1988. november (277-303. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

i'l ttHBNMMAN (^) OCTO*.tR» 1

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Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London. WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126)

297/1988 (E) 23rd November, 1988

Where Is the YDA Going?

The Young Democrats Alliance has come a long way since its inception in April, it has organised a congress in two parts in October and November where the membership debated and adopted the principle rules and political programme of the new organisation. Recently the national press, television and rádió have abandoned their conspiracy of silence and unbiased accounts of the second half of the congress were published. Dr István Stumpf, the president of the organising committee of the Hungárián Youth National Council (MIOT), personally addressed the YDA at the congress and asked them if they would jóin the Youth Council which is organised from above.

The mass média published commentaries which said that the YDA was now "more présént- able" and less radical than it had been at its inception.

Bút is this true? Is it true that the YDA is semi-recognised because it conforms and because its programme does nőt present a challenge to the authorities? Is the YDA going down the usual Hugarian road - the road to political ruin?

We do nőt know what will happen bút this much can be said that it is the commen- tators who manipulate nőt the Young Democrats Alliance. Neither the YDA congress nor its new programme indicate that the independent youth organisation wants to strike somé sort of bargain with the authorities, indeed the new programme is to a certain extent more radical than the original plán. The YDA programme points out that East-Central European nations must co-ordinate their struggle fór freedom and that the path of Western civilization should be designated as a model fór Hungary’s development. The YDA congress expressed solidarity with many other independent Hungárián democratic movements and organisations. All this shows that the YDA does nőt want to curry favour with the authorities.

The YDA’s programme states that the new youth organisation wants to break the hardened political structure of the country and wishes to open the way forward to a truly democratic society. Bút it does nőt intend to acheive this by seizing power bút by supporting a society which has lost its political consciousness to organise itself. Possibly this objective is nőt such a threat to a leadership whose sole priority is to maintain political power. Bút if the YDA succeeds in establishing this programme and if a civil society which is independent of the authorities and organised democratically can be established then it will have a fatal effect on the Communist political structure in the long run. The future existence of the YDA depends on the establishment of this programme and on Hungárián society gaining enough strength to break the Party’s hegemony.

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