Magyar Hírek, 1988 (41. évfolyam, 1-22. szám)
1988-06-24 / 12. szám
HUNGARIANS FROM RUMANIA-IN HUNGARY A new office opened three months ago on the premises of the Budapest Municipal Council to deal with the reception and accommodation of refugees from Rumania, more precisely from Transylvania, on the other side of the Hungarian—Rumanian border. Once they get a permit to stay temporarily and a working permit they are issued with a Work Book. They enjoy the same labour rights and social services as citizens of Hungary. Employment officers and Red Cross and Patriotic People's Front representatives are available. The head of the office also provides information on employment, accommodation, the recognition of qualifications, the schooling of children etc. He takes a note of problems since much is unprecedented and not subject to laws or regulations. Problems awaiting solution are referred to a government commission set up to deal with the refugees. Many of Hungarians who coming from Rumania are young people just starting to work, but there are just as many in their thirties and forties, who left their homes behind them and the accumulation of half their working life. The number of those who also left behind a wife or husband, or children is appalling. I talked to a young couple in jeans and pullover, both under thirty: "Please, do not publish either our name or the town we came from” — they asked like all their fellow refugees—“lest our relatives at home get into trouble.” This engineer-economist couple is relatively lucky. They have one problem less than many of the others for they have only recently married and have no children yet. But they already had a home of their own, and God only knows when will obtain one here. “...we left nevertheless" says the young man. “If the policy does not change we shall suffer the same fate as the Csángón in Moldavia. We would lose our language and bit by bit even our Hungarian consciousnessly. Everyone who majored in Hungarian at a university is sent to teach their second subject and certainly not in Hungarian inhabited area. Medical graduates of Marosvásárhely are sent to some corner of Moldavia. I could still attend a Hungarian secondary school, but I already had to hide the Youth Magazine that was sent to me from Budapest. And you know what happened to my school later, even though it was a secondary school of outstanding renown? They turned it into a trade school, where they began to teach the trade subjects in Rumanian first, then also history and geography.” “I come from the Székely country" adds the young wife. “Our town is almost purely Hungarian. A short while ago they repainted the houses on the main square. But they forgot, somehow, to put the Hungarian writing back on the signs...” “My parents were very much opposed to our decision” he continues. “But I could not stand things any longer. They showed contempt for my Hungarianness everywhere. In the army they ordered me not to talk in Hungarian to my mates. I will soon turn thirty, I am too old to forget what I am. I had a grandfather who told me tales, and he told them in Hungarian. We should like to bring up our future children to be Hungarians.” This young couple now lives in a holiday house at Pesthidegkút, which the Catholic Church helped them to obtain. They can stay in the house for a month, and in that time they will have to find a job which will also offer them accommodation of some kind. * The peep-hole opens just a little on one of the doors of an Üllői út workers' hostel. When I identify myself a black-haired woman in her thirties opens the door. She appears depressed. Her husband left the previous morning to look for a job and she has not heard from him since. “I do not know what could have happened to my husband. He did not say that he might be away for two days. Perhaps he went to Eger to see his relatives.” “Why did we leave? Well, we had enough to eat although we lived in a town. There was a sty next to the high rise block, where we lived and I could keep a pig there. We had money also as much we needed since my husband has a good trade and I embroidered at home for a firm. In spite of this, we made arrangements to leave although we had to leave behind everything we had. My daughter came home crying from the Rumanian school time and again saying the others made fun of her asking if even her grandfather was Hungarian? And they called my son stateless and even a Horthyist. We could do nothing, we had to put up with everything, and repress our emotions lest we got into trouble.” Someone knocks on the door. Mrs Z. is called to the phone. The chairman of the council speaks from a village close to Eger. The whole family runs to the telephone to hear the good news: the local cooperative farm will provide them with a small home and work. Then her husband speaks to her and the woman changes right in front of my eyes — she looks years younger. A queue forms outside the Reformed Church of Rákosszentmihály every Friday in the early afternoon and lasts to the late night hours. The local minister, his wife and a few volunteer helpers give advice, distributing help as well as accepting donations and entertaining to afternoon tea on that day before and after the regular divine service. On these occasions all of the rooms, small and large, as well as the church itself are available for charitable work. I see a sign showing “Medical advice” next to the organ, another “Legal advice” on the right of the altar, and in some of the quiet corners the minister talks to those who request a private talk. The refugees are given emergency grants ranging between 1,000—1,500 forint if they have not found employment or an advance on their pay. In a few weeks time the congregation collected about a million forint. The situation of the minister is not easy. His conscience urges him to ask each time if the refugee has left behind a husband or wife or children, and whenever they say yes he has to tell them the cruel news that there is no prospect of reunion. He also adds the well-considered advice: if you can still do it please return to those whom you left behind. Clothes are plentiful, indeed, there is perhaps more than needed. What is in short supply in men’s shoes, rugs, bed-clothes and towels. Donors knock on the door with monotonous frequency. An elderly lady, a pensioner, brings forty forint, then a master-turner enters with five thousand. A Pestlőrinc pastry-cook sent a donation of six hundred cream buns for the umpteenth time to provide something after tea and sandwiches. “I have a large home, I would welcome a couple”—says a young woman. Then a restaurant-keeper comes to say he would welcome a family for lunch every Saturday and Sunday. Since they opened their refugee section more than a million forint have been sent to the National Centre of the Red Cross, and the government committee entrusted the coordination of the relief organizations to the trades union. So far the largest private donation was fifty thousand forints but some enterprises gave as much as one hundred or one hundred and fifty thousand forints. Desks and chairs take up most of the floor of two adjoining rooms. This is where they receive telephone enquiries and promises of donations. They sort job offers by trade and also give grants. The average grant is one thousand forints per family plus five hundred for each member of the family. “I do not now whether we did the right thing when we came here” — says a young man eying the row of envelopes containing job offers. “We certainly considered our individual interests. But one sooner or later becomes fed up, that there is no material in the factory, or there is no power and one cannot work, and when one does not work one does not get paid either. But it hurts even more that one cannot be a Hungarian. In our district every Hungarian school headmaster was dismissed last January. We are even afraid to sigh.” The official of the interdepartmental committee for the settlement of refugees begins our conversation by emphasising that everybody must have the right to live and to prosper in the country of his birth. They are hoping that those, who could no longer bear their wrongs, will be able to return to their native country in the future. He tells me how difficult it is to help people who want to stay here without encouraging others to come as well. He told me that the three hundred million forint assistance fund approved by Parliament was not meant for individual grants but for grants to councils, hospitals and schools, which may use their share of the fund to cover their additional expenses as well as to assist refugees in need. They considered that the emergency grants should be covered first of all by donations received by the Churches and by the Red Cross. There are innumerable problems which cannot be postponed until is appropriate legislation. Decisions must be made in respect of sickness benefits, child care allowances, and the recognition of trade and professional qualifications. The railways offer free tickets to those travelling to a new place of employment or a new home, the Hungária Insurance Company offered one year free insurance cover to the refugees. Is it possible to help refugees and avoid the possible sides effect of encouraging others to leave their native land? A definite answer cannot be given. But help we must! We help, for compassion dictates us to do so, the command of humanity. We help, even if we wish in the meantime that the Hungarian people should not dwindle, that Hungarian talk should not further lose currency in Szatmárnémeti, Kolozsvár and in villages of the Háromszék. ISTVÁN BALÁZS 30
