Hungarian Rhapsody 2020: Hungarian citizens call EU for action

Hungarian citizens are rightly asking the EU how much longer it will tolerate these wrongdoings and how much longer it will continue to finance Orbán’s corrupt government. They recall us that they have never given the Prime Minister and his government the authority to rule the country with arbitrary and unlimited powers a mere 30 years after the fall of Communism and that they have never consented to these sustained attacks on fundamental rights and liberties.

I already started working on this issue at the European Parliament by participating in the draft joint resolution on the rule of law in Hungary, which should be approved next month. Together with the European Pirate Delegation, I will make sure that the voice of all the Hungarian citizens that still believe in democracy is heard.

Here is the letter I received from hundreds of Hungarians:

“Dear European Commission and Member of the European Parliament, This open letter is from concerned Hungarian citizens who have never given Viktor Orbán and his government the authority to rule the country with arbitrary and unlimited powers a mere 30 years after the fall of Communism. The Prime Minister's favourite narrative is that he enjoys the support of a 2/3 majority of Hungarians, which mandates him to do just about anything he and his government want. This, of course, is untrue, in fact in the 2018 parliamentary elections; 51% of voters did not vote for the Fidesz-KDNP coalition! Viktor Orbán does not have the backing of 2/3 of Hungarians! Orbán and his party, Fidesz, have become Hungary's omnipotent rulers through a distorted and fraudulent electoral system. How much longer will you and the EU tolerate Orbán's rampage? What are you waiting for? Why are you still financing this corrupt Hungarian government, which has built a billionaire empire of oligarchs, acquired companies and used public money as its own from European Union sources to build its own economic base that sustains it? You are well aware of the serious corruption of the Hungarian government. There have been detailed reports on Orban’s and Fidesz’s wrongdoings. A thorough investigation has been carried out by the European Parliament, perhaps others are still underway. How many more reports will you need before you act to put a stop to wrongdoings that have so blatantly been going on in Hungary for the last 10 years on your watch? Why are you continuing to effectively sponsor the transition to a dictatorship from EU taxpayers' money within one of your member states and a NATO ally? What more needs to happen before you draw a firm line and take concrete actions? Political witch-hunt, show trials, imprisoned journalists and political opponents? Or worse? What is going to be your red line? As Hungarian citizens of the European Union, we have never consented to the sustained attacks on and demolition of the fundamental rights and liberties that are simply indisputable in any functioning democratic society! 2020 will go down in world history as the year of the Corona virus. A plague that paralyzed the world. For Hungarians, this period will not only be recorded as the year of the deadly pandemic. It will enter Hungarian history as the shameful year when the Hungarian government, callously took advantage of a severe epidemic and completely undermined democracy. Dear European Commission and Member of the European Parliament, We ask that you do not stand idly by in this destruction! We urge you to take immediate action to force the Hungarian government to return to the framework of democracy and to restore the rule of law. Sincerely: Hungarians who believe in democracy”

Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash