Petőcz Kálmán (szerk.): National Populism and Slovak - Hungarian Relations in Slovakia 2006-2009 (Somorja, 2009)
Kálmán Petőcz: Slovakia since 2004 - National Populism and the Hungarian Issue
Kálmán Petőcz also live in Slovakia and that they do not constitute a threat but rather enrichment. They must be encouraged to embrace the values of multiculturalism, human rights and elementary respect for dissimilarity. Naturally, the same goes for schools with minority languages of instruction. Children at these schools must also be led to treating members of the majority positively. In order to achieve that, pedagogues at these schools must apply appropriate methods and encourage positive motivation. Adequate political culture of those who influence the public opinion is vital to this endeavour. The role of the media in matter-of-fact, responsible informing on issues of coexistence between different ethnic communities is irreplaceable, just like the role of intellectuals and civil society actors who are morally obliged to raise their voice in the name of human rights, tolerance and national understanding. Only then the hope of changing the situation in the foreseeable future will not remain a mere illusion. References Spoločné vyhlásenie Národnej rady Slovenskej republiky k pamätnému dňu obetí holocaustu a rasového násilia a proti prejavom extrémizmu a neznášanlivosti [Joint Declaration of the National Council of the Slovak Republic on the Day to Commemorate Victims of the Elolocaust and Racial Violence and against Displays of Extremism and Intolerance], (Bratislava: Národná rada Slovenskej republiky, September 6, 2006; available at: «www.nrsr.sk/Dynamic/Download.aspx7DocID =235911» Dostál, Ondrej: "Národnostné menšiny" [‘Ethnic Minorities’] in Kollár, Miroslav—Mcscžnikov, Grigorij—Bútora, Martin: Slovensko 2006. Súhrnná správa o stave spoločnosti [Slovakia 2006: Global Report on the State of Society], (Bratislava: Inštitút pre verejné otázky, 2007). Lampl, Zsuzsanna: Magyarok és szlovákok. Szociológiai tanulmányok nem csak az együttélésről [Hungarians and Slovaks: Sociological Studies Not Only on Coexistence], (Somorja-Samorin: Fóram Kisebbségkutató Intézet, 2008). Gyurgyík, László: "Zmeny v demografickej, sídelnej a sociálnej štruktúre Maďarov na Slovensku” [‘Changes in Demographic, Residential and Social Structure of Hungarians in Slovakia’] in Fazekas, Józscf-Hunéík, Péter (eds.): Maďari na Slovensku. Súhrnná správa. Od zmeny režimu po vstup do Európskej únie [A Global Report on Hungarians in Slovakia: From Regime Change to European Union Membership], (Samorin: Fórum inštitút pre výskum menšín, 2008, pp. 155-198). Pctó'cz, Kálmán: "Slovak-Hungarian Relations: What Next? ” In Brczáni, Peter (ed.): Yearbook of Foreign Policy of the Slovak Republic 2006, (Bratislava: Research Centre of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, 2007, pp. 69-86). Bútorová, Zora-Gyárfášová, Oľga: Verejná mienka. In Kollár, Miroslav-Mcsežnikov, Grigorij-Bútora, Martin: Slovensko 2008. Súhrnná správa o stave spoločnosti, (Bratislava, Inštitút pre verejné otázky, 2009, 253-295). 94
