According to the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, since 2010 the State has been focusing once again on what it can do for its citizens, rather than what it can demand from them.
János Lázár spoke about this at the ceremony held on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the National Public Service University on Tuesday in Budapest. He said: in the decades before, the State had become increasingly detached from its citizens because it only ever made them face up to their responsibilities, while leaving their rights „in small print”.
Seven years ago, however, a major overhaul started, and the system was turned upside down, he added.
To graduate from the Ludovika Military Academy meant a certain status in Hungary: it meant expertise, humanity and patriotism. Those attending the Academy were not just the students of a school, but were superior to many others, he said, highlighting: the past five years have served the purpose of restoring this state of affairs after entire generations lived amidst different circumstances. While in this much time the Government has not been able to fully restore the national tradition „which the communists destroyed during their forty years in power”, they seek to turn the Ludovika into a reputable seat of learning once again so that graduation from this long-standing institution, which will hopefully have an ever brighter future, should stand for the highest quality, the Minister stressed.
He took the view that a State is strong and is able to protect its interests if its citizens are also strong, if they feel that they are not there for the State, but the State is there for them. In his words, „spiritual defence” is equally important today so that the people can protect themselves in this increasingly dangerous world.
The Government set out in 2010 to build a strong and sovereign State with full acting capacity in Brussels and wherever decisions are being made in world politics which also concern Hungary, he said, highlighting: its own citizens are the most important for the Hungarian State.
In order to achieve changes on a genuine scale, we need a new generation of experts engaged in the service of the public at every level of the State, including state administration offices, water management, the police, the defence forces and border guarding, Mr Lázár pointed out. However, we also need a new generation in the governmental elite: they would like a Hungary where neither party loyalty, nor a desire for power, nor a sense of mission can in itself be sufficient for someone to become a leader.
Expertise will be equally required for the acquisition of any position, he stressed, remarking: it is the intention of the Government for all leaders to attend university-level state administration training at the National Public Service University on a mandatory basis in the future.
The Minister pointed out that they have completed a great deal of work with a view to the improvement of competitiveness in the past seven years, and have reorganised the management of the State in that spirit. He reiterated that they had formed districts within the counties, and in his words, the new system enjoys a full consensus: there is no political force which would call the legitimacy of the reorganised territorial public administration into question.
He said that they are now able to provide the same services of 21st century quality even in the most disadvantaged regions as in the 5th district of Budapest, which is a significant achievement in a country divided by major inequalities.
In the interest of improving competitiveness, Mr Lázár cited the importance of the reduction of bureaucracy which requires an entirely new approach. The Government supported the renewal of the National Public Service University with very large sums of money in order for a new spirit to take root in the institution, he said, remarking: the existence of fewer rules and bureaucrats is not a disadvantage, but an advantage. He said that the purpose of the Hungarian state reform was dual: they wanted to achieve the simultaneous renewal of both the „hardware” and the „software”.
An example for the former is the refurbishment of the building of the university, while an example for the latter is the updating of the training provided within its walls, Mr Lázár highlighted, who was requested by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to welcome the attendees on behalf of the Government.
András Patyi, Rector of the National Public Service University stressed in his welcome speech that there can be no celebration without paying tribute to the Ludovika Military Academy. This is why they inaugurated at the event the statue of János Butter, who is a sadly forgotten figure of selfless donation in the interest of the common good and the homeland: he donated a very large amount of money to the institution. The traditions of decades are being concentrated into the past five years, he added.
The Rector called every attendant a guest of honour, including commanders, national leaders, defence students who chose this profession out of love for their motherland, university students, researchers and workers equally. He said: he can already see the young tree which has taken root and which will one day bear the fruits of our hard work. He remarked: we need an understanding, cooperating, but critical community.
The National Public Service University seeks to enrich science, rather than take anything away from it, he pointed out. Additionally, they are also ready to provide academic support for the Government, and may perhaps contribute to conquering the „appalling” challenges that are threatening the world, including extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, mass migration, terrorist attacks, data theft and the fight against the crises in water supply, Mr Patyi said.
The event was attended, inter alia, by Justice Minister László Trócsányi and Ilona Pálffy, President of the National Election Office, as well as by a number of state secretaries and deputy state secretaries.
Act XXXVI of 2011 on the Establishment of the National Public Service University entered into force on 28 March 2011. The operating body declared the day of the promulgation of the legal rule the Day of the University in 2012. The institution began its operation in 2012, and this year it is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its establishment.