Local government election time is here again. Honestly, I haven’t been paying much attention to the candidates. The only one I know is the current Mayor of Warsaw whom I have mixed feelings about.
The current candidates from what I have overheard on the news are all making promises which they probably won’t be able to keep. It’s easy to say ‘we’re going to build new pre-schools’ or ‘vote for us and we’ll fix the crowded public transport problem’ – they’ll say anything to get people to vote for them but when push comes to shove they won’t be putting their money where their mouths are.
I’ve been living in Warsaw for the past three and a half years and there are a number of evident problems facing the city;
*litter – there’s aren’t enough rubbish bins on platforms or on the streets. Recycling bins have been placed in the city center but when the garbage collectors come they place the segregated rubbish into one pile anyway – the same thing happens to the rubbish segregated in many Polish homes. Fining people for littering could be a good option to clean up the city (and keep it clean) and raise some money to fix the budget deficit. The problem is even worse for chucking rubbish in the forest; people get fined for taking rubbish from home and putting it in a public bin but no one seems to notice when they pollute the beautiful forests.
*homelessness – it breaks my heart when I see people who should be enjoying their retirement begging on the streets, trying to make ends meet by handing out brochures or selling flowers to anyone who passes. It is sickening to see drunken men (and occasionally women) sprawled at a bus stop next to Centralna Station. Sure, the Straz Miejska gets them to move but they simply go to another bus stop or public place and the cycle repeats.
*road condition – shocking, shocking and once again shocking. A road gets fixed this week and will need repairs by next year. There are holes everywhere. I’m surprised that people haven’t tried to sue their local councils for the costs of repair due to the disgusting road conditions in some areas. Not surprising, now that election time has started road works are under way in many suburbs.
*customer service – okay it’s improving but at snail’s pace. Local council and many government offices lack in customer service skills. This may seem like a small issue in comparison to the others but when you’re trying to get something done you want to communicate with humans who are kind rather than mean spirited. A smile won’t kill them; it might even improve their day. Oh and I’m so sorry that my urgent need for documentation disturbed the gossip session you were having with your colleague.
*truancy – being a TEFL teacher I have very flexible working hours; it’s not uncommon for me to visit a café in one of the shopping centers in between lessons. I’m amazed at the amount of middle and high school students that are very likely ditching school. Uniforms would help solve this problem especially if police and straz miejska had some control and could transport these pupils back to their schools (and give them some sort of punishment – maybe a bit of community service like helping out at a homeless shelter would do the trick)
Some minor and some major issues, and that’s just a start. I know that it’s impossible to solve all the problems in society. A utopia is impossible where humans are involved, there’s always going to be someone against the system.
So, we’ll see what affects these local elections will bring. I’d like to steer towards optimism and hope that they will leave what works alone, and change what doesn’t so that it does. Simple. Isn’t it?
