Friday, 12 May 1995
Volume 2, Issue 92
REGIONAL NEWS
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**HUNGARIAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE STILL A POSSIBILITY**
One of Hungary's top leaders under communism is seeking a
nomination for the presidency. Matyas Szuros is now a
renegade member of the Socialist Party. Underlining how much
politics has changed since the fall of communism, Szuros is
courting the support of conservatives as well as left-wingers
in his bid to unseat the liberal incumbent, Arpad Goncz, whose
mandate expires in July. Hungary's figurehead president must
be nominated by a political party or a large bloc of
parliamentary deputies. The legislature then elects the
president by a simple majority. Analysts said Szuros faces an
uphill struggle because the Socialist leadership supports
Goncz, the only candidate so far. Widely viewed as a reformer
during communism, Szuros was the powerful secretary of the
Central Committee and served as provisional president during
Hungary's peaceful transition to democracy in 1989.
BUSINESS NEWS
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**HUNGARIAN COMPANY TAKES STOCK IN ITSELF**
The Hungarian travel company IBUSZ has bought its own shares
back, but hasn't announced any details as to how many
shares, the price or why it made the purchase. On May 10, 450
IBUSZ shares changed hands on the Budapest Stock Exchange and
the volume was even lower yesterday with only 140 units
changing hands.
**PROCESS BEGINS IN SALE OF HUNGARIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS**
Hungary plans to select an international investment bank next
week to advise the government on the sale of a major stake in
the state phone company Matav, which could become the largest
such deal in central Europe yet. Three investment banks
submitted their tender bids four weeks ago. They are CS First
Boston, London Merchant bank NM Rothschilds and Saloman
Brothers of the US. The Hungarian government will also be
deciding whether to launch an international public offering or
place a stake privately in an over-the-counter deal.
Currently the state holds 65 percent of Matav and plans to
sell all but 25 percent plus one share.
FEATURE
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**HUNGARY'S HANDICAPPED SEARCH FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY**
By Christina Crowder
Last week, a forum was held in Budapest hosted by Mayor Gabor
Demsky to discuss the challenges facing handicapped people in
the city, and in June, Budapest will host representatives of
35 countries for an international conference on the
handicapped. But, despite rising public awareness, Hungary's
current economic difficulties may mean setbacks in the crucial
funding that makes a normal life possible for the disabled.
The choir of the Budapest school for the blind sings alongside
other local school groups. This recent concert was just one of
the many cultural activities being used to mix handicapped and
non-handicapped students together in a process known as
mainstreaming. Katalin Helesfai, director of the school said
for the 300 students, age five to 18 with sight impairment and
other disabilities, fostering independence is the goal.
"We teach the first steps to the children, so we can increase
their self-respect and self-esteem so that they can feel
themselves equal to those who can see."
The school provides a basic education tailored to the needs of
the blind. It runs a special program to help parents and
siblings, and a job training program is planned for next fall.
Hungarian companies even receive compensation from the
government to employ disabled people, but currently only 80
firms across Hungary are doing so. The government gives
subsidies to all handicapped citizens. However, the $30 to
$100 per month is barely enough to get by. Margo Dekany is
the Assistant Head of social work at the Hungarian National
Institute for the Handicapped.
"We have university students at the music academy who have to go
to school by cab because they can't walk or take the bus. The
government gives them a $120 stipend for gas every year, its
nothing"
But, Dekany added while getting an education is costly, the real
problem begins when a disabled person leaves school. She said
finding adequate, affordable housing is difficult and, as in
most central European cities, sidewalk ramps and
wheelchair-accessible public buildings are few and far
between. But, while these issues have been raised in recent
public forums, with concrete proposals coming from last week's
equal oppourtunity for the handicapped conference in Budapest,
Lajos Bokros's austerity plan means needed infrastructure
improvements may be a long time coming. According to Lajos
Borbei, Budapest General Secretary at the Hungarian
Association for the Blind and Weak Sighted, as the government
tightens its belt, Hungary's approximately 500,000 handicapped
citizens will be faced with weakened subsidies and heavier
dependance on private sources for funds.
"First of all this is a financial question. Now that the
parliament is discussing the Bokros plan, we're getting to the
point where not even the childcare benefit will be given to
everyone. So we may see that other social support will be
cancelled too. We hope that the blind will continue to
receive their personal allowances, but we have to face the
fact that we may also be dropped."
But, added school for the blind director Helesfai, some of
Hungary's handicapped already shun government subsidies,
taking pride in working and living independently.
"There are a lot of vision impaired people who don't make use of
the handicapped allowances. They do their work just like
other normal people. My colleagues are teachers, but many
work as lawyers, muscians, and translators."
This sense of personal pride and independent thinking is largely
the result of changing social attitutes toward the
handicapped. Despite a gloomy economic outlook, social
conditions for Hungary's disabled are much better than they
were under communism. Dekany from the Handicapped Institute
added.
"Before, the handicapped were locked up in institutes where they
couldn't keep in touch with other people, and this has
changed. 1982 was the International Year of The Handicapped
which received a lot of attention and was a great medium for
bringing these issues to the attention of the public."
Most who work with Hungary's handicapped community hope that as
public awareness is raised, care for the handicapped here will
reach western European standards. But, it will be a long
haul, because lasting social progress requires solid financial
and legal committments from the government.
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A tovabbterjesztest a New York-i szekhelyu Magyar Emberi Jogok
Alapitvany tamogatja.
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