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More Gyurcsany Programs
 Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány announced his cabinet's
five 'flagship' programs at the end of his annual 'state of the union'
speech. The five programs were the fight against child poverty, the
modernization of public education, development of disadvantaged regions,
the need for empowering leaders, and helping SMEs. The PM also described
the past months as the "most difficult time since the change
of regime," and stressed the need for reform over political
fighting. Gyurcsany also said he hopes to reduce child poverty by
at least 5% by 2013. Currently about 20% of Hungarian children live
below the poverty line, Gyurcsany admitted in his recent 'State of
the Union'-style speech in parliament. The Socialist leader also
said his government wants to launch major reforms in health care,
which the opposition fears could mean the end of free services. Gyurcsany
promised to also "improve public education and to help disadvantaged
regions." Gyurcsany believes his reforms could be implemented
without having to carry out new austerity measures. Critics have
expressed their doubts saying Gyurcsany had already admitted he lied
about the economy to win re-election last year.
GYURCSANY SAYS, "FORGET KADAR!"
"Forget the Kadar era, move away from it," Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany
recently told the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSzP) general assembly, where
he was newly voted into the seat of party president. This came as a cold
shower for many party members who grew up and became affluent under the
Kadar regime. The MSzP is the breakaway division (in 1989) of the former
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (MSzMP) where Janos Kadar (whose original
name was Giovanni Csermanek) was Secretary General for more than 40 years.
The other breakaway party Hungarian Workers' Party (Munkaspart) last year
renamed itself 'Communist Worker's Party' (KMP) and is demanding a statue
of Kadar be erected to commemorate his "achievements for building
a better Hungary." Gyurcsany said that the MSZP must "settle" its
relationship with the Kadar era for once and for all, in order be capable
of winning the next general elections in 2010. He added, Kadar can not
be considered or even included in Hungary's traditional history of Hungarian
democracy. Gyurcsany claims that unless the MSzP distances itself from
Kadar it can not honestly want Hungarians to believe that the party (alias
senior member of the government coalition) is walking the talk about new
reforms. Gyurcsany also called for the relocation of the MSzP headquarters
as soon as possible, declining to sit in an office that is still located
in the former MSzMP headquarters on Koztarsasag ter. Some socialists claim
Gyurcsany wants to have the valuable building sold, for which they believe
there is already a buyer, and increase size of his 'new party's' coffers.
Rumours also say the MSzP will soon be renamed something like Hungarian
Social Democratic Party (MSzDP). Former Prime Minister and MSzP Party
President Gyula Horn (now 75) and other Socialist veterans criticized
Gyurcsany for wanting to "open a new political front" to place
more judgement on the Kadar era. Horn was also Hungary's Foreign Minister
under the Kadar regime. He and MSzP parliamentary caucus leader Ildiko
Landvai said they did not see it a fit for Gyurcsany to "review the
past" as the Kadar shebang is "not a significant issue" for
MSzP. Nevertheless Lendvai did confirm that there is certainly "no
return to the Kadar regime." According to independent historians
despite the several achievements of Horn the one time party president
was also allegedly an insurgent or 'pufajkas' helping Kadar's communist
dictatorship crush the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and restore Soviet rule
in Hungary. Gyurcsany said that under Kadar Hungary may have been considered
the "happiest (Soviet) barrack" in the East Bloc, but he added, "Even
so, it was still just a (Soviet) barrack!"
AUSTRALIA NOT EXTRADITING ZENTAI
 A source close to the Charles Zentai case (asking to remain
unnamed) told Budapest Week online that the Australian Government "does
not wish to extradite" the alleged Hungarian Nazi war criminal
Charles Zentai. The source suggested that perhaps the Australian authorities
want to win time for the frail 86-year-old Zentai (who allegedly suffers
with peripheral neuropathy) and let him live in Australia until his
dying day, so as to avoid diplomatic conflicts with the Hungarian Government
and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, an international Jewish human rights
organization. The source explained that since Hungary requested Zentai's
extradition Australian authorities have not cooperated and are holding
back information for the Hungarian side. For the record, Hungary says
it wants to try Karoly 'Charles' Zentai in Hungary on allegations that,
while serving in the army during World War Two in Budapest, he tortured
and murdered a teenage Jewish boy called Peter Balazs. The boy was allegedly
dragged off a streetcar for not wearing the compulsory yellow Star of
David, which differentiated Jews from non Jews. He was allegedly tortured,
killed and his corpse dumped in the Danube on Nov 8, 1944. Australian
media reports said Zentai was due to face extradition proceedings in
the Perth Magistrates Court but this proceeding would have to wait as
Zentai is currently challenging a federal court. Australian online newspaper
'The Age' says, "under federal law, extradition applications from
foreign countries go before state magistrates, who assess their validity
before referring them to the federal attorney-general or justice minister
for final adjudication." John Flynn, Zentai's Parish Priest in
the town of Riverton, says he has known the accused for a long time
and believes that Zentai is being wrongfully blamed. He calls Zentai
a good catholic and adds, "This good man to be extradited in order
to face a charge of murder for which no hard evidence could surely be
produced (as I said to someone – Where’s the gun? Where are the bullets?
Where are the fingerprints? Where’s the DNA? Who are the living witnesses?)
and to be separated, probably for the rest of the short life that remains
to him from the family he loves, from the place where the body of his
wife is buried, from his adopted homeland, would be, in my opinion,
a gross act of inhumanity and a grave injustice." When Budapest
Week turned to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry for an update on the Zentai
case Zsuzsa Matrai, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry said, "Nobody
here knows anything about it, and personally neither do I. "
UNCONSTITUTIONAL
HUNGARIAN TAX
The Hungary's Constitutional Court has ruled that the recently
introduced the so-called 'Expected Tax' (to levy taxes on
all companies, even loss-making ones and self-employed individuals)
unconstitutional. "Expected
Tax" is a definition that requires companies and individuals
to pay corporate tax on at least 2% of their total revenue (and
not on pre-tax profits) if they are lower than revenues.
NO
MAGYAR EURO BEFORE 2009
 Incoming Central Bank Governor Andras Simor told a parliamentary
hearing that the soonest Hungary could set a date to consider
adopting the euro was 2009. "There may be a chance towards the end of 2009
when we (Hungary) can start thinking about the proper date of adopting
the Euro," said Simor at the Parliament's European Affairs Committee. "It
would be unfortunate to think about (adopting) it earlier than that." Simor
explained that it is vital for Hungary to meet the Maastricht criteria
for adopting the Euro as soon as possible. So far Hungary, a member
of the EU since May 1, 2004 has not fulfilled even one of the Maastricht
criteria. "It's inevitable for Hungary to meet the outlined goals
of the convergence program and adopt the Euro," said Simor. Currently
if an Asian or American tourist comes to a European capital
(let's say Frankfurt) they are obliged to convert their currency into
Euros.
 However
if the same visitors plan to visit Hungary they would be
required to convert their Euros into Hungarian Forints, because very few
places
accept Euros as a form of payment. Besides this the visitors
would also
be upheld at the Hungarian border and required to 'buy
a visa' as Hungary is not yet a member of the Schengen Agreement (which
removes
all border
controls between signatory countries, for Hungary this
is expected sometime in Dec 2007 or Jan 2008). Last but not least 50%
the Hungarian
shops
and catering services lack sufficient foreign language-speaking
staff to serve foreign consumers.
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