Magyar Egyház, 2009 (88. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2009-02-01 / 1. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 19. oldal a pretext to speed the forced assimilation of their Hungarian minorities. It was after the Hungarian Revolution that the remaining autonomous Hungarian regions: Transylvania in Romania and Vojvodina in Yugoslavia were abolished. Today, although autonomy been guaranteed by the Great Powers (in 1920, again in 1946 and once more by the European Parliament in 1993, in Article 11 of Recommendation 1201), none exists in any regions of Romania, Slovakia, Serbia or The Ukraine. In addition Serbia has never apologized for the killing of some 50,000 Hungarians in Vojvodina at the end of WW2 and Slovakia never apologized for expelling its Hungarian minority. It would be the responsibility of the international community to insist upon the upholding of its own principles and earlier decisions, which were expressed and signed by the member states on the 1 st of August in the final declaration of the 1975 Helsinki Declaration. These same human and minority rights were repeated in 1990 (Copenhagen), in the Charta of Paris and by several European Union Conventions. After 1989, there was a short period of hope, when for example the Hungarian bishop, László Tőkés, was temporarily heralded as an all-Romanian national hero, for leading the successful revolution against Ceaucescu, or when Miklós Duray, the Hungarian leader of Charter 77, was released from jail in Slovakia. Unfortunately, this hope did not last either. By 1991, the formerly Communist, but basically nationalist leaders of the Successor States (Milosevic in Yugoslavia, Iliescu in Romania, Mechiar in Slovakia) once again turned to anti-Hungarian propaganda to distract public attention from the pressing economic problems of their nations. Today, these three demagogues are gone, yet conditions have not changed and the restoration of autonomy has not occurred. In the former Yugoslavia, self-determination prevailed in Montenegro and Kosovo, yet in Vojvodina, some half million Hungarian minorities have left the towns and villages of their ancestors. The Hungarians who stayed did not get back their church and higher education properties, while Serb refugees from Krajina and Kosovo are being settled in Vojvodina where anti-Hungarian violence is also common. One wonders if there is a limit to the patience of the second largest minority of Europe (second only to the Russians), and what will happen when that limit is reached? On the pulpit of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Father R. P. Gratry has put it this way: "Every nation's homeland is sacred. If you destroy one, you mutilate the entire human race." The Lesson It takes time for historic events to reveal their consequences. It took three generations for the unnatural creations of Trianon: Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, to self-destruct, because no unjust “solution” can stand the erosion of time.. It seems that even 89 years have not been enough to realize that it is the legacy of Trianon, that has destabilized and “balkanized” Central Europe. Unfortunately, even after 89 years, the wounds that Trianon created have not healed. Yet there is hope. As the influence of the European Union and of the United States is growing, there is hope that the ideals of selfdetermination, autonomy and collective human rights will eventually be implemented. One hopes that the international community through the UN, EU and other forums would eventually declare that all national minorities (anywhere in the world), have the right to hold plebiscites and to obtain autonomy, if they so desire. It should make no difference how these minorities evolved, how long they lived in the particular area, or what their language or religion is. Regardless of all that, they should all have the right to maintain their heritage and to determine their own destiny. Once the autonomy of all minorities is guaranteed, the main cause of tensions between Central European neighbors will also diminish. When the Hungarians enjoy the same autonomy in Romania as the Romanian minorities do in Hungary, when the Serb, Russian, Roma, Turkish, Albanian, German, or other minorities of the region, are also treated the same as the majorities of their states are, the tensions will disappear and the rebuilding can start. The Danubian or Visegrad Confederation History teaches us, that the Balkans became unstable whenever a power vacuum evolved in the Carpathian Basin. The wise learn from history, instead of repeating it's errors: The tragedy of Trianon will not be corrected and justice and stability will not be returned to the region by maintaining the status quo. The interests of Romania, Hungary and the other states in the region are the same. The states of Central Europe are all traveling in the same boat on the sea of history. Russia is still an imperialist state. She is now using the energy weapon to increase her influence. The Black Sea is very close to the Carpathians. We know that during the Kosovo crisis, there was talk about Serbia becoming part of Russia. What we also know is that the United States is a powerful potential ally of Central Europe, not only in keeping Russia at bay, but also in spreading democracy, self-determination and minority rights throughout the region and the World. We also know that the person who fought for the self-determination of all minorities In 1920, was the American president Woodrow Wilson and the leader who stands for the same principles today, is another American president, Barack Obama. The leaders of the world realize that eliminating the power vacuum and reestablishing stability in Central Europe is in the interest of all. Therefore, it is not enough for the Danubean nations to individually rush into the European Union. In addition to that, they should work for the establishment of an economically self-sufficient, politically stable and geographically large enough federation, which is able to fill the present power vacuum in the region. What is needed - once the minority problems are solved in Central Europe - is to build a federation like that of the Baltic states to represent the interests of the region, within the European Union. A strong Danubean Federation is needed, one that can be crystallized around the nucleus of Hungary, Slovakia, Ruthenia, Slovenia and Croatia. This federation could later include Romania, Serbia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and more. Once formed, this entity, -with its economic and political power-, could rebalance and stabilize Europe by asserting and defending her selfinterest against the excessive power of Western Europe. This federation of 100 million or so people would naturally remain part of the European Union and would guarantee the full autonomy of all its minorities. History does not solve problems accidentally. Those who want a better future must first have a plan, a concept of that future. For the stability and prosperity of Central Europe, that plan should start with the autonomy of all the minorities and should end with a voluntary federation. It would be fitting, if on the 89th anniversary of the dismemberment of the Hungarian Kingdom, - after the unnecessary and undeserved suffering of three generations of innocent ethnic minorities-, the process of rebuilding, not of an ancient nation state, but of the Federation of Central Europe would be started.
