuania, when the enumerators bypassed all the farms, met all the people and counted them all as one. And the questionnaire was extremely broad – disabilities, beliefs, and all sorts of things were listed. Therefore, it is still possible to examine the Lithuanian nation and the Lithuanian society in various cross sections: education, religion, disability, social strata and many others.
What is our current questionnaire? There is nothing there, and we will be able to say almost nothing from that data about the Lithuanian nation, the current state of Lithuanian society. But we will get some numbers that algorithmic programs will be able to flip through and present different images in different ways.
This will not be an actual census. In it, we should all connect civically to online questionnaires and answer questions. Let’s see who joins. After all, part of society will not unite. Educated people will see that this is simply “false”, somewhat useless, so they will not see the point of attending such an event.
The other thing is the political aspect. They will be more connected to the questionnaires and will want to demonstrate their ideological attitudes (atheism, gender identity or something else) at a certain level of an educated, intelligent and well lived society. As a result, some may be unduly distorted.
I think this census also has a specific political purpose. Despite the fact that part of the society will definitely fall and will not participate in the census, we have many Lithuanians who have returned from abroad, who are not allowed to go out to look for work again. And they, who are elderly abroad, are smart, they are likely to join the online surveys, so it will be possible to demonstrate the increase of Lithuanians. Just a higher number. Despite the fact that everyone intuits that when the quarantine ends, some Lithuanians will raise their wings again. And the Lithuanian nation, as it was reduced, will continue to be so.
– What is the background of a separate census organized by the Polish Union? Go against Lithuania and its institutions?
– The Poles who organize their own census, I think, will do a better census, which has a specific political objective: to consolidate the Polish. Establish and express it at the level of Lithuanian statehood. Poland as a kind of semi-state and semi-autonomous entity. That is the purpose of your census. And they are going to achieve that goal, I think, because they see that we do not have a normal state statistical institution, which should be a very solid scientific institution. Do we have one?
– Recent censuses (2001, 2011) show a decrease in the number of people of Polish nationality (6.6% in 2011). This is obviously also determined by demographic trends, because due to emigration, due to the fact that fewer people are born than die, Lithuanians are also declining. But the Poles “do not see” these demographic trends and continue to play the same card, saying that “the Lithuanians want to nationalize the Poles.” Is your census an attempt to “correct” the numbers?
– The anti-Lithuanian, so to speak, is still the main factor to affirm the Polish. And here the most important thing is not the number of people, but the strength of a certain group of people. The degree to which they adhere to their beliefs, the degree to which they reinforce and politically express those beliefs at the state level. The Polish community does this because it aims to strengthen the Polish character of those present, that cohesion.
Lithuanians do not have that goal. We keep talking about globalism, about many other things, but we do not have the objective of strengthening Lithuania, our statehood.
– It can be predicted that the census data organized by the Department of Statistics and Polish political organizations will not correspond. Is this a pretext for another division and contradiction?
– People use any discrepancy or opportunity for different interpretations for their own political ends. And the Polish political objective is very clear: to show how the Lithuanian state or government harms Poles in one way or another.
Even if this general census were not a parody, it is more appropriate for Poles to show some opposition for political purposes and, of course, to pursue their own interests. Because the census conducted by the state government could show some other things that are happening in the Vilnius region. And now the Poles will show what they want, what they think is necessary to show. Because its objective is to consolidate, strengthen the Polish and oppose it to the Lithuanian.
– The Polish census is also questioned because, for example, in the Vilnius region, an elderly man belonging to a Polish electoral campaign, on whom the benefits depend, etc., will come to a mixed family speaking Gudi or “under a prostitute” and asks if he is Polish, because his grandmother spoke like that, etc. What is the reliability of a survey of this type?
– I think that a normal census is face to face when a person comes and a census. How will you do the census and what will be the plan for that census, are all Polish electoral campaigns, in the hands of their authorities. You don’t need to teach people what to talk to when they see a government representative. They are simple things. And very effective.
The Polish Lithuanian electoral campaign, seen from its bell tower, is doing everything well and wisely. That is just what you need to know. And see. By asserting their polish on this earth, they do so consistently and have their own program: a program of autonomy, of separation. They run that program. This is a problem for the Lithuanian state. And sadly, we are not strengthening our statehood.
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