“The eternal lesson of 1848 is that instead of defeatism we must always choose the more courageous path”, Minister in Charge of the Prime Minister’s Office János Lázár emphasised in Makó, South Hungary.
“The strength of the nation lies in courageous action. Through drawing on the courage of those who came before us we will be capable of transforming the country”, Minister Lázár said at an event organised by Makó’s local government at the town’s Kossuth statue.
Speaking before a crowd of hundreds who had gathered at the statue despite the pouring rain, Mr. Lázár said it was high time that the country again enjoyed a happy era of peace, adding that he hopes that we now have the opportunity to achieve it.
The Minister reminded those present that the greatest days of Hungarian history all concern times when after years of simply accepting our fate we finally decided to take our future into our own hands.
“The great moments of the nation and the glorious eras that followed them all came about when we dared to talk back to history and our actions were not determined by our fears and our knee-jerk responses, but by our goals and our belief in ourselves”, he declared.
The lesson of 15 March and the stakes of today’s public debates is this: if we remain steadfast, like our forefathers in 1848, then we will achieve success, he said.
As an example, Mr. Lázár mentioned the accountability of banks. Last year, the sceptics were still saying that the banks cannot be made liable, not even if it is as clear as day that what they did with the foreign currency borrows was not only dishonest, but was “in fact also illegal fraud”.
“Yet today, the joint steps we have taken to bail out foreign currency debtors is called the Hungarian model in Europe and people are demonstrating in many countries to achieve something similar. Those people who were terrified of losing their homes yesterday are now receiving money and, albeit in small print hidden in between the lines, an apology from the banks”, the Minister said.
“The ‘politicians of national defeatism’ also said that we mustn’t anger the public utility service providers, because they have just as much right to achieve extra profits and not pay taxes as the aristocracy used to. We, however, said that almost a century and a half after 1848, the bearing of public burdens should not be mere empty words, but an everyday reality that applies to everyone”, Mr. Lázár stressed.
“Perseverance and courage have borne their fruit; this is the first time in thirty years that public utility charges have fallen in Hungary”, he added.
(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)
