1988. február (17-31. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

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24/D Little Ruisell Street, LONDON, WC.i • 7W. CH-4S0 a< z6 • G. Rrőssé [i

21/1988 (E) 6th February, 1988

The Hungárián Democratic Fórum*s Statement of January 30th

On January 30th - last Saturday - the Hungárián Democratic Fórum organised a meeting with more than $00 participants in the Budapest Jurta Theatre, where the question of parliamentary democracy, the role of parliament and the modernisation of the constitution vas on the agenda. As a result of the meeting and debate the participants adopted a common "Statement" which they released to the Hungárián press, to whom they expressed their uish that the Statement would appear in the official national press. The Fórum decided to delay the release of the Statement to other press agencies fór a veek.

On February 5th the Magyar Hírlap ("Hungárián News") - the government’s daily paper - announced in a short artiele that it had received the Fórum’s Statement bút that publication did nőt seem justified as the declaration - so it said - "did nőt con- tain new ideas". The Magyar Hírlap artiele stressed that those "who had proposed the motion were in fact forcing an open door", as the proposals "have been on the agenda of our social forums fór a long time". The májőrity of them "are acknowledged by the competent Party and state organs". A number of Workers Committees have been dealing with the questions raised in the conference fór years and so - writes the artiele - "There is in fact no scarcity of forums".

The Magyar Hírlap said after this that the Hungárián Democratic Fórum’s conference "is hardly qualified to request a preliminary committee to work out the principles and functions of parliament. The time fór agoras, the markets in Greek towns where policy formulation took piacé, is pást. ... This is nőt only anachronistic bút can alsó confuse constructive dialogue and public debate." Finally the artiele, signed "y-s" took exception to the letter,which accompanied the declaration, pressing fór the national publication of the Statement; the phrasing - writes Magyar Hírlap - "sounds exceedingly bad as if suggesting an ultimátum".

The complete text of the Statement adopted by the Hungárián Democratic Fórum’s conference on January 30th is printed below.

The Hungárián Democratic Fórum was formed on September 27th at Lakitelek and held a conference on January 30th in Budapest. The Fórum’s participants came together to discuss representative democracy, with particular regard to parliament. On the basis of the conference and debate the participants decided to release the following declaration:

There is a serious political erisis in our society. Increasing tensions are unavoid- able without a radical reform of the socialist sytem. There can be no social develop- ment or national evolution without the institutional conditions and guarantees of democracy; civil and individual rights, political, religous and ethnic minority rights cannot be achieved, the growth of and public participation in morál and spiritual values and economic development is nőt ensured. It is thus necessary to eliminate the uncontrollable monopolies of authority and any further possibility of it occurring, so that no individual or body can rise above the law and constitution.

The participants agreed that what is necessary is a publicly functioning, demo- cratically elected parliament which is answerable to its electors. In the interest of democratic reform within the socialist political system we propose: