domingo, março 28, 2010

The first campaign experience in Budapest with Csaba Molnár Minister, MP.

[Acabei de chegar de Budapest, onde estive a ajudar os nossos amigos socialistas locais na sua (difícil) campanha eleitoral. Tive a oportunidade de escrever um par de artigos (publicados online pelos PES activists hungaros), que aqui partilho convosco. Este é o primeiro artigo acerca da experiência em Budapeste]


I just discover a new Hungarian politician. His name is Molnar Csaba. He is the Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office, a MP candidate for the upcoming general elections and a proud member of MsZP. Today I met him at a political rally in GAZDAGRET community house, at the XI District of Budapest. A full house of pensioners and senior citizens were drinking his words and a clever presentation let in the air that the situation in Hungary is really not as bad as the right wing media try to demonstrate, again and again. He said, among other things, that in fact Hungary is a better country today that it was eight years ago. It’s a proud member of the European Union; with levels of development that doesn’t let anyone ashamed. Today Hungarians have the opportunity of enjoying a series of new infrastructures, as a new highway system (Csaba remember that in the year 2000 there were only 500 km of highways, and today more than 1200km, almost three times more); or a series of modernized public services, especially if we look at hospitals, education institutions or universities.

An overview of Hungarian development in the last years could also be seen in the level and quality of consumption within general population; and that could only happen in a society that believes in its country and in its government, that believes in its future. The level and modernization of communications is today a reality. More and more Hungarians are taking use of new forms of communication, visible in the internet penetration or the use of cell phones, for example. Csaba also mentioned that, although also Hungary suffered the effects of the international economic and financial crisis – started by the right, remember –, the consequences were not as bad in Hungary as in other countries because of the intervention of the government; and it did not affected pensioners and senior citizens and that was due to the good work of MsZP government.
After Mister Molnar speech, we witnessed a series of qualified interventions from the crowd. Mainly they were critical with the lack of information of MsZP ideas and program, the lack of visibility of the socialists in the campaign (it’s hard to see any MsZP outdoors in the streets, for example), and the lack of general enthusiasm in the campaign.
After the meeting, I had the opportunity to personally meet Csaba, and talk to him a little about Hungarian politics. I said that it was very important that the MsZP supports the PES activists in Hungary, as we can bring extra energy to the campaign and rise the awareness that these are very important elections for the Europeans, and not just for Hungarians, as what we see here in Hungary is (also) a fight against extremism and fascism, against civil liberties and equal justice. And so, as a European citizen, I am extremely concern that such fascists forces could be raising in such an important country as Hungary.
Molnar Csaba agreed with most of the points I was putting, and he realized that this is not a good time to be socialist, to be pro-government. Fidesz is really not making any positive campaign, or even present a coherent and serious program. They are only taking advantage of the fact the socialists have been in government for 8 years and are a little burn out. I accepted the explanation; in fact alternative and the possibility to change the government are one of the good things in democracies, but at least for some worldly adversaries. Not to some quasi-hooligans, proto-fascists demagogues. Anyway, for me the best was to have the opportunity to meet Csaba, certainly a politician with a strong future within the MsZP and Hungary; and knowing that Hungarian left could produce such leaders, let me more at ease, because we know that the future will belong to us.

1 comentário:

Vera Santana disse...

Texto muito esclarecedor!

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