December 1998
The Hungarian-Rumanian Equivalency Agreement went into effect after President Emil Constantinescu signed the document allowing for mutual recognition of certificates, diplomas and academic ranks. [HTMH Observer (Budapest), Jan. 6, 1999]
In line with recent government restructuring, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) will have a total of two ministers and seven civil servants of state secretary rank. In addition, DAHR has provided candidates for the positions of chairman of the Scientific, Technological and Innovation Bureau, the Bureau for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises - an agency initiated by the Alliance - and vice president of the Rumanian Development Agency responsible for foreign investments, credits and the supervision of economic development. DAHR will make its' appointees names public later. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 30, 1998]
The Education Ministry reinstated Ioan Sasarman, Cluj/Kolozs County School District Superintendent, who had been charged with accepting a bribery, as the County Prosecutor's office failed to restart legal proceedings. The Supreme Court earlier overruled the county court's decision to withdraw charges on grounds of an insufficient investigation [see report of December 11]. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 29, 1998]
Regarding news of government restructuring, Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) State Secretary for Territorial Restructuring and Public Labor Affairs László Borbély confirmed that DAHR will retain four state secretary positions but said that the specific post and persons are yet to be confirmed. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 22, 1998]
In evaluating the past two years government coalition participation, Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) President Béla Markó commented that "when DAHR took on the responsibility of governing it hoped not only to achieve its particular minority goals but those of general interest to the Hungarians of Rumania. I’m thinking of economic reform, democratization of Rumanian society . . . The fundamental question is what have we done to substantially eliminate the inequality that exists between the Hungarian community and the Rumanian majority?" Markó also went on to affirm that "by taking on governing roles in both Rumania and Slovakia, ethnic Hungarian minority communities in the region have proven that they are using political means to seek solutions important to them and achieve results in cooperation with the democratic forces of the majority." [DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 21, 1998]
The Parliament rejected the opposition’s motion of no-confidence by a vote of 283 to 163. The motion, submitted December 14, accused the government of creating economic and social chaos. Before the vote, Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania Senator Attila Verestóy emphasized the need to factually refute the opposition’s populist and rabble-rousing charges, recalling that the opposition Greater Rumania Party recently demanded political purges, the execution of ethnic Hungarian political leaders, nationalization of private property and the reversal of privatization. [Népújság (Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely), Dec. 23, 1998]
Due to recently-decided government restructuring, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) will retain only four state secretary positions, namely those of: territorial restructuring and public labor affairs (László Borbély), education (József Kötô), culture (Hunor Kelemen), and agriculture (István Pete). The additional six state secretary positions filled by DAHR will be eliminated, with the party to receive 3-4 newer ones of similar rank. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 21, 1998]
The cabinet decided at its meeting to appeal the Bucharest Court of Appeals' ruling against the government decree allowing for the establishment of the Petôfi-Schiller bilingual university to the Supreme Court [see report of December 10]. Apprising the legal situation, Minister for National Minorities György Tokay said that the Appeals' Court argumentation that such a university would discriminate against ethnic Rumanians was unfounded since admission would not be ethnically based. [DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Dec. 18, 1998]; Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 19, 1998]
A former member of the Greater Rumania Party's inner circle, Dan Corneliu Hudici, revealed in the Rumanian daily Ziua a list of those influential people in Rumania whom Corneliu Vadim Tudor would execute or imprison should he become the country's president. The ethnic Hungarians included on the list are Béla Markó, Attila Verestoy, György Frunda, Ferenc Bárányi and Bishop. László Tôkés. [Magyar Nemzet (Budapest), Dec. 18, 1998]
The Senate continued debate over public administration reforms adopting, among others, a minority-related clause allowing for native-language use in communities with over 20 percent minority inhabitants. Senator Péter Eckstein Kovács told Szabadság that during voting the coalition functioned in tandem. Opposition parties earlier rejected the right to the use of minority-languages in public administration, labeling it unconstitutional [See report of December 11]. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 16, 1998]
In a press conference, Christian Democratic National Peasant Party President Ion Diaconescu said he disapproves of the government appealing the Bucharest Court of Appeal’s ruling against the government decree allowing for the establishment of the Petôfi-Schiller bilingual university [see report of December 10]. Peasant Party Vice-President Remus Opris said the court’s decision came at the best time, resolving with a single blow the dilemma faced by the government. "The ruling washed away the Rumanian government’s shame which the government decree forcing to set up the Petôfi-Schiller university caused," said Opris. The Rumanian daily, Adevarul, cited Sergiu Chiriacescu, Chairman of the National Council of University Rectors as saying that "I believe, all of our efforts against the Petôfi-Schiller Hungarian-German language university are crowned by success." Reflecting on their coalition partner’s statement, Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania President Béla Markó told Evenimentul zilei that "Mr. Diaconescu contradicted his position because it was precisely he who proposed the establishment of the Hungarian-German university." Markó pointed out that the government has to appeal the court’s ruling least it concede it took an unconstitutional step. Prime Minister Radu Vasile said the government would decide in its Thursday meeting whether to appeal the court’s decision. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 15, 1998; DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Dec. 15, 1998]
Opposition parties, Rumanian Social Democracy Party, Greater Rumania Party and Rumanian National Unity Party, submitted a no-confidence motion to parliament, accusing Prime Minister Radu Vasile’s cabinet of deepening the economic crisis and ruining Rumania’s reputation. The legislature will debate the motion on December 16. [Népújság (Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely), Dec. 14 and 15, 1998]
The National Liberal Party renounced its seat on behalf of the opposition in the conference committee that will determine whether to allow the establishment of a minority-language university, reported Evenimentul zilei [see report of December 9]. As a result of the decision, three, instead of the original two, opposition representatives will participate in the seven-member committee. [DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Dec. 15, 1998]
After the 8th Congress of the World Council of Churches in Harare, Bishop László Tôkés issued a statement, voicing regret and bewilderment over the congress’s inability to pay attention to Central and Eastern Europe’s distinctive and particular problems, including illegally-confiscated church properties under communism and growing concerns over justice and reconciliation, human and minority rights and nationalism in the post-communist region. "Regarding minority-related problems, it became obvious in Harare that due to the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania participation in the government the world considers these resolved and therefore ignores them," held the statement. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 16, 1998]
Named after folk music researcher János Jagamas, a newly rebuilt Cultural House and Health Center were opened in Mere/Méra, Cluj/Kolozs County. The buildings are under the ownership of the Hungarian Reformed Church and were restored with the help of foreign and local funds. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 16, 1998]
In its Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely meeting, the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania's Council of Representatives [the organization’s highest decision-making body] prepared the ground for the parliamentary debate of the minority bill, reviewed the party’s social and youth policy and called for the establishment of a committee to screen elected and appointed DAHR officials regarding their ties to the Ceaucescu regime and its secret police, the Securitate. In his report, DAHR President Béla Markó recalled that a government decree mandated the return of 17 illegally confiscated properties, of which 8 pertain to the ethnic Hungarian community. Ownership was restored in 3 of those cases — the Petôfi-House in Bucharest, the former headquarters of the Transylvania Museum Association and the building of the Hungarian Reformed Church Bishopric in Cluj/Kolozsvár. The president called attention to the growing wave of nationalists and fascists propaganda, saying that they threaten not only a community but an entire country, therefore political parties bear responsibility if they fail to protest. Markó launched support for the strict economic policy the government intended to undertake in the next six month. The Council of Representatives decided to convene the party’s congress for May 15, 1999 and set November 13, 1999 as the date of internal election. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 14, 1998; Magyar Hírlap (Budapest), Dec. 14, 1998]
At the Council of Representatives' meeting [see report of December 12, 1998 above], Antal Csicsó. President of the Csángó Alliance, called upon the party to pay greater attention to the rapid assimilation of the Csángó Hungarian community in Moldavia. Currently, 70,000 Csángós speak Hungarian in Moldavia, but only 2 percent of them are able to read a Hungarian-language text. The number of Hungarian-speaking Csángós drops by four percent annually. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), Dec. 16, 1998]
A new political organization, the Democratic Alliance of Croatians in Rumania, was formed in Resita/Resicabánya under the leadership of Todor Mihai. An organization, the Alliance of Croatians in Rumania, has already been established in Carasova/Krassóvár for primarily cultural endeavors. The majority of ethnic Croatians with a Roman Catholic background reside in seven communities located in Caras-Severin/Krassó-Szörény County. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), Dec. 16, 1998]
The Senate debate over local public administration reform was inconclusive with minority rights being the center of a heated dispute. The Senate Public Administration Committee’s proposal allows for the placement of bilingual signs in communities with over 20 percent minority population, and the use of native-language in communities where minority representatives make up a minimum of one-third of the local council. Senators from opposition parties protested the use of minority languages, saying that it is unconstitutional and threatens the integrity of the Rumanian nation-state. Voting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 15. [Népújság (Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely), Dec. 12, 1998]
The Cluj/Kolozs County Court of Appeals reinstated the indictment against Ioan Sasarman, county superintendent of schools who had been charged of accepting a 700 German Mark and 8 million Lei bribery from a construction company [see report of April 16, 1998]. The chief county prosecutor Vasile Chisu stated that the Supreme Court of Justice overruled the county court’s decision to withdraw charges because "in the case of Ioan Sasarman insufficient number of witnesses were heard and evidence was falsely interpreted." The superintendent had been suspended when official investigation began but was reinstated after the county court’s decision. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 11, 1998]
December 10, 1998 - Human Rights Day
The Hungarian State Opera of Cluj/Kolozsvár will celebrate its 50th anniversary December 13-17, 1998. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 10, 1998]
Finding for the Rumanian National Unity Party, the Bucharest Court of Appeals ruled the government decree allowing for the establishment of the Petôfi-Schiller bilingual university unconstitutional. The court said that the government decision violated the 1995 education law and the Constitution. Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania President Béla Markó told the Hungarian daily Magyar Hírlap that he discussed the issue with the Minister of Justice and the top government secretary who pledged to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. [Magyar Hírlap (Budapest), Dec. 11, 1998]
The alternative textbook committee under the auspices of the Ministry of Education awarded Jenô and Rozália Sántha the prize for their third grade Hungarian language textbook replacing a highly successful one in use since 1970. Similarly, Mária Szász Mihálykó and András Máthé’s sixth grade Hungarian language and literature textbook will replace one in use since 1964. Both books will be implemented in the 1999/2000 school year. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), Dec. 9, 1998]
The Chamber of Deputies’ Standing Committee rejected the opposition parties’ request to increase to three their seats in the conference committee [see report of December 2, 1998] determining whether a minority language university will be allowed. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 9, 1998]
The National Audiovisual Council has instructed the leadership of Rumanian public television (RTV) to investigate its Hungarian-language program and exert strict supervision over it following a complaint of "violating Rumanian interests" filed by the Director of the Government Office for Rumanians Abroad, Mugur Vasiliu. The Council alleges that the Hungarian program "breached legal and professional-ethical norms in its broadcasts between October 19 and November 9 by: broadcasting footage of fans shouting "Out with Hungarians from the country" during a hockey game last Spring, airing comments by parliamentary representative Árpád Márton on the Greater Rumanian Party’s efforts to raise a national guard for the rounding up and execution of ethnic Hungarians [see report of October 15], and failure to subtitle in Rumanian a show aired on October 23. The RTV leadership, along with the editorial board of the Hungarian-language program, have been summoned to appear before the Council on December 10. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár) and Népszava (Budapest), Dec. 8, Népújság (Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely), Dec. 9, 1998]
The Rumanian-language daily Ziua reported that President Emil Constantinescu’s speech on Constitution Day condemning those politicians who "openly discuss the intention to create concentration camps, 24 hour [court] proceedings, the banning of political parties and persecution of political adversaries, confiscation of their property" was aimed at extremist and Greater Rumania Party president, Senator Corneliu Vadim Tudor. The president said that "" to such pronouncements everyone in politics bears grave responsibility to respond swiftly and resolutely. [DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Dec. 9, 1998]
Following a three week strike, the three opposition parties - Rumanian Social Democracy Party, the Greater Rumania Party and the Rumanian National Unity resumed participation in parliamentary proceedings [see report of November 25, 1998]. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 9, 1998]
The government set December 18 as National Minorities' Day, a move initiated by the National Minority Council and the Government Office for the Protection of National Minorities. The date was chosen because the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities on December 18, 1992. The government charged the competent offices and ministries to prepare cultural, academic and other related events. [Népújság (Tirgu Mures/Marosvásárhely), Dec. 5, 1998]
The Királyhágómelléki Bishopric of the Hungarian Reformed Church appealed to the Supreme Court for a change of venue in a lawsuit over its headquarters that has been inconclusive for nine years. The church’s move came after the Bihor/Bihar County Prosecutor's Office appealed the May 1998 court decision (No. 213/A/1998) that had found for the church. The Supreme Court ruled for a change of venue to Ploiesti. [Romániai Magyar Szó (Bucharest), Dec. 3, 1998]
The Chamber of Deputies’ Standing Committee decided to set up a conference committee, consisting of 5 coalition and 2 opposition deputies, to determine whether a minority language university will be allowed. The Chamber rejected earlier discriminatory provisions of Government Decree 36/1997, amending the Education Law [See report of November 17, 1998], but failed to adopt any text for Article 123 on the establishment of native-language higher education institutions. Since Greater Rumania Party, Rumanian Social Democracy Party and Rumanian National Unity Party will not appoint members to the conference committee, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies’ Education Committee Anghel Stanciu must participate in its meetings. The Greater Rumania Party deputy demanded earlier that a native-language university be prohibited in Rumania and the government decree, allowing for a Hungarian-German bilingual university, be revoked as well [see report of November 21 and 17]. [Szabadság (Cluj/Kolozsvár), Dec. 4, 1998]
On the national holiday December 1, Virgil Magureanu, former director of the Rumanian Intelligence Agency and Chief-Secretary of the Rumanian National Party, delivered a speech, accusing the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Rumania (DAHR) of threatening the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by participating in the government. DAHR’s program is "not compatible with the principles of democratic governance," and the current powers-that-be are short-sighted for bowing to the ethnic Hungarian party’s demands. Virgil Magureanu criticized, among others, restoration of illegally confiscated communal properties, "which creates an ownership network in Transylvania providing fertile grounds for territorial autonomy and federalism." [DAHR News Watch (Bucharest), Dec. 2, 1998]