Sweet home… but where? “It is good everywhere, but it is the best at home.” goes the Hungarian proverb. It has changed somewhat however in the course of the last tens years of Hungarian politics. Today it sounds more like “It is bad everywhere, but it is the worst at home”. That’s not news, we all know what Hungarians are like…" , the readers can say. Such clichés are best left aside, though - let's turn to the facts instead: e,g, did you know that today more than 280,000 Hungarians are employed abroad? We wanted to know whether they care at all about the general elections scheduled for this weekend in their homeland - a homeland that was not strong enough to get them back one way or another. Well, it seems that they do and they don’t.
sweet or sour?
Gyula (yes that a very Hungarian name!) is a Hungarian social worker, age 37, who has lived in the Netherlands since 2011. He has a pretty negative image of the political parties in Hungary, especially the Socialist Party, (MSZP) who, in his opinion, has not changed at all in reality. It is led now by a young socialist, Attila Mesterházy, who for many symbolizes the rejuvenation of the Hungarian Socialist Party - but the ones behind him are the same ones as those before the Öszöd speech, he says.
His opinion of voters is no better; as he can see it, most Hungarian citizens are more comfortable with a feudal system that requires only a minimum of participation, thinking and responsible decision-making - or none at all.
He says that as he does not live in Hungary anymore and has no intention to go back one day, he feels he does not have a right to intervene, so he will not vote. He did the same during the last Romanian elections, too; by then he had already left the country, where he was born. He was granted Hungarian citizenship and voting rights in 1993. He now has both Hungarian and Romanian citizenships and concomitant voting rights but he does not belong to the group of more than 200,000 transborder Hungarians who signed up to vote for the first time in 2014.
His opinion of voters is no better; as he can see it, most Hungarian citizens are more comfortable with a feudal system that requires only a minimum of participation, thinking and responsible decision-making - or none at all.
There are however many more, about 480,000 ethnic Hungarians who applied for the double citizenship introduced in 2010 by Fidesz-KDNP. They could all vote this Sunday. Starting from 2010, Hungary has granted dual citizenship to people living in, and having ancestors in territories which were annexed from Hungary at the end of World War I, due to the Trianon treaty, provided they can still speak Hungarian. Additionally, there are around 280,000 Hungarians working abroad; yet, less than 10% of them would like to vote this Sunday. Altogether that’s nearly 800,000 Hungarian who could vote beyond the borders. And probably a quarter of them will.
Are we sitting in the same boat on the Blue River, the Danube?
It was ten years ago, in 2004, electing representatives for the European Parliament, that full Hungarian citizens staying abroad were allowed to vote for the first time. Voting for Hungarian representatives in the European Parliament for the 2004-2009 term was made possible at local Hungarian embassies all around the world. Most of the votes from abroad (# above 200) were expected from Belgium, France and the UK, and more than 100 votes were expected in Rome, Washington and Berlin too according an article origo.hu published in 2004. It was quite an scandalous situation when it turned out that only one person had the intention and so would have the chance (a mobile urn and a three-member special committee for supervising the elections) to vote in Cuba, Nigeria and Mongolia while the 300 Hungarian soldiers serving in Iraq would not be allowed the same. The reason for such an anomaly was stunningly simple and geographical: soldiers were stationed in al-Hilla but the Hungarian Embassy was situated in Bagdad. The first scandalous lonely voter who wanted to vote abroad and required a moblile urn was found in Seoul.
Eastland Cup Online asked her opinion on the upcoming elections and her present participation. Aniko, 35, left the country in 2000 and has lived in Chicago since 2006. In 2004 her vote was in the end not the only one sent from Seoul, another one turned up later on. Two votes were sent from Moldavia and Quatar too.
Of course I vote, she writes, and the reason for that is because I find the present Hungarian political situation incredible and distressing, in which I think it is a horribly irresponsible act to stay away from voting. By not voting you doubly help extremists because they possess a very firm base of voters, who will definitely vote. If non-extremists vote, that is not only a vote against extremism, but actually helps correct the disproportionate representation of extremists ensured by their fanatical voters. That’s why the share of the small parties who finally will not get into the Parliament ultimately counts too.
Looking for a brave and new force free from corruption, she is also concerned about the participation of MSZP in the opposition's union. In terms of a good candidate for premiership, Anikó feels that there is a mismatch of communication between the political elite and their average voters mostly due to the fact that Hungarian intellectuals scorn explaining their views and problems to the wider public. A simple and comprehensible communication style is absolutely missing from the intellectual assets. An intelligent and charismatic person who is able to communicate in such a way and also being firm and outspoken when needed would be a good prime minister.
From this profile she draws it seems that we definitely need a God here, but at least a Hero. However, the communication problem is an issue that can be easily perceived by anyone who has ever lived in a foreign country. A young French lady, Helene, aged 28 living in Hungary, also sees it ominous that there is no real dialogue between government and citizens.
There is a huge difference in how American or French on the one hand and how Hungarian democracy on the other, is experienced. It might not be an earth-shattering discovery, but the message is certainly important: participation in social causes in incredibly week in Hungary according to all: immigrants living in Hungary, Hungarians living abroad (or just planning migration), and the author of this article, who thanks you for having read it.
Looking for a brave and new force free from corruption, she is also concerned about the participation of MSZP in the opposition's union. In terms of a good candidate for premiership, Anikó feels that there is a mismatch of communication between the political elite and their average voters mostly due to the fact that Hungarian intellectuals scorn explaining their views and problems to the wider public. A simple and comprehensible communication style is absolutely missing from the intellectual assets. An intelligent and charismatic person who is able to communicate in such a way and also being firm and outspoken when needed would be a good prime minister.
"we definitely need a God here, but at least a Hero"
From this profile she draws it seems that we definitely need a God here, but at least a Hero. However, the communication problem is an issue that can be easily perceived by anyone who has ever lived in a foreign country. A young French lady, Helene, aged 28 living in Hungary, also sees it ominous that there is no real dialogue between government and citizens.
There is a huge difference in how American or French on the one hand and how Hungarian democracy on the other, is experienced. It might not be an earth-shattering discovery, but the message is certainly important: participation in social causes in incredibly week in Hungary according to all: immigrants living in Hungary, Hungarians living abroad (or just planning migration), and the author of this article, who thanks you for having read it.
written by Csilla Katona
Is it a matter of distance, seeing differently?
