Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1989. január-június (43. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1989-04-27 / 17. szám
Thursday, April 27. 1989. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO 11. C VOTING IN PARLIAMENT The government report on the present state of construction on the hydroelectric power plant was read in Parliament towards the end of last year. Members voted 317 in favor of completing the project, 19 voted against and 31 abstained. While this report was thus approved, opponents of the scheme, both in Hungary and abroad, wish to maintain their fight against construction. * Hungarian public opinion is still deeply concerned about the situation of the three and a half million Hungarians living in the neighboring countries since the signing of the peace treaty of Trianon in 1920. THE RIGHTS OF THE NATIONAL MINORITIES The plight of Hungarians living in Romania, is a cause for special concern, as the Hungarian public, along with a significant part of other countries' public opinion, feels that the Hungarians' rights as a minority have been considerably violated in the long process of forceful assimilation. For some time now there has been particularly vigorous criticism of Romania's new so-called rural restructuring, which would entail the destruction of tens of thousands of villages inhabited by people of Romanian, Hungarian and German nationalities and moving them to so-called agricultural-industrial centers. These Romanian endeavors have had a detrimental effect on Hungarian-Romanian relations. Even negotiations by the Hungarian Prime Minister and other Hungarian leaders in Bucharest have failed to produce any mentionable results, though many people in Hungary had faith in these talks and would still like to see a satisfying solution reached through negotiations. At the same time different forums in Hungary, such as the government and various organizations, have called for improvements in the situation of the Hungarians in Romania. In accordance with this effort the Hungarian delegation to the United Nations has urged the enforcement of a UN program which would ensure the rights of the national minorities in general. THE ECONOMY-STANDARD OF LIVING In all probability the most pivotal issue in present-day Hungary is the tottering economy, or rather the great sacrifices demanded of the population in the wake of the unfolding economic reform. Considering the country's mounting foreign debts and the need to reorganize the structure of production, this process is expected to last for years. More than anything else this puts the population's tolerance to the test, as it has a direct effect on the standard of living and the conditions of life. In 1988, inflation was around 17 percent, consumption dropped by 3 percent due primarily to the price rises caused by the gradual elimination of government subsidies. This tendency is quite understandable; the problem is that wages and salaries were calculated to reckon with government subsidies, and now when these subsidies are withdrawn, salaries are not raised thus imposing a great burden on the population. Presumably the situation will not show much improvement in 1989 either, though there is talk of a wage reform. As far as last year's economic targets are concerned, industrial output has reached the forecasts, agricultural production has greatly benefited from a bumper harvest. However, the otherwise acceptable economic performance by Hungarian companies cannot be credited to better quality and efficiency, but basically to price rises. Foreign trade turnover also came up to expectations with a $ 250- 300. million and 100-150 million rubel surplus. The country's balance of payments, however, continues to register a considerable deficit, though this deficit has dropped by $ 300 million since 1987. Hungary's foreign debt continues to be considerable, and the payments and interests put a heavy burden on the country's shoulders. The gross debt exceeds $ 16 billion, while the net debt, discounting money owed to Hungary, is a little over $ 10 billion. The amount of the country's debt is, of course, also subject to fluctuations in the value of for- reign currencies. THE EEC Towards the end of last year, Hungary signed a comprehensive agreement on the economic cooperation in Brussels with the European Economic Community (EEC). Before the stretched-out negotiations were successfully completed, the EEC brought forth a joint communique with the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. The agreement between Hungary and the EEC consists of two parts: the first eliminates past obstacles to cooperation and the second paves the way for the further elaboration of future cooperation. The latter part of the agreement covers three major areas: mutual concessions in the trade of agricultural products; reduction of customs duty on industrial products; and the extension of cooperation. The implementation of the agreement is up to the mixed commission set up by the two parties. Simultaneously, Hungary prepares to receive and utilize a great deal of information from the EEC. This is the first agreement of its kind to be signed by the EEC with any one country, so it is just as important politically as it is economically, since it raises Hungary's hitherto good relations with the different i member states of the EEC to a higher level of cooperation. At the same time, the Hungarian side does not expect things to develop at the speed of lightning, it is seen as a gradual process. While some Hungarian experts foresee a $ 40-50 million increase for the next few years, others predict a more significant rise. Whichever way things turn out, the actual favorable effects of this cooperation will probably not be felt before the mid-Nineties. A look at Hungary’s Holocaust role "The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary", a monumental two-volume study by Randolph L. Braham, has been translated into Hungarian and published in Budapest by Gondolat Kiadó, one of Hungary's largest publishers. It is the first comprehensive study dealing with the Holocaust to appear in the Hungarian language. The book, which came out in English in 1981, places the Holocaust within the context of Hungarian political history. It demonstrates how Adolf Eichmann, who personally supervised the Holocaust, in Hungary, was able to deport 600.000 Jews to death camps within six weeks. It points out the guilt of Hungarian people as well as their leaders for their cooperation in the process. It also provides details about how the Jews were rounded up and deported from thousands of towns throughout the country. "This is an incredible breakthrough,the first since the end of the war, that Holocaust in Hungary is being looked at openly and honestly," said Braham, who returned recently from a visit to Budapest. The author added that the book was pro-, minently reviewed in Magyar Hírlap, the government daily, as well as other publications. He was also interviewed on national television and gave four lectures, including one at the rabbinical seminary and one at the Institute of History of the Hungarian Academy of Science. "Non-Jews came up to me and told me that they were ashamed of the crimes of Hungarians" said Braham. The author, a survivor of the Holocaust, in Hungary, heads the Eric and liana Csengeri Institute for Holocaust Studies of the City University Graduate Center. He was recently honored by Beit Hatfutsoth, the Museum of the Diaspora in Tel Aviv for his achievements in Holocaust research. ABOUT HUNGARIAN BOOKS An interview with the Hungarian poet, Otto Orbán, who spent half a year in the United States, was printed in the American magazine, Stream-Lines. Orbán lectured at two universities in Minnesota on Hungarian literature and the trade of the poet. In the interview he tells about his life and poetry, and about the past and present of Hungary. He was also interviewed by the Minneapolis newspaper, The Loft. Erzsébet Galgoczi's novels and short stories, which deal with the topical issues of our times, are all read with great interest throughout Europe. Recently, PIW of Poland have published Galgoczi's "Közös bun" (Common guilt). The second edition of Ma^da Szabó's Fresko, as well as the novel Régimódi történet (An Old-fashioned Story) have been published in Berlin. Please give this page to a friend! INSIDE HUNGARY n.
