19th September 2006
Back to reality, retaking my blog and talking about Hungary
After years of ignoring my blog, something has happened that makes me write again.
Lately my life has been stricken by a stormy relationship, again my heart fell into the merciless clutches of a distance affair. Now I have been abruptly freed, which has somehow destabilized me and her departure has left a still rather perceptible whole somewhere inside. Trying to get back into track after one and a half year waiting and naively believing stories which again happened not to be true. Now, I have to discover what is reality and what was just an illusion, since a new light has illuminated what happened in the last year.
But what I want to talk about is Hungary, this was only some lines about my personal background.
Today even the Catalan media were constantly reporting on the demonstrations against the Government in Hungary.
I am just a foreigner that lived in Budapest for three years, learnt the language and travelled to the country every now and then for ten years. Therefore, my knowledge of Hungary is limited. As they say, ignorance is courageous, maybe that is why I am courageous to write these lines. But maybe I can offer a different point of view.
When two years ago Gyurcsány was appointed PM without elections (because his predecessor –a rather eccentric person- was forced to leave by his own party), I said to everyone that he was not good. Young successful businessman, it was clear to me that he made the money in a dirty way during the change of regime (like everyone that made money in Hungary during the change of regime, because corruption and dirty business was the norm at that especial period –and still is in Hungary, see the film Rokonok, from István Szabó-). I understand that if you are an entrepreneur and you lived in those times, you have to accept the reality around you and try to go ahead. But if you really made a lot of money, this means that you took part in really dirty things, that you probably had to be dirtier than other very dirty people. Therefore, I am sure that very rich people are not just accessories of the things that happened on those times, but also responsible for them. The more and the faster you increased your wealth during the change of regime, the more possible is that you have things to be ashamed of. Gyurcsány took advantage of the fast privatisation of those days. He was a member of the Socialist Party and used his contacts to his own interest. Of course, if he hadn’t done that, someone else would had, but not everyone with contacts accepted to get involved in that dirty way of stealing the last belongings of the State. In a normal situation, when a state company is privatised, free competition allows the state getting a good price for it (see the privatisation of the airport: the state is not accepting any price for it). But in those times, privatisations were done very quickly, and the state accepted any money for them because in fact the politicians ruling the state were using his power to benefit themselves before the authoritarian regime withdrew the perpetual power from their hands. Yes, everything was legal, but not right.
Also, I think that businessman and politicians are of a different kind, especially successful businessmen. Of course, there are both corrupt, politicians and businessmen. In fact, they are strongly linked. But their duties are different. And a politician is never 100% successful himself and is more used to vague ways of measuring the results and success. How can a successful businessman, used to ruling and being applauded, accept that his decisions have to favour also the people that are constantly opposing and annoying him? The truth is that I can’t explain it better, but somehow I feel that the managers of a company (which they own, at least a stake of it) is not in the same position as a PM, who doesn’t own any right on the people he is governing, but has just the duty to defend the interest of the people of the country. A businessman usually pursues his own interest or the interest of the people he represents (shareholders), but a politician is supposed to rule for all the people, also for the ones that oppose him.
Maybe is a matter of excessive ambition (they are used to making a lot of money, and working to earn more and more money) and a lack of democratic principles, such as accountability before the country.
Anyway, successful businessmen don’t make good politicians, at least most of the times, and it has something to do with the idea of serving the people instead of serving oneself.
Well, I am not the only one that disliked Gyurcsány. It was me and some other millions of people.
Also, I don’t want to mean that Orbán was better. While Gyurcsány seems to be immoral and pursuing his own interest, Orbán seems to be a dictator-alike politician, because he hasn’t understood that people already rejected him after having had his opportunity as PM. Orbán is ruling in the FIDESZ as if it was his own party, not a union of people representing ideas. Orbán was already rejected by Hungarians and should not stand for PM anymore.
Unfortunately some politicians believe that ruling the country is within their own rights, or represent a group that believes so. In these cases we have dictators, or dictators-alike politicians. But sooner or later they fail, since people are not a company, they are free, no one is in the right over them.
Anyway, I think that the statements of Gyurcsány and the way he has cheated the Hungarians (even about the economy!) proof that I was somehow right (me and some other millions of people). Even if he didn’t do anything different than other politicians, he should accept that people don’t trust anymore for his clumsy words and ideas and should leave his post: a politician without support can’t rule a country. The way he is trying to present himself as the savour of the country is really pretentious and embarrassing.
Finally, I have to say that I am very glad to see that Hungarian people are finally demonstrating in the streets and reacting to the events, not just complaining in the bus all day about everything they don’t do anything to change. Maybe one day will get rid of the communist oppressive inheritance and see themselves as somehow owners of their own fate? Maybe one day they will have the courage to be the masters of their own lives?
Back to reality, retaking my blog and talking about Hungary
After years of ignoring my blog, something has happened that makes me write again.
Lately my life has been stricken by a stormy relationship, again my heart fell into the merciless clutches of a distance affair. Now I have been abruptly freed, which has somehow destabilized me and her departure has left a still rather perceptible whole somewhere inside. Trying to get back into track after one and a half year waiting and naively believing stories which again happened not to be true. Now, I have to discover what is reality and what was just an illusion, since a new light has illuminated what happened in the last year.
But what I want to talk about is Hungary, this was only some lines about my personal background.
Today even the Catalan media were constantly reporting on the demonstrations against the Government in Hungary.
I am just a foreigner that lived in Budapest for three years, learnt the language and travelled to the country every now and then for ten years. Therefore, my knowledge of Hungary is limited. As they say, ignorance is courageous, maybe that is why I am courageous to write these lines. But maybe I can offer a different point of view.
When two years ago Gyurcsány was appointed PM without elections (because his predecessor –a rather eccentric person- was forced to leave by his own party), I said to everyone that he was not good. Young successful businessman, it was clear to me that he made the money in a dirty way during the change of regime (like everyone that made money in Hungary during the change of regime, because corruption and dirty business was the norm at that especial period –and still is in Hungary, see the film Rokonok, from István Szabó-). I understand that if you are an entrepreneur and you lived in those times, you have to accept the reality around you and try to go ahead. But if you really made a lot of money, this means that you took part in really dirty things, that you probably had to be dirtier than other very dirty people. Therefore, I am sure that very rich people are not just accessories of the things that happened on those times, but also responsible for them. The more and the faster you increased your wealth during the change of regime, the more possible is that you have things to be ashamed of. Gyurcsány took advantage of the fast privatisation of those days. He was a member of the Socialist Party and used his contacts to his own interest. Of course, if he hadn’t done that, someone else would had, but not everyone with contacts accepted to get involved in that dirty way of stealing the last belongings of the State. In a normal situation, when a state company is privatised, free competition allows the state getting a good price for it (see the privatisation of the airport: the state is not accepting any price for it). But in those times, privatisations were done very quickly, and the state accepted any money for them because in fact the politicians ruling the state were using his power to benefit themselves before the authoritarian regime withdrew the perpetual power from their hands. Yes, everything was legal, but not right.
Also, I think that businessman and politicians are of a different kind, especially successful businessmen. Of course, there are both corrupt, politicians and businessmen. In fact, they are strongly linked. But their duties are different. And a politician is never 100% successful himself and is more used to vague ways of measuring the results and success. How can a successful businessman, used to ruling and being applauded, accept that his decisions have to favour also the people that are constantly opposing and annoying him? The truth is that I can’t explain it better, but somehow I feel that the managers of a company (which they own, at least a stake of it) is not in the same position as a PM, who doesn’t own any right on the people he is governing, but has just the duty to defend the interest of the people of the country. A businessman usually pursues his own interest or the interest of the people he represents (shareholders), but a politician is supposed to rule for all the people, also for the ones that oppose him.
Maybe is a matter of excessive ambition (they are used to making a lot of money, and working to earn more and more money) and a lack of democratic principles, such as accountability before the country.
Anyway, successful businessmen don’t make good politicians, at least most of the times, and it has something to do with the idea of serving the people instead of serving oneself.
Well, I am not the only one that disliked Gyurcsány. It was me and some other millions of people.
Also, I don’t want to mean that Orbán was better. While Gyurcsány seems to be immoral and pursuing his own interest, Orbán seems to be a dictator-alike politician, because he hasn’t understood that people already rejected him after having had his opportunity as PM. Orbán is ruling in the FIDESZ as if it was his own party, not a union of people representing ideas. Orbán was already rejected by Hungarians and should not stand for PM anymore.
Unfortunately some politicians believe that ruling the country is within their own rights, or represent a group that believes so. In these cases we have dictators, or dictators-alike politicians. But sooner or later they fail, since people are not a company, they are free, no one is in the right over them.
Anyway, I think that the statements of Gyurcsány and the way he has cheated the Hungarians (even about the economy!) proof that I was somehow right (me and some other millions of people). Even if he didn’t do anything different than other politicians, he should accept that people don’t trust anymore for his clumsy words and ideas and should leave his post: a politician without support can’t rule a country. The way he is trying to present himself as the savour of the country is really pretentious and embarrassing.
Finally, I have to say that I am very glad to see that Hungarian people are finally demonstrating in the streets and reacting to the events, not just complaining in the bus all day about everything they don’t do anything to change. Maybe one day will get rid of the communist oppressive inheritance and see themselves as somehow owners of their own fate? Maybe one day they will have the courage to be the masters of their own lives?
posted by Marcal | 10:54
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