Magyar Hírek, 1987 (40. évfolyam, 1-23. szám)
1987-12-01 / 23. szám
ABOUT THIS ISSUE For many long years now our journal has offered something special, something exceptionally uplifting and thought-provoking, to our readers, something that is life-enchancing all round. For the third time this year we also publish a literary supplement, which we call “Varázskor” (Magic Circle) with our Christmas issue. This selection of poems and prose represents the literature of the nation of Hungarians no matter whether the contributors live within the country’s borders in neighbouring countries or somewhere in the Western world. Tibor Cseres, the General Secretary of the Association of Hungarian Writers wrote the preface to this years selection. It is often said that Christmas is the season of love and good will. There are many facets of love, however, and some of these facets mirror our deep care for the destiny of the closer and larger community. This is the reason why, at this time, we sum up what we have done since last Christmas and consider the tasks ahead next year, concerning family matters as well as the more general cares of the nation. Jenő Randé, the General Secretary of the World Federation of Hungarians sums up it all up in the leading article of this issue. Under the heading “Account of a year” he writes about the work of the Federation in 1987, and the direction in which it must progress. Jenő Randé recalls the most important ideas expressed at the Sárospatak meeting of the Sponsorship Committee of the Native Language Conference this year. The native language movement not only organized language camps, but also postgraduate courses for teachers, and published books in recent years. Its example stimulated the establishment of the Sponsorship of Meetings of Hungarian Professional People named Hungarian Forum. This year Hungarian musicians living all around the world met in Budapest and Kecskemét and marketing, patent and industrial lawyers living in Hungary and abroad held discussions. Since the Sponsorship initiated it, the anthology of Western Hungarian writers entitled “Két dióhéj” (Two Nutshells) (Budapest, Szépirodalmi Kiadó) was proudly presented at the sarospatak meeting. (A good number of the authors also figure in the literary supplement.) The principal message of the Sárospatak meeting concerning the future insisted on the necessity for rejuvenation. The participants all insisted on the need to enlist the support of young people for the preservation of the Hungarian language and culture in a foreign environment. The situation of Hungarian national minorities in neighbouring countries was also a subject of discussion at the Sárospatak meeting of the Sponsorship. A selection of articles and statements demonstrates in our journal the important position this problem occupies in Hungarian political and cultural life, the efforts Hungary is making to assist the Hungarian national minorities in the preservation of their Hungarian character. About three and a half million Hungarians live - in massive blocks of settlement or a scattered diaspora - in what has been their home for many long centuries. Mátyás Szűrös, Secretary to the Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party said in an interview: “...meeting the demands of the national minorities requires continous care and distinguished attention, as well as much tact and the development of conditions under which they can assert their individual and collective rights including the free and unhindered nursing of their relations with the nation speaking the same language, but living in a different state...” János Barabás, deputy departmental head of the CC of the HSWP pointed out in an interview: “We can rightly expect that our feeling of responsibility for the future of every Hungarian is appreciated everywhere. The unhindered practical assertion of the individual and collective national rights of Hungarians living beyond our borders are also factors of our own stability...” The Hungarian News Agency reported in March this year that, at the Vienna Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Hungary joined, as co-movers, a Yugoslav and a Canadian resolution, which advocated the observation of the rights of national minorities. There are several quotations, published in our journal, from official statements made at Austrian-Hungarian, Czechoslovak-Hungarian and Yugoslav-Hungarian highlevel negotiations, where the parties also referred to the positive role of national minorities in the relations of these countries. Cultural exchange - of which Péter Göndör, the editor of this selection lists many examples - may further the preservation and further development of the language and culture of the Hungarian national minorities in the context of well-ordered relations. * The programme for a social and economic breakthrough initiated by the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party this year and followed by a government programme and the extremely lively parliamentary session provoked intense interest all over the world. József Bognár’s artickle reviews the twenty years of the reform in socialist Hungary as well as discussing the contents and objectives of the latest phase of the reform about to begin. (Professor Bognár is President of the World Federation of Hungarians, Director of the Institute for the World Economy, and a Member of Parliament and Chairman of its Planning and Budget Committee.) He points out that the reform is a continuous process in the development of which - just as in any social development - there are cyclical changes. Károly Grósz, the new Prime Minister proclaimed the continuing and vigorous development of the reform, and that determined decisions would be taken. The third phase of the reform, which is beginning now, intends to deal also with the introduction of a capital market, it aims to give an important role to securities, to discontinue subsidising lossmaking enterprises and consumer prices. The establishment of new commercial and credit banks, the further extension of the autonomy of enterprises, also help to develop a competitive market. The value added and the progressive personal income tax passed after hot debates, which will be effective from the 1st of January 1988, are expected to consolidate the domestic financial balance as well as external equilibrium. Hungarian exports must, for decades, grow faster than imports - Professor Bognár emphasises. Foreign-Hungarian joint enterprises may also contribute to improvements in technology and marketing. In this respect we count on the help and cooperation of Hungarian businessmen and economic experts abroad. The reform of the state organization and the system of government is also part of the current government programme. Local organizations and bodies of interest representation will be given more scope. The administrative system must be transformed to make it more suitable for the handling of complex problems. The last parliamentary session, which voted in favour of the government programme after a lively debate, was already an earnest of the growing role of parliament. “The Hungarian government programme” - wrote Professor Bognár to conclude his article “meets with sympathetic interest in the East as well as in the West. If we had to go through the first phase of the economic reform in a difficult atmosphere, now, in the third phase, everybody is proud and happy to see that the Hungarian reform - an independent experiment by a small nation to solve intricate economic and political problems - had such a positive effect on the reform endeavours of the greatest socialist countries, and a beneficial influence on East-West relations, as well as promoting economic cooperation.” * After such weighty matters a story which takes us into the world of classified advertisements offers reading of a different sort. It is a peculiar description of our age, throwing light on some of the features and contradictions of the day. Reading the Situations Vacant columns it becomes obvious that many jobs are offered to people of the most diverse educational standards and qualifications. Lately managers and other executives are also appointed following competitions advertised in the papers. The author of the article, Eva Árokszállási, went so far as to interview some of the advertisers: a young school leaver, who admitted he had no special qualifications but wanted to find a wellpaid job; the owner of a sweets shop, offering his business for sale; another entrepreneur looking for a partner (with suitable capital) for his furniture business. Most of the home-seekers would like to exchange their own for something bigger, while one-fifth of them would like to exchange a home for two. Owners often ask horribly high prices for free-hold houses and flats, like the country couple - both doctors - interviewed. The asking price for their luxury home is 11 million forints. The article expresses the contrast between conspicuous consumption by relatively few and the financial problems of a great many. Many would be satisfied with sublet lodgings, others offer to support and care for elderly people in return for accomodation. Others again are looking for week-end work to supplement their meagre wage, trying to escape the compulsion of living from hand to mouth. The social and economic programme mentioned earlier does not promise a rise in the general standard of living. The tensions, however, could be alleviated by fairer taxation and a more considerate social policy. Allow me just two more sentences about two articles: Klára Zika presents a living folk-tradition, the Nativity play of Csángo’s (Hungarians who used to live in Moldavia) of Érd, and István Pokomy recommends Márk Kálti’s 14th century Pictorial Chronicle, which was published for the festive season in a facsimile edition. I. B. 43
