national populism and slovak – hungarian relations in - MEK

Slovakia since 2004...ing young people’s sensitivity to multiculturalism. The survey’s primary targetgroup was pupils attending 8 th and 9 th grades of primary schools.According to the findings, young people perceive members of so-called traditionalethnic minorities (i.e. ethnic Hungarians and the Roma) more negativelythan members of other minority groups; ethnic Hungarians rankedat the very bottom as three in eight respondents (37%) perceived them negatively.A significant share of respondents believed that ethnic Hungariansshould not speak Hungarian in public at all. Highest constitutional officialsincluding Vice-Premier Èaploviè called the survey manipulated. EducationMinister Mikolaj said the view about edging Hungarian language to thesphere of private communication was “logical to some degree”. By sayingso, he not only outraged ethnic Hungarians and many Slovaks as well butquestioned his own competence to manage education system’s content andcurricular reform that is supposed to emphasize multicultural education 19(please, see also Debrecéniová–Petõcz, 3/2008.)At this place we point to an example of negative influencing the mindsof young people in their undestanding of multiculturalism by electronicmedia. In autumn 2008 one of the Slovak TV channels broadcast the seriesSlovakia´s Got Talent. One of the competitors wished to sing a song inHungarian. However, the jury´s advise to her was that it was Slovakia´sGot Talent, not Hungary´s and she should not sing Hungarian. The fact thatmost competitors sang hits in an utterly foreign language (English), whilemany of them apparently did not even understand, what they were singingabout, was not considered by the jury as unnatural or strange.Hungarian diplomacy did not take too long to support SMK–MKP leadersand ethnic Hungarian pedagogues in their campaign against new textbooks.On October 2, 2008, Foreign Affairs Minister Kinga Göncz summonedSlovakia’s ambassador to reproach the Slovak Government for fourissues: publishing new textbooks; disadvantaging Hungarian minorityschools none of which had been selected in previous grant rounds to receivefinancial aid from EU structural funds to develop school infrastructure; continuouslyhateful anti-Hungarian rhetoric used by some politicians of theincumbent ruling coalition; questioning loyalty of SMK–MKP politiciansfor attending a meeting of the Forum of Hungarian Deputies of theCarpathian Basin held in Budapest at the end of August. 20The reaction of Slovak government officials spearheaded by PremierFico was swift and sharp. Fico called Göncz’s legitimate request to provideexplanation to mentioned issues an “ultimatum and coarse interference ininternal affairs of the Slovak Republic”. According to Fico, protection andimplementation of minority rights in Slovakia is “highly above-standard andNational Populism and Slovak – Hungarian Relations in Slovakia 2006 – 2009. Forum Minority Research Institute Šamorín – Somorja, 200979