The Prime Minister said: “There will be elections in 2019, but our horizon extends to 2030. As a result of eight years of joint efforts, we are on the verge of a new era, and I believe that not only have we started, but we will also arrive.”
Regarding the opposition demonstrations held in the past few days, Mr Orbán highlighted that politics is a world where struggles may carry on even on Christmas Eve, and demonstrations, too, are part of everyday life in a democracy. Violence, destruction and vandalism are, however, not in order.
According to the Prime Minister, the situation is clear: the government represents work, home, family and security, with the opposition against all that, with a policy which has already destroyed Hungary once before.
On one side, a calm force which seeks to protect the country, on the other, a side that supports aggression, violence, immigration and tax increases. He added that those who speak against the amendment of the Labour Code speak against workers because this measure serves their best interests, and will result in an increase in wages. He drew attention to the fact that in contrast to opposition lies, employers will have to pay the increased wages monthly, the same as before.
Mr Orbán took the view that the opposition would only be prepared to support a single measure of the two-thirds parliamentary majority: the resignation of the government. The opposition did not even vote for the increase of the home care fee, they want to overthrow the government at any cost, he said, and therefore reject constructive cooperation. However, only electors may decide on the removal of the government, and the next time they will have the opportunity to do so will be in 2022, the Prime Minister warned.
Speaking about the situation in Europe, the Prime Minister highlighted that large western countries are experimenting with the creation of a mixed civilisation; “they believe that Christian Europe should be turned into a Christian-Muslim Europe”. Central Europe has, however, decided not to even embark on this experiment because the risks are extremely great.
“We do not want a mixed population to live in our countries, therefore we protect our borders and are against immigration. Everyone can see that people in the West do not respect this decision of ours. (…) They are using the Hungarian opposition as a tool. George Soros and his networks do not accept that Central Europe should be left out of their great experiment which is aimed at transforming society. (…) In this struggle, the EP elections will be an important milestone: political forces seeking to protect Christian Europe will compete for the people’s votes with pro-immigration political forces. A historical situation will emerge again in which Hungary will fight not only for itself, but also for Christian Europe”, Mr Orbán stated.
Immigration conveys extraordinary risks, and the coexistence of different civilisations is coming up against difficulties which we cannot be sure Europe will be able to cope with, he observed.
“If we reach the stage where we cannot even sustain ourselves biologically, it means that we are not important even for ourselves. So why would we be important for the world? Demography is therefore an issue of fate”, the Prime Minister stressed. He added that people naturally do not shape their lives from such a perspective. They want to know instead whether their country supports them in raising children.
The Hungarian government is doing everything it can to strengthen families, Mr Orbán said, because “we believe that the chance to continue Hungarian history, meaning the future of the nation, lies in families.”
He said: “We Hungarians can only rely on ourselves. We therefore started a national consultation on families. In my view, this is the most important issue on today’s Hungarian political agenda.”
In answer to a question concerning the possible emergence of a crisis, the Prime Minister said: “We cannot bury our heads in sand”.
He said it is a valid question whether the success of the Hungarian economy can be sustained even amidst a European or global economic crisis. He pointed out that in 2008 Hungary was “among the first to find itself on the floor”. Now, however, the Hungarian economy has sound foundations, and he believes it will be capable of standing its ground, he added, even amidst more difficult circumstances.
According to Mr Orbán, at the time of a crisis, it is a precious asset if a country has a stable government, if there is a two-thirds majority because a robust acting capacity is an important resource. “It has taken the Hungarian people eight years to convince one another that their efforts are worthwhile. Slowly but surely more people will be working than ever before. Therefore, today the Hungarian government is resilient”, he said.
This holiday as any other should remind us of the limits of politics as well. Politics can help people to have a better life, but not to have a more meaningful life. Everyone themselves can make their own lives more meaningful. It would be good if every Hungarian succeeded in that, the Prime Minister said in the interview given to the daily Magyar Idők.
Mr Orbán wished everyone a merry, peaceful and blessed Christmas.