Szabad Kapacitás, 1992 (4. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)

1992 / 1. szám (angol)

Declaration of principles

of the Independent Hungarian Initiative

24 november 1989

The Independent Hungarian Initiative is a civic

movement organizing itself from the ground up,

independent of the organs of power. It desires to

pursue the policy of al! those political and social

groups which have stood for independent,

autonomous thought and action against the

autocracy of power during the last decades. The

Independent Hungarian Initiative identifies itself

with the ideas and democratic and liberal

traditions of the European and Czechoslovak civil

rights movements, with any endeavour that calls

for the moral renewal of Central Europe, and

with all those forces which are doing their utmost

to integrate Czechoslovakia into Europe.

The"Independent Hungarian Initiative looks

upon the Committee of Legal Protection of the

Hungarian

Minority

in Czechoslovakia as its

predecessor, one that has been the only

independent initiative safeguarging the

Hungarian minority's interests during last two

decades. The Independent Hungarian Initiative

declares, at the same time, that it does not wish to

take the place of the Committee because it

believes that this form of protection of individual

and collective rights may also be of need in the

future.

The Independent Hungarian Initiative

disclaims all forms of totalitarian ideology.

It denies that the idea of collectivity can entitle

anybody to restrict individual freedom in any way.

The Independent Hungarian Initiative believes

in modern individualism and liberal humanism. It

presses for the development of manifold and

autonomous forms of associations and societies

whose members will assume responsibility and

elect officers voluntarily, and which will not only

express their interests and wishes, but also

guarantee their own defence against all sorts of

manipulation.

The Independent Hungarian Initiative rejects

both nationalist and collectivist ideologies.

Freedom, tolerance and solidarity are the

supreme values for the Independent Hungarian

Initiative.

The aims of the Independent Hungarian

Initiative are to:-

safeguard the souvereignity of the state,-

establish parliamentary democracy within a

multi-party system,-

share the power tricholomously (legislation,

execution and judiciary),-

restrain the state power enacting civil rights

laws,

enforce the authority of the majority and, at

the same time, defend the rights of the minorities-

guarantee social self-organization and

self-government for local, regional, minority,

labour and religious groups, communities and

movements-recognize the coequality of all forms of

ownership-create conditions for free enterprise and

market economy

guarantee social security-guarantee the right to a healthy environment-put an end to ideological subjection of culture

and science

Since one of the essential aims of the

Independent Hungarian Initiative is to ease the

problems of national minorities, it is necessary to

lay down the following principles:

1. The conviction of the Independent

Hungarian Initiative is, that only democracy can

solve the problems of national minorities, a

democracy in which all national, political, religious

and other minorities can safeguard their interests

in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance.

2.

Let it be distinctly understood that all the

citizens of the Czech and Slovak Repubiics,

irrespective of their ethnic national status, have a

share in state-creating. No one can be deprived of

his Czechoslovakian citizenship.

3.

It is a human right to declare freely one’s

[ethnic] national status. That is why collective

rights lie with all members of nations and national

minorities.

4.

It is vital to set up a minority protection

system so that the rights of the minorities could

be guaranteed.