I was reading Financial Times Deutschland and came across a rather scathing article on Hungary.
It’s a long, multi-section article, with Part 3 entitled, “The Rise of a Stalin-like Dictator.” Now I’m not quoting this story because it was written in German; everything I’m going to write that has been taken from this German article was translated by me (and Google), so it might not be 100% accurate. The full article can be read here.
But essentially, the article states that new PM Viktor Orban’s has issued a regulation that states framed copies of his new “Declaration on National Cooperation” must, in “decent print quality,” be hung on display in all public buildings. The declaration itself states that Hungary has had a ballot box revolution; that he old system had been overthrown, and the nation has reclaimed the right to self-determination.
According to Orban, everyone needs to “to see the official document every day” and that “no state official is to believe that government will continue as it has in the past eight years.”
MSZP MP Csaba Molnar (Socialist opposition party) fears that “In Hungary, a kind of Stalin-like dictatorship (is) on the rise.” Further, the Hungarian Constitutional Court refuses to install Orban’s “Declaration on National Cooperation” and there is also resistance from the Association of Judges. What are the implications when the legal system refuses to post this document?
According to the Budapest Times,
This might seem like a joke intended to keep voters entertained during the silly season. Yet Orbán’s order bears huge significance: It may even contain the seeds of the new government’s eventual self destruction. By ordering all public buildings to display the credo, Fidesz created a symbol of its own arrogance, breathing new life into old accusations that Orbán is “anti-democratic” and “dictatorial.” These may last for the rest of the parliamentary term.
As we mentioned earlier this week, for the Hungarian media, it could be very difficult to criticize the government in the future. A new law requires all media to report on national and European Affairs in a “responsible way” in order to “strengthen the feeling of national unity.” This has immediately alarmed both the The International Press Institute in Vienna and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
“The proposed laws are very worrying for media freedom,” OSCE said in a statement. Orban rejects the criticism, saying: ”It is the responsibility of public service media to support the government.”
Orban presents himself as the savior of Hungary, blaming the previous government for the decline of the country. But the reality is that Fidesz, Hungary’s new controlling party, hasn’t shown itself to be that much better.
And it does seem like there has been a witch hunt here in Budapest. Every day there are dozens of articles about officials from government agencies and civilian firms being arrested on charges of corruption.
“Orban’s ruthless approach is reminiscent of a coup.” Recently, the state’s economic development agency (ITD Hungary) was seized without warning; Orban’s regime gained access to the organization, forcing its officers to turn over their mobile phones and laptops. The board was laid off on the spot and immediately had to leave the office.
Now let me say this: ITD Hungary was a f**king joke – these guys had a better chance of getting struck by lightning and winning the lottery in the same day, than actually bringing any sort of economic development to Hungary. They couldn’t even define economic development. These are the biggest damn idiots I’ve ever met in my life and I’m not exaggerating one bit. In the three meetings we had with them, it was clear they were absolute f**king idiots. If this needed to happen to any agency in Hungary, this was it. When you go to a meeting and their first question is “Why would you possibly come to Hungary when there are much better places?” there is a sincere problem.
This article may put it best:
The incident reveals a great organisational anomaly within Fidesz: the Orbán-centric power structure makes it impossible for party members to discourage decisions that are obviously bad. After just six weeks in office, Fidesz has made its second major blunder (the first being the party leaders’ comments that sent the forint into a tailspin last month). Such a faux pas can alienate voters and erode right-wing unity.
Moreover, the ruckus over the Declaration of National Cooperation may dash Orbán’s hopes of making the new Constitution (scheduled for next spring) the cornerstone of his governance. The declaration has cast an aura of folly on the whole project; it will be difficult to introduce the new document without attracting wisecracks. While Fidesz promised to strengthen democratic values and the system, playing with the Constitution could easily have the opposite effect. Fidesz, once again, may become a victim of its own symbolism.
Now let’s put all of this into some perspective. Hungary is a damn mess. Everyone in the developed world knew that (although they probably didn’t care too much). The former MSZP party was a corrupt, self-serving, money-hungry, but Fidesz, under the direction of Viktor Orban, is making some really significant changes locally, and is starting to alienate the rest of Europe, which, at the present time, is the worst possible scenario for Hungary. Hungary must improve its GDP and reduce spending. The only way that can happen (according to the basic laws of economics) is for outside investment to create jobs in Hungary. If Orban has lost his damn mind, which seems to be what the European media is insisting, that bodes poorly for outside investment in Hungary.
Hungarians knew the MSZP party was corrupt. That’s why Fidesz won the elections by such an overwhelming majority. Everyone knew that Hungary needed drastic change. However, this reminds me way too much of Germany in the 1920’s and 1930’s, which allowed Hitler to rise to power. It should take more than a simple majority in Parliament to change the constitution.
Orban is making changes to the constitution. Any academic can tell you that’s a really bad sign, especially when some of the changes curtail the media’s ability to negatively report on the government. Orban is also making changes to Hungarian law. That’s scary in and of itself. He’s created a witch-hunt to go after former officials… heads of the organizations, both private and public. He invited the involvement of Jobbik, an extreme right-wing, Nazi-esque party, to his movement for change. And the Hungarian people are already starting to think, “What have we done?”
Most importantly, as I keep preaching to every Hungarian I can find, if you want to remove corruption, you’ve got to change/modify the acquisitions and procurement process!!!
While change was desperately needed in Hungary, this kind of change isn’t what Hungary bargained for… and it’s definitely not what they need. This kind of change leads to economic sanctions, as well as distrust and anxiety from the European Union. That’s a worst-case-scenario as far as I can tell.
**UPDATE, 9/24: I made some changes to this posting because I think my over-zealous opinion may have offended some people. I have therefore toned it down a bit. To be clear, I do not support any political party here in Hungary; I’m an expatriate living in Budapest, following the news, talking to people, and getting their opinions. But what I witnessed first hand from the previous MSZP party was unacceptable on a level I cannot put into words. As someone who is in the “government contracting business,” the level of corruption was astronomical. Reform is desperately needed in Hungary, especially within acquisitions. If the biggest problem is corruption and 70% of the government contracts were tainted, the acquisitions process is where you need to start the reform. Hungary does need to fix it’s “moral crisis.” Hungary does need to locate those responsible for the overt corruption and hold them accountable. Hungary does need to reestablish itself within the European community. I’m really pulling for Fidesz and for Hungary… but the reports of what’s happening thus far are disturbing.
