GAZETA JELECONAŁA

Sobota, 31 marcie 2007 o.


Marek Aldendorf's resignation: the sad end of a splendid carreer

by Adam Szkutyniek

Completely unexpectedly, Marek Aldendorf offered his resignation to king Witold three days ago. Officially, because of his poor health. The former general has been ill too often lately, and now the poor old man needs some time to recover. At least, that is what we are told. But who would seriously believe such a story?

We all know that Aldendorf was not a strong chancellor. Of course not. The man is a soldier, not a politician. And that is probably why the Janać brothers pulled him out of his uniform, dressed him up like a civilian, and made him the ŻŻŻ's flagship in the 2005 elections. After all, the general had acquired quite some fame during the short period when he was in charge of the RTC's ZOC in Florida. His glorious war against the insane general Silva-Gonzales and, after its surrender, his continuous fight for democracy in Florida, all established his reputation. And that made him an excellent candidate for the leadership of a new party. This party was lucky enough to win the elections, and so the popular general became the Republic's new chancellor on January 13, 2006.

However, it quickly became clear what the real reason was behind general Aldendorf's sudden political carreer. Even in office, he remained a fairly a-political politician. He would never take any serious political decision without consulting it first with the leadership of the ŻŻŻ, in other words, with Kazimierz and Leoń Janać, as well as their watchdog, cabinet chief Jerzy Wenedzik. Of course, the twin brothers had known in advance this would happen. And so, they satisfied themselves with smaller, slightly less visible functions: Leoń became minister of justice, Kazimierz became the sole chief of the party. They knew what Aldendorf knew as well, but what outsiders could only suspect: that the chancellor was merely a puppet, while real power was safely in the hands of the Janać brothers. This situation even got a name: “steering from the back seat”.

The question remains why Aldendorf became chancellor, and not one of the Janać twins themselves. Insiders claim they were not fully confident of their coalition partners, especially the more extreme ones like Nostra Galicja and Sułodziefięca. If the cooperation with them wouldn't turn out the way they hoped for, they could always blame Aldendorf for the failure and subsequently pose themselves as the new saviours of the nation. But there is also another, more important reason: Kazimierz Janać wanted to become prime minister of Veneda. The Janać twins have far-reaching plans for the future of the Republic, as well as for themselves, plans they believe they can realise best when they control both Veneda and the Republic. Not everybody would be happy about identical twins being chancellor and prime minister, though; and with Leoń being chancellor, Kazik's chances for electoral success in Veneda would surely be smaller. Thus, Aldendorf had to entertain the audience, while the Janać brothers were working out their own plans. After Kazimierz Janać had become prime minister of Veneda last October, it was only a matter of time before Aldendorf could be disposed of.

No, Marek Aldendorf was not a strong chancellor. His short episode as leader of the Florida expedition displayed already fairly well that politics was not his strongest side. But he had an odd kind of charm, and therefore people liked him. In spite of the government's clumsy behaviour and its many mistakes, he became fairly popular in Veneda for his integrity, his spontaneous manners, and not to forget his famous dance act with Krzyścina Pieracik. Thus, he became the “human face” of the conservative right. He also became the necessary buffer who protected the country against too much power in the greedy hands of the Janać brothers, a role he became increasingly aware of. Yet, from the beginning he did not enjoy much freedom: his government was controlled by the ŻŻŻ, and the ŻŻŻ was controlled by the Janać brothers. It did not take long before Aldendorf's behaviour became more independent and self-confident, and as a result, the atmosphere between Aldendorf and the Janać brothers – who are known for their conflictuous nature and their dislike for people more popular than themselves – deteriorated. After Aldendorf appointed a new minister of finances without their explicit consent on March 15, and shortly thereafter had the evil courage to arrange a private meeting with WWPS leader Parydżanka, it was enough for them. Aldendorf was simply forced to resign as chancellor. Two days later, justice minister Leoń Janać took over his job. A slap in the face of Aldendorf. Of course, he was offered a prestigious job: president of Warsina (a function previously held by Leoń Janać) or ambassador to the NAL, but none of this could disguise his personal debacle.

And this fact brought our Republic into the bizarre situation that the two highest offices of the state, chancellor and prime minister of Veneda, are held by indistinguishable, identical twins. Who, in addition, are known to enjoy switching roles from time to time. Theoretically, that should not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, both gentlemen are representatives of the same executive power. Despite its oddness, the situation even has some advantages: a good cooperation between both men can have a very positive effect on the efficiency of the state, something the Janać brothers have been after from the very beginning. For the time being, the “Third Republic” they have been promoting so avidly during their campaigns is still stuck in the stage of slogans: more efficiency, less corruption, introduction of the death penalty, a strong Veneda and a reduced Republic, mixed with nationalism and religious fundamentalism... But this may soon change. Nobody knows precisely what the Janać twins really want. More than just power, it seems: they seek to control the hearts of all Veneds, and want to enter history as two of the greatest statesmen Veneda ever had. Whether the will succeed or not, is something that will probably become clear within a year from now.