Everyday life, whether in the office, school, on the train, shop, or at home depends a great deal on communication. It is essential for us to function and most of all, to co-exist. We have created certain conventions on what is appropriate and when. Throughout generations, these conventions have been passed down the line, some have slightly changed, other replaced, where it was the general public initiating or approving these changes. When changes come (forcibly) from 'above', then a certain tension appears between the powers. In principle, mutual respect should be prevailing.
Slovakia has recently passed a bill through Parliament, which - to say the least - has caused heated discussions. It is said to guarantee the access of information to all Slovak citizens; or to be more exact, that Slovak speaking citizens can insist on information in the Slovak language, especially when living in an area - like Southern Slovakia - where there is a considerable Hungarian speaking minority, and where Hungarian is commonly used.
Considering, I would enter a Hungarian supermarket, and would not be able to get through because of the language barrier, I could leave and find my way to a competitor, who is willing to accommodate. Simple enough I would say. In the event, you would deal with a municipality, then of course, such a directive would make sense. It should be noted, that personally I have never encountered any of such, so I will regard it as an academic discussion for now. Therefore, in order to 'protect' a person like me, who doesn't know any Hungarian, by law I have the right to insist on a Slovak document. To expand it a bit; even road signs, memorial tablets, billboards...
Slovakia has recently passed a bill through Parliament, which - to say the least - has caused heated discussions. It is said to guarantee the access of information to all Slovak citizens; or to be more exact, that Slovak speaking citizens can insist on information in the Slovak language, especially when living in an area - like Southern Slovakia - where there is a considerable Hungarian speaking minority, and where Hungarian is commonly used.
Considering, I would enter a Hungarian supermarket, and would not be able to get through because of the language barrier, I could leave and find my way to a competitor, who is willing to accommodate. Simple enough I would say. In the event, you would deal with a municipality, then of course, such a directive would make sense. It should be noted, that personally I have never encountered any of such, so I will regard it as an academic discussion for now. Therefore, in order to 'protect' a person like me, who doesn't know any Hungarian, by law I have the right to insist on a Slovak document. To expand it a bit; even road signs, memorial tablets, billboards...
Why the controversy then? There is a part of the law, which - even to me - raises some concerns. Firstly, it has pretty ambiguous directives and foremost, it states even considerable penalties. But in a broader light, one cannot help but get the feeling, that - despite of a practical logic for a state to stipulate the use of its national language - it is merely a tool used by the present government for other purposes. The Slovak-Hungarian relationship is very brittle, and to date an ongoing bickering between some nationalist politicians and the minority leaders is visible. Unfortunately.
But especially this ambiguity has become increasingly a hot item: up to the point where Mr Vollebaeck of the OSCE was asked to step in. His verdict was immediately aired by the Government, and thus "affirming" that from the beginning the said Act is completely in line with international (European) standards. They forgot to mention one small detail; Mr Vollebaeck indeed came to such a conclusion, but mentioned that implementing sanctions might cause some distress. And that was - to some point - exactly one of the complaints of the Hungarian minority. Furthermore, the law in practice is so confusing, that the Mail System and the Ministry sent several contradicting explanations to each other, which was more than sufficient evidence.
The question arises, why is government not sitting round the table with the opponents of the Law and openly discuss in order to clear the air and dispose of all misunderstanding? Clearly, it is not interested in a solution: The increase of scandals has become too embarrassing, and this Language Act could act like a distraction. Last week, both the Republic's President and the Prime-Minister were televised in a discussion programme. One remark made by the President, literally smashed his own windows; he stated that before signing the Act, he invited all involved parties (read: minorities) except the Hungarians, because he apparently "knew the outcome of their dialogue already". This is a political faux pas (but honestly, what could be expected from two politicians like this?), where he hardly realised how much he exposed his real face that moment.
Causing tensions or erasing them is a matter of communications. If the goodwill is not there, perhaps at least an overall political responsibility should dominate. None of the present rulers have neither the sense of responsibility, nor the goodwill - albeit they continue to stress the contrary. The Language Act is therefore just a silly toy in a sandpit, where toddlers refuse to share it. This is not politics, this is a cheap soap opera. Cheap in quality, but heavily paid for.
But especially this ambiguity has become increasingly a hot item: up to the point where Mr Vollebaeck of the OSCE was asked to step in. His verdict was immediately aired by the Government, and thus "affirming" that from the beginning the said Act is completely in line with international (European) standards. They forgot to mention one small detail; Mr Vollebaeck indeed came to such a conclusion, but mentioned that implementing sanctions might cause some distress. And that was - to some point - exactly one of the complaints of the Hungarian minority. Furthermore, the law in practice is so confusing, that the Mail System and the Ministry sent several contradicting explanations to each other, which was more than sufficient evidence.
The question arises, why is government not sitting round the table with the opponents of the Law and openly discuss in order to clear the air and dispose of all misunderstanding? Clearly, it is not interested in a solution: The increase of scandals has become too embarrassing, and this Language Act could act like a distraction. Last week, both the Republic's President and the Prime-Minister were televised in a discussion programme. One remark made by the President, literally smashed his own windows; he stated that before signing the Act, he invited all involved parties (read: minorities) except the Hungarians, because he apparently "knew the outcome of their dialogue already". This is a political faux pas (but honestly, what could be expected from two politicians like this?), where he hardly realised how much he exposed his real face that moment.
Causing tensions or erasing them is a matter of communications. If the goodwill is not there, perhaps at least an overall political responsibility should dominate. None of the present rulers have neither the sense of responsibility, nor the goodwill - albeit they continue to stress the contrary. The Language Act is therefore just a silly toy in a sandpit, where toddlers refuse to share it. This is not politics, this is a cheap soap opera. Cheap in quality, but heavily paid for.
MS
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