In the heart of Europe lies a society held captive by its own leadership, a tale of deepening division under the watch of Hungary’s self-proclaimed ‘street fighter’ Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, writes Gergely Hajdu.
Gergely Hajdu is the strategic director of aHang [theVoice], a Hungarian grassroots organisation and pressure group, advocating for social change on behalf of 600,000 members.
Orbán’s recent manoeuvres, particularly on the European Union’s financial aid package for Ukraine, spotlight the intricate dance between appeasing the Kremlin, the Fidesz voter base, and adhering to EU standards. But beneath this high-stakes political gameplay lies a more insidious narrative: the deliberate fragmentation of Hungarian society.
Orbán has long utilized tools of veiled propaganda during his premiership, including the habitual use of ‘national consultations’.
These surveys, invariably littered with leading questions, typically yield an agreement rate of 98-99%, and thereby consolidate Orbán’s desired narratives, both at home and abroad.
The latest consultation claims that a whopping 99.04% of participants oppose further financial support for Ukraine until Hungary receives a tranche, if not all, of the country’s cohesion funding that is currently being withheld by the European Commission.
This figure, or mandate as Orbán calls it, represents just 18% (1.5 million) of Hungary’s voting-age population and reveals a stark gap between the government’s portrayal and reality.
The truth, on the ground, is that another narrative is unfolding. One that speaks of resilience and hope, against a backdrop of democratic backsliding.
Students, teachers, small business owners, and nearly 10,000 private individuals are gathering blank national consultation forms, in a move that seeks to challenge the government’s interpretation of the wants of everyday Hungarians.
They’re raising critical issues that resonate more deeply with the Hungarian populace – educational reform, environmental protection, healthcare improvements, and the future of the nation’s water resources in the face of Orbán’s ambitions to transform Hungary into a battery-manufacturing powerhouse.
These blank forms, often overlooked or dismissed, are a testament to a deep-rooted resistance within Hungarian society. They are not mere pieces of paper; they symbolize hundreds of thousands of citizens quietly standing against the current political narrative.
This act of leaving questionnaires blank is a subtle, yet formidable, form of civil disobedience – a collective whisper growing louder with each silent refusal to participate in what many see as a skewed and manipulative process.
The contrast between the government’s propaganda efforts and this growing grassroots movement is stark. The government has allegedly spent around 20 billion forints of taxpayer money on its ‘national consultation’ – a sum that dwarfs the 15 million forints raised through individual micro-donations by the activists.
And, yet, the impact of these community-driven initiatives has, so far, been immeasurable, and demonstrates a societal divide that runs deeper than mere political disagreement.
Orbán’s administration, since 2010, has presided over a mixed bag of achievements and setbacks. However, the most painful legacy is the deep schism it has created within Hungarian society – a division that will take significant effort to heal.
This divide is not just a domestic issue; Orbán is attempting to export his brand of divisive politics to other agitators, including Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni and Geert Wilders, in Europe, and by playing host to major, international events, such as the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and the Budapest Demographic Summit, which appeal to elements of the US right.
For a so-called ‘street fighter’, there have been glaring omissions to Orbán’s recent rhetoric – and, in particular, a recognition of the everyday struggles and realities of Hungarians.
The issues that cut closest to the bone, the lived experiences of those on the streets, account for little to a prime minister, who against a backdrop of a divided political opposition and a gamed system, can now do as he pleases.
But, at a human level, Hungarians are now paying a price. Among the host of crises that currently grip the country, Hungary’s educational system is teetering on the brink.
The government’s approach to education, often criticized as archaic, overly centralized, and massively segregating at the same time, is failing to equip students for the demands of a modern, globalized world, and leaving the next generation ill-prepared for the challenges of the future.
Orbán’s desire to transform Hungary into one of Europe’s cheapest assembly plants for car manufacturers, battery factories, and other sites for foreign investment, is hollowing out the right to strike for workers.
And, then, there’s the burgeoning care crisis, to which the government has offered no substantial solution, and healthcare, generally, where we are seeing dramatic increases in hospital waiting lists and a system strained under the weight of underfunding and mismanagement.
All of this is playing out while the closest allies of the Fidesz administration are amassing wealth through methods so egregious that one must live in Hungary to believe their audacity.
This situation in Hungary is a stark reminder of the fragile nature of societal cohesion. When a government prioritizes its political agenda and survival over the genuine needs of its people, the resulting divide can be profound and long-lasting.
Hungary’s story is a cautionary tale for democracies everywhere, highlighting the dangers of polarizing politics and the importance of fostering a society where every voice is heard and valued.
As Hungary stands at a crossroads, the question remains: can this fractured society find a path to healing and unity, or will the chasm widened by Orbán’s politics become an irreversible part of the nation’s fabric?
The answer lies not just in the hands of the politicians but in the collective will of the Hungarian people to reclaim their narrative and reshape their future.
Source: euractiv.com
