In a parliamentary reply, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that Jobbik is displaying unpatriotic, unfair and dishonest behaviour, and that the party and its leader “are quite clearly rooting for Brussels” on an issue which is absolutely crucial for the country.
He added that the reason for this behaviour is widely known, as Jobbik was the first party to announce that it had been bought. Its president stated that “he gave his party a soul, and he also took it away, or rather sold it”, the Prime Minister said. In Mr. Orbán’s view, Jobbik serves financial, economic interests, and they are demanding his resignation in order to clear the way for these interests. He described Jobbik as “Bought people, a captive party”.
Mr. Orbán also said that the leader of Jobbik once said that “Islam is humanity’s last hope”. He asked who was talking nonsense, and asked the representatives of the opposition party to abandon their amateurish and dilettante behaviour, as their voters have not sent them to Parliament “in order to bluster in front of the cameras on the way from the gym to the hairdresser’s”.
Regarding the cost of the referendum, Mr. Orbán said that the importance of the question and the will of 3.3 million people means that Parliament could vote for even two or three times the amount spent, “because what is at stake is our existence or disappearance over the course of two to three decades”.
Turning to the socialist party (MSZP), the Prime Minister said that, as always, the socialists support European policies “to what we feel is an unlimited degree”, continuing to do so despite the fact that in this instance the European solution runs counter to Hungary’s interests.
Mr. Orbán added that the EU debate on immigration policy is nothing new, because, as early as 2004, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had outlined the foundations of the current EU solution.
He also stated that he does not wish to go against Europe but to change it: he wants an immigration policy which serves Hungary to be made the basis for the EU solution.
Mr. Orbán described as “unfair” the debate about the intentions of those who did not vote in the referendum. In response to this, he said that their intentions cannot be determined with any accuracy. All we know, he said, is that they did not want to take part in the decision, they accepted that a decision would be taken without their involvement, and that they would be able to live with whatever that decision would be.
As a result, the battle must be fought without them, he said; but the question is whether the Government has been given sufficient ammunition.
The Prime Minister thanked Hungarians beyond the borders for having voted in the referendum in large numbers, and for supporting the protection of Hungary.