00:00:01
Dear viewers, The archive of the
Hungarian Television preserves an
00:00:05
interview by Antall József that was
never seen, heard by our viewers.
In September 1990,
00:00:11
he was unable to speak on the screen
because of a TV president's decision.
00:00:18
However, after the first hundred
days of the Antall government,
the recording before the
00:00:23
municipal elections testifies to the
fact that the Prime Minister addressed
the Hungarian people.
00:00:29
Accurate, analytical, warm words,
both asking for and giving trust.
00:00:36
But some strange political
intent came between them.
The recording is still much more than
00:00:43
some kind of historical curiosity.
Its validity still applies today
and perhaps it can still,
00:00:50
in hindsight, help us in understanding
and orientation. Not only with regards to
00:00:54
Joseph Antall's personality,
but also in our own destiny.
00:01:02
- I know that there are
enormous difficulties, I know
00:01:09
that there are serious financial
problems for Hungarian families,
00:01:14
I know how bitter inflation is,
how difficult it is
00:01:23
for many families, pensioners,
seniors to not be able to buy very often
00:01:29
the most important items
necessary to sustain life.
We know all this
00:01:37
and no use any violent means
are needed to convey these
00:01:45
rumors to us, these facts,
we are aware of them.
00:01:54
I think that we Hungarians should
think, as many times in history,
00:02:03
about what is around us.
It wouldn't hurt to compare
00:02:10
it to the situation in
the neighbouring countries.
It wouldn't hurt to look a
00:02:17
little beyond our borders.
We were often accused of only
00:02:23
turning inwards, only starting with
some kind of Hungarocentric view,
00:02:28
the problems of Hungary
and that is not what this is about.
00:02:36
We need to see what happened
in this entire region,
00:02:42
what happened in the camp
that was created around us in
00:02:48
the last decades under the
leadership of the Soviet Union.
00:02:55
It is not just a Hungarian problem,
it is not just Hungary's
00:03:01
internal crisis, it is the
crisis of a system of things,
and we are now experiencing
00:03:08
this extremely serious crisis as
part of a system of things.
00:03:15
There are complete economic, social,
political, ethnic conflicts and
00:03:21
crises in the Soviet Union.
This means that the Soviet Union,
00:03:29
our most important
00:03:36
trading partner in recent decades,
which has defined the structure
00:03:42
of the entire Hungarian economy,
which has forced a model on us,
00:03:50
if you will,
which has made the country part
00:03:56
of this Soviet and Comecon market,
has collapsed or collapsing.
00:04:03
But the countries around
us also collapsed.
You can see the Polish, Czech,
00:04:11
Romanian, Bulgarian example.
In fact, we can see the internal
difficulties of Yugoslavia as well.
00:04:17
And we can see the former territory
of the German Democratic Republic,
00:04:24
the eastern half of today's united
Germany, the serious problems it faces
00:04:31
when the eastern part of Germany
has been indirectly supported by
00:04:37
the Federal Republic of Germany,
and it was, in a sense,
00:04:44
a lurking, hidden member of
the European common market.
Everywhere, everywhere,
00:04:51
these countries are in serious crisis,
not only in Hungary,
00:04:58
and under such circumstances,
we cannot say anything other than that Hungary is,
00:05:05
of course, part of this crisis,
of this serious situation.
00:05:13
This heritage is mentioned so many times,
00:05:17
these days and it sounds like an excuse
to many today, consequently,
00:05:23
any talk of it is no longer welcome.
People say not to talk about
00:05:29
he past, only about the
present and the future.
00:05:34
But we cannot talk about the present,
because this heritage is not firmly in the past,
00:05:40
this heritage is our present,
and unfortunately this heritage,
this present, determines the
00:05:46
difficulties of the future.
It must be said that Hungary's
00:05:53
economic structure means an
obsolete structure that is
00:05:59
simply not compatible with the world
at the end of the 20th century.
00:06:06
The collapse of the Soviet Union
happened, too,
00:06:11
due to the serious internal crisis
of the Soviet Union and the failure
00:06:15
of the Soviet Union to keep up
with the Western world and with
developed industrialised countries.
00:06:22
Hungary has accumulated 20 billion
in debt over the last decades.
00:06:31
Out of this 20 billion-dollar debt,
the actual investment is
00:06:37
just over $4 billion.
The rest is debt rolled before us,
00:06:43
and interest is derived
from newer borrowings.
00:06:48
Under these circumstances,
we must deal with this serious crisis.
00:06:56
In Hungary, with debt.
More and more unexpected
00:07:03
difficulties have come.
It means that we could not
00:07:09
improve the Hungarian infrastructure.
As we made this huge sum of debt,
00:07:16
we couldn't build our modern transport
system, our telephone network,
00:07:23
our school system,
all that we need to provide for a
00:07:31
new economy as a means of pulling it ahead.
This has not happened,
00:07:38
and now Hungary's crisis is also
serious because we have serious
shortcomings in this area.
00:07:47
But it also has to be said
and it has to be said openly
00:07:54
that Hungary has been put artificially in a
better state for the Hungarian
00:07:59
population over the last decades,
the country has been put in a better
00:08:04
living conditions than it could have
guaranteed for the goods it produced
00:08:09
as it could have done on the
basis of its economic results. Now,
00:08:16
however, a new situation has emerged,
these resources have been clogged,
00:08:22
we have lived up to our reserves,
and we have received the
00:08:29
legacy of accumulated debts and
the obsolete industrial structure.
And so comes the newest and latest
00:08:38
plagues that our neighbours
have suffered by crashing,
00:08:43
the Soviet market being able to
absorb less, our industrial production
00:08:49
falling by 10 percent...
This also means that in some
00:08:56
industries we can point to a
decrease of up to 30 percent,
00:09:02
and under these circumstances we
must continue to move forward.
00:09:09
But I could also talk about the
fact that the obsolete industrial
00:09:15
structure, the outdated car park,
the structure of our industrial
00:09:20
production consumes twice,
three times as much energy as
00:09:24
in the case of a modern industrial country.
Therefore, we consume much more energy
00:09:30
than is considered justified on
the basis of the products produced.
00:09:37
So you can simply check this
if you look at what a Western
00:09:45
minivan consumes or what the used,
aged car park owned by
00:09:53
Hungarian car owners consumes,
00:10:00
but the same can be said about our factories.
For us, however,
this amount of energy we are
00:10:08
using is causing very serious
problems throughout the country,
throughout the national economy.
00:10:15
I think that this is also where
we should talk about what the oil
00:10:23
price increase means for Hungary,
what the situation means.
00:10:28
Two factors need to be pointed out.
One is that the Soviet Union
00:10:34
has promised only 80 percent
of our orders this year.
00:10:41
On the other hand, what we need
to replace must be replaced
at increasing world prices.
00:10:51
So this also means that the
country's economic life will be
00:10:56
seriously damaged in the coming time,
and that serious damage has
been caused so far.
00:11:04
However, the only thing we cannot
00:11:09
say in itself is that in Hungary
we only have the economic disaster
00:11:18
and only the obsolete industrial structure.
00:11:26
That is why we reveal this
and why no one has ever concealed what a
00:11:34
serious inheritance we have received.
The country is in
00:11:41
such a serious state that
we cannot agree with those
00:11:50
who are trying to discourage
the population permanently,
00:11:58
turn it against the government,
turn it against the political
00:12:09
forces who are doing everything they
00:12:15
can to keep the country in
00:12:21
balance so that we can maintain
00:12:27
our national economy at all.
I would like to stress that when
00:12:37
we talk about the damage caused
by state property and the obsolete
00:12:45
industrial structure in Hungary,
when we talk about what Comecon means
00:12:52
to the country and how seriously
it affects our situation, we also
00:12:59
have to talk about what foreigners,
foreign economic professionals and
00:13:05
foreign politicians say, that Hungary
is the most promising country in
00:13:12
the former Communist bloc.
I wonder why they say so and
00:13:20
why is there in Hungary so much pessimism
and why political forces
00:13:27
emphasize it here in public,
why they are almost cheering and happy
00:13:36
to report all negatives and negatives,
when the relevant economic circles,
00:13:44
the significant financial circles,
significant political circles,
00:13:49
governments talk about
positive phenomena and praise the
00:13:55
Hungarian development.
I think it's enough for anyone to
00:14:01
hear the government's statements.
All you need to know is what they say
00:14:09
about us and it's clear that they
00:14:15
don't have a pessimistic opinion
about our future.
00:14:21
The spread of small and
medium-sized enterprises in
Hungary is considered encouraging.
00:14:28
It is safe to say that
50 percent of the foreign capital
00:14:36
in the entire Eastern European region
was invested in Hungary.
00:14:44
Are Western countries,
Western financial circles
00:14:49
who see Hungary fit for this,
those who distinguish us
00:14:56
from the surrounding states,
all of them stupid, do they
have no self-interest?
00:15:04
Every day I meet representatives
of the international banking world,
00:15:10
international business circles,
leading statesmen and all of
00:15:15
them consider Hungary's future to
be encouraging. Well, then,
00:15:21
what's good is it to instill
bitterness into this country,
00:15:28
into public opinion,
in our present grave situation.
00:15:33
It is safe to say that are whining
about the total
00:15:42
destruction of agriculture in Hungary.
At a time when there are
00:15:48
real problems with drought,
when we are doing everything we
can to bring in feed and under
00:15:54
the most favourable conditions.
Every day we are in contact
with European and other
00:16:02
international organisations and
financial circles to reach Hungary
for preferential feed imports.
00:16:09
In these circumstances,
I received official information today
with the Ministry of Agriculture
00:16:16
that the cultivation of the
land is better this year
00:16:22
by 20 and 30 percent than
in the same period last year.
00:16:29
This means that the Hungarian
peasantry, which also sowed in 1944,
00:16:36
when the war, the front approached,
is still aware of the fact,
00:16:43
- and our agricultural experts
are clearly aware of it - that autumn
00:16:48
works must be carried out.
And the question of how privatisation,
00:16:55
the solution to the land issue,
will develop is not affected by
00:17:03
the completion of agricultural work,
because in agriculture whoever sows must
00:17:09
reap it. As a result,
00:17:15
if anything happens and the Hungarian
Parliament adopts any kind of law
00:17:22
to solve the Hungarian land issue,
it is certain that no one,
00:17:28
whether community or individual,
will suffer so much damage that they
00:17:34
will not be able to recover their
invested work and fixed assets.
00:17:41
But if the Hungarian people know that,
then let us not try to hammer
00:17:47
these rumours on and spread about us
that we do not work and there is
00:17:53
going to be a disaster in agriculture.
But I could tell you something else.
00:18:00
I can say that in Hungary,
in the field of privatisation,
00:18:08
in small businesses and in all the
areas where we are talking about
00:18:16
the recovery of economic life,
there is a serious result.
00:18:24
The state asset agency,
which is in fact a state asset fund,
00:18:31
which places those state-owned
companies on the market
00:18:36
making rapid progress.
It has been assessed and the
00:18:43
number of applicant interested in buying
00:18:50
formerly state-owned companies
is very high. I ask why
00:18:57
anyone can say to us that we
are not doing privatisation properly,
00:19:05
with insufficient speed.
The British Prime Minister is
00:19:11
not exactly among the defenders
of state property and the
00:19:16
opponents of privatisation.
He himself stated that he felt
00:19:22
that the privatisation process in
Hungary was progressing well.
00:19:28
What do some people think of the
pace of privatization? In Britain,
00:19:34
some sectors were state-owned and it
took years to implement privatisation.
00:19:42
The same was said by the
French Finance Minister or
00:19:47
the privatizer of the former
French nationalised industry.
00:19:52
Last time, the German Secretary
of State for Economic Affairs said
that the government's privatisation
00:19:58
policy was appropriate, modern,
both at its pace and in its nature.
00:20:03
So all of this shows
that this government's activity
00:20:09
does find recognition.
At the same time, we must take
00:20:15
appropriate financial measures.
We must ensure that the market,
00:20:22
the emerging market economy,
which we consciously call a
00:20:28
social market economy based
on the teachings of Professor
00:20:34
Erhard and Minister of Economy,
is implemented with
00:20:41
measures that ensure the
establishment of the institutional
00:20:48
system of a market economy,
from the stock exchange to the
00:20:55
banking system, and all the
institutions that belong to it,
00:21:02
just as Parliament or government
are part of the political systems.
00:21:09
We also need to establish a
00:21:15
way to ensure that monopolies
can be broken down,
00:21:22
to ensure proper competition,
since a market economy without
00:21:27
conditions of competition is worth nothing.
We need to ensure competitive conditions
00:21:34
and legal settlements necessary for
that because that pushes prices down and,
00:21:40
of course, to reduce inflation.
But we also have to take
00:21:47
into account the budget.
The budget of a state
00:21:52
is regulated by law.
So what Hungary's budget today in
00:21:58
1990 is what the previous Parliament
approved and which is binding on us.
00:22:07
While the previous government may
have made a deficit of HUF 54
00:22:14
billion in the previous year,
our government can only make
00:22:19
one of 10 billion forints, because the
agreement with the International
Monetary Fund requires this,
00:22:27
but it is also in our own interest.
This means, however,
00:22:33
that if we do not conclude this,
and if we do not keep it,
00:22:39
then Hungary's financing will become
impossible, there are no more opportunities,
we are no longer creditworthy,
00:22:45
so we must keep it.
Today, this must be maintained,
00:22:50
meaning that the budget cannot
be exceeded and that the
00:22:56
budgetary framework cannot be
extended as a elastic.
00:23:01
This has to be said
because any occupational branch,
00:23:08
every social class, every sector,
everyone has a legitimate claim,
00:23:15
everyone is underpaid,
every occupational branch,
if we make a comparison,
00:23:23
is at a disadvantage compared
to the developed countries,
00:23:30
but also to ourselves.
No one's questioning that.
00:23:36
But the question is,
is there any way to get past it?
No. This is simply not possible
00:23:45
at the moment and should
be taken into account when
drawing up next year's budget.
00:23:53
This is why it is the greatest
irresponsibility to take
00:24:00
advantage of our social tensions
as a result of our economic
00:24:06
situation for political purposes.
Believe me, this is a government,
00:24:12
and I can safely say that
this is a government coalition that is
00:24:18
definitely sensitive socially,
sensitive in terms of what we would
00:24:24
do to raise people's standard of
living and make the most of it.
00:24:32
But by irresponsiblely disrupting
the financial balance,
00:24:37
it can only lead to inflation,
if inflation continues to increase,
00:24:45
then the further increase in
wages would be in vain,
00:24:52
those benefits would be in vain.
We do everything by
00:25:00
being aware of social problems,
taking into account tensions
00:25:05
in order to save the most vulnerable,
in order to stretch out the social
00:25:14
net knowing that unemployment,
which has been accelerating,
00:25:18
is really inevitable.
We need to provide unemployment
benefits to the unemployed
00:25:26
and to ensure re-training.
But if some groups of interests
00:25:33
or social groups were to be given
such special preferences or even
00:25:41
given special benefits,
then we would not be
00:25:47
able to achieve anything.
Our only way is to focus
00:25:54
on breakout points in economic
development that allow us to
00:26:02
boost Hungarian economic life.
To this end, it is necessary to
00:26:09
ensure that we increase the number
of private economies, businesses.
00:26:15
To this end, we create a basis
for living conditions through the
involvement of foreign capital.
00:26:26
I think that if you are aware
that in order for the Western
00:26:33
business circles to enter Hungary,
in order for the working
00:26:38
capital to come in, in order
to boost Hungary's economic life,
00:26:44
you need to have confidence in
Hungary in the first place.
00:26:51
Trust must be gained,
and I can safely say that
00:26:56
there has never been such trust
in Hungary as there is today.
00:27:03
Government leaders,
industrial leaders of economic
00:27:10
powers look to us with confidence.
Business circles look at the
00:27:17
country with absolute confidence,
and believe that the government,
which, although accused of not
00:27:24
having and distributing a
manifesto for government
00:27:31
(those accusing us will do so even if we have one in
00:27:38
book form), has gained confidence.
It is safe to say that Hungary
00:27:46
enjoys undivided trust both in
business and banking circles
00:27:53
and among various political forces.
I ask why we have to discredit
00:28:03
ourselves from the inside,
undermine this trust,
00:28:08
whose interest it is to
fight against it. The other
is stability in addition to trust.
00:28:19
Only then will there be an
economic rise in this country.
00:28:25
The only way for the country
to break out of this crisis is
00:28:31
if there is stability here.
Without stability,
00:28:36
there will be no ascension.
I can say that if there is
00:28:43
no confidence inside and outside,
and if there is no economic
00:28:48
and political stability in Hungary,
then we are lost. This stability
00:28:55
can only be achieved,
in accordance with our real potential,
00:29:05
through parliamentary work
00:29:13
and the solidarity of society as a whole
00:29:22
and agreement on the main issues.
All those who undermine stability
00:29:31
out of power-motivated or individual
ambition for party policy purposes
00:29:39
will destroy the country.
Therefore, I ask everyone
00:29:47
to have confidence in us,
give us the opportunity to carry
00:29:56
out the task we have received
and to ensure stability
00:30:05
because everyone who considers
promising made clear that they have
00:30:13
confidence in the government,
have confidence in our future.
00:30:19
The question is whether stability
can be maintained in this country
00:30:27
- we cannot maintain stability
because political forces are encouraging
00:30:35
Hungarians to go on strike or demonstrate party
political or power interests,
00:30:42
and in doing so they are destroying the country.
I believe that I can safely say
00:30:51
that we need national public burdens,
that everyone should help us
00:30:59
carry out the tasks ahead and
bridge this crisis with patience
00:31:07
and solidarity with each other.
I ask no more confidence from the
00:31:15
people of Hungary than we have
received from the governments of
00:31:20
the world's leading countries in
the past and for the future,
00:31:25
than the leading business circles
and banking circles which encourage Hungary
00:31:30
to emerge from this crisis,
and I can even say that there is the
00:31:36
best chance of getting away from it.
The journey will be
difficult until then,
00:31:43
there will be many trials ahead of us,
and there will be many bitter hours
00:31:50
when we will feel bitter because
of the disadvantages we have suffered,
00:31:55
nevertheless there is a way out,
and the government will work to
00:32:01
that end and will do everything in its power.
Thank you for listening.
