In an interview published in the Saturday edition of the Hungarian daily “Magyar Idők”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that if the opposition parties are given a chance to govern, they will accept Brussels’ migrant quota decisions. This, he said, would mean the immediate settlement in Hungary of ten thousand migrants, it would require the Hungarian state to support them at a cost of nine million forints per capita, and it would also permit family reunification. From that point on, the Prime Minister said, this process would be unstoppable and irreversible.
Mr. Orbán described migration as the number one issue today, highlighting that the Government has fought for the achievements of recent years together with the Hungarian people. In 2010, he said, the Government entered office with the country on the brink of bankruptcy, while now Hungary finally has a future. “We have something to lose, and this is why we must defend the borders and not let migrants in. If we recklessly allow others to decide our fate, they will destroy everything. Migration is the rust which would slowly but surely consume our country. It would first do so materially, because if we have to spend money on migrants, there will be nothing from which to support families and pay pensions. It would then consume the security of our everyday lives, and finally our culture. This is why the defence of the country and the fight against migration form the core of our message.”
“I believe we will win”, Mr. Orbán said of the election, “But we must work for it. The greatest danger threatening us is if our own voters become complacent. Perhaps very many believe that this battle has been decided, that the race is over, and that they can safely stay at home. […] Against the candidates of Soros they can only count on our candidates. I will need each and every candidate, each and every Member of Parliament, because the country must be defended. Therefore I ask everyone to go out and cast both their votes for Fidesz.”
In his view the upcoming election is a watershed, in which Hungary will decide its future: “We are on the verge of a historic moment, in which we must decide whether we let into our country thousands, tens of thousands – and later hundreds of thousands or millions – of people who have fundamentally different views of the world, have nothing to do with this country and have not contributed in any way to what the Hungarian people have created. Alternatively we will maintain our current standpoint and declare that Hungary belongs to the Hungarian people, and that we alone have the authority to decide whom we wish to live alongside. In other words, whether or not we will be an immigrant country.”
Reiterating his position, Mr. Orbán said: “As Prime Minister of Hungary I built the border fence, defended the border and in Brussels rejected the resettlement of immigrants. But the danger has not yet passed: it is still hammering on our door. Tomorrow we must decide on Hungary’s next few decades; and if we make a mistake, we will not be able to correct it later.”
The Prime Minister also spoke about George Soros’s role. He said that “George Soros finances a network. This network has enormous influence among Brussels decision-makers. He also finances a great many media outlets and organisations, and these work in coordination to urge for policies throughout Europe which would facilitate and increase immigration. This is where his responsibility lies. Of course he does all this with calculated intent, because a speculator like him can far more easily assert his financial interests in a Europe which is tormented by afflictions of coexistence and which must deal with permanent tensions. And as birds of a feather flock together, in these attempts he finds strong allies in left-wing politicians, who see migrants as prospective voters who can keep them in power.”
The Prime Minister pointed out that “opposition politicians accept funding from George Soros, who employs thousands of people in Hungary and spends millions of dollars on shaping Hungarian politics.”
Mr. Orbán stated that while the Hungarian people do not want to take in migrants, the Government does wish to assist those who are suffering. The Government’s view, however, is that “help must be taken there, instead of bringing the problems here.” He added that “Hungary regularly provides financial aid proportionate to its economic strength, and rebuilds schools, hospitals and entire villages in places stricken by war. I believe these two things in combination can be regarded as a reasonable and moral policy.”
Speaking of the Government’s achievements so far, Mr. Orbán said that “they are perceptible not only in the abstract world of theories, but also in everyday life. I do not need to tell people that unemployment has fallen to below 4 per cent, that we have reduced public utility charges, that we support families, that pensioners are given “Erzsébet” meal and grocery vouchers, that once again there are home-creation benefits, that for five years in a row there has been economic growth and wages are finally increasing, that children receive free meals in nurseries and schools, and that most school books are now free. They see it for themselves.” The Prime Minister pointed out that Fidesz “is pursuing its policies on the basis of simple and clear values”.
"We believe in work, we believe in family and we believe in homeland. This will also be the case in the future. In Hungary we shall attain full employment: everyone who wants to work will have a job. We shall support families and mothers raising children at an increased rate, year on year. We will do this because we believe that Hungary’s population decline must be halted through providing support for families raising children, rather than through bringing in migrants. The reduction in household utility bills will remain in place, and when the economy does well, we shall also always give a share of its proceeds to the elderly – because they deserve respect.”