Open Letter to Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary

By Dr. Miklos K. Radvanyi

Hungarian Parliament

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

I write this letter, because I care about the past, the present, and the future of the country in which I was born and grew up. Also, as an American citizen, I am deeply concerned about the steadily deteriorating domestic conditions in Hungary and the reckless foreign policy that you pursue against the fundamental interests of NATO, the European Union, and the entire Hungarian nation.

During your student years, you criticized and actively opposed the dictatorship of the communist party. You were instrumental in the establishment of the Alliance of the Young Democrats. Your memorable speech at the reburial of Nagy Imre and the other martyrs of the October 1956 Revolution, in which you demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Soviet Red Army from Hungarian territory and subsequent free elections contributed to the collapse of the regime in 1990. Elected to the Parliament in the spring of 1990, you led your party in opposition in a constructive fashion.

After the untimely death of Antall Jozsef, the first Prime Minister of the free Republic of Hungary, you made the politically expedient decision to transform the Alliance of Young Democrats into a “Civil Party”, thus releasing the genie of self defeating nationalism from the bottle of a non-existent Hungarian ethnic superiority. You prevailed in the national elections of 1998. Although your party only received 42% of the votes, you embarked on a policy of “winner takes all”, resulting in shameless corruption and revolting mismanagement of government.

Accordingly, the voters rejected you and your party in 2002. During your eight years in opposition you organized street riots and other violent disturbances against the legitimately elected government. You declared total resistance and refused to attend the meetings of the Parliament. In this manner, you abdicated your responsibilities as the leader of a democratic opposition and turned yourself and your party into a highly destructive force in Hungarian politics.

In 2010, you and your party were brought back to power with an absolute majority in the Parliament. As the head of an one party state, you have continued on the same destructive path that you so ineffectively walked in opposition. The list of your political, economic, social, cultural, and moral transgressions would take, if enumerated, several volumes. However, your most destructive political, economic, and moral offenses must be stated. You have had a real opportunity to create a model of European democracy to the world by respecting the independence of all three branches of government, especially the judiciary. Instead, you have invented the term “illiberal democracy” that have only demonstrated your lack of understanding of what democracy is all about. In your deranged arrogance, you have scattered the political reforms of the last quarter century and pushed the poisonous ideology of exclusive nationalism. Today, in order to cultivate an idiotic version of Hungarian exclusivity, you are in the process of raising a subservient generation that surely will not be able to stand its ground in the global competition.

In economics, you again have misunderstood what capitalism is all about. You have established a corrupted form of “state capitalism”, best described as a Houdini economy, in which both the private business and the distribution of their products are controlled by you and your acolytes. By favoring individuals of your preference, while excluding others who refuse your game of “pay to play”, you have reinstated the same economic model that characterized Mussolini’s fascist state, Hitler’s national socialist empire, and Stalin’s gulag economy. Your heavy reliance on public works has brought forth an unqualified working underclass that wholly dependent on your government. This underclass that comprises one-third of the workforce, is neither free economically nor politically. Your and your cronies insatiable appetite for corruption have destroyed the health industry as well the hitherto excellent Hungarian education system.

In foreign affairs you have turned yourself into the political prostitute of the European Union. While the European Union’s financial contributions have provided the life support needed to keep the economy above water, you have attacked the “imperial rule” of Brussels on a daily basis. Using the Hungarian minorities in the neighboring countries as political pawns, you have tried to divide the member states of the European Union along racial and ethnic lines. Simultaneously, you have made highly publicized overtures to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, in order to justify your dictatorial regime at home. In the same vein, your alleged friendship with the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have merely served to legitimize your indoctrination of the Hungarian youth.

In closing, guided by your narcissism and megalomania, you have abandoned Hungary’s and Europe’s political, social, and moral ideals. Instead, you have been marketing your “illiberal democracy” and your corrupt economic ideas. These are not the values the Hungarian people have elected you for. These are not the ideals the Hungarian people aspire for. What they want is true democracy and economic freedom. These, in turn, are not the realities you care to acknowledge. Your sick ego calls for a despotic and morally empty state. You have failed your people. They must hope for your speedy departure from office to live free again, to think normally again, and yes to dream of a better future again.



Categories: Hungary

6 replies »

  1. tettél valaha életedben bármit, aminek volt társadalmi haszna Miki (eladó a McDonald’s-ban számít…)? Ne ugassál a messziből, gyere haza, élj itt velünk, és alapíts pártot, utána oszd az eszet… behányok a sok okosságodtól. Lopnak? igen. Gyurcsányi is lopott, akkor is írtál nyílt levelet te köcsög? van elég bajunk az ilyen hülye mocskok, mint te nélkül is…. sajnos.


  2. Miért nem jössz haza és itt élve vonós le a következtetéseket. Miért húztál el és onnan osztod az észt? Ha már elhagytad hazáját, ott kritizálj, vagy ott nem mersz félve, hogy meginog a pozíciód. Ezért egyszerűbb velük egy ķövet fújva távolságát bírálni. Ebből semmi hátrány nem származik, és a feltűnési viszketegségedet is kielégítetted.


  3. The best summary of what is going on in that country, yet. Lot more to add, as the article states too, but it is the best synopsis yet. What Orban does has nothing to do with right wing, he runs a bolshevik mafia state. Media is more controlled than it was under the communists, with 24/7 childish propaganda you think even N Koreans would not buy. In all parts of life, economic, cultural, academic, social (and political of course) he put his servants who serve him without questions asked. Some 600 thousand young Hungarians have left the country in the last few years. Hungary is in the bottom of OECD’s happiness index, as well as in competitiveness. A very recent EU poll asked citizens in each country: “Are you happy to live in your own country?” Only 62% answered YES in Hungary, the lowest in all of Europe. Hungary, once the leader of the pack, is now the third poorest in the EU (Slovakia and the Czech are long gone, Poland just took over, and Romania has closed the gap). Pensioners live on $200-300 a month while Orban’s best friend, his little village’s mayor netted over a 100b HUF (some $400m) last year from public funds (‘tenders’). A gas-fitter couple of years ago, he now owns half the country, wineries, lakes, palaces, hotel chains, huge lands, slaughterhouses, everything you cant think of. Orban stole more money for him in one year than the net worth of Magic Johnson or Madonna. For what on the world stage you need exceptional talent and lifetime of hard work, top business skills and concrete results, (like 300m records sold), you can get in one year as a ‘present’ from taxpayers’ money in one of the poorest and smallest countries of Europe.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. This is by far the best summary I have read anywhere. A must read for all in the Washington think tank world, the U.S government, the administration and Congress, especially those who nurture illusions about Mr. Orban being a friend and ally of the United States. : this piece is honest and Mr.Radvanyi speaks like a true American-Hungarian patriot 100% American and 100% Hungarian.I can add nothing to his analysys. Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Kérdés: lehet-e a szerzö hollétére vonatkozó “karaktergyilkos” megjegyszésekkel a nyílt levél tartalmát értékelni? Szerintem fontos kérdés, mert a párbeszéd lényegéröl van szó, határokkal, s határok nélkül… mindegy. 2017-ben egy globális világban élünk, van aki a Lajtán innen, van aki túl. A párbeszédre, a vélemények cseréjére, egymás meghallgatására nagyobb szükség van mint valaha. üdvözlet Svájcból 🙂

    Nem anyukám tehet róla, hogy én is külföldön élek, úgyhogy tisztelettel kérem senki se szidja a felmenöimet, mert már nem élnek. Még valami… a Föld gömb alakú, amit legjobban az ürbül lehet látni. Bizonyos összefüggések felismerése van mikor távolból sokkal könnyebb, mint közelröl az események közvetlen sürüjéböl.

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