István Simicskó: We believe in families and not in migration

The biggest wave of prices in recent years passed through Hungary. What do you think of our country’s flood protection?

– Hungary defended itself against the flood in an organized and well-organized manner. Both the government and the people have serious experience in dealing with floods. The record-breaking flood of 2013 taught us to protect ourselves. Eleven years ago, the Danube peaked at 891 centimeters in Budapest, but fortunately we have not reached this level now. In recent years, we have spent four hundred billion forints on water developments. HUF 150 billion worth of water investments were made in the sections of the Danube affected by the flood, but HUF 100 billion worth of development is still underway, which serves not only protection but also irrigation. During the current flood, the construction of mobile dams and the placement of embankments all pointed to organization. Specialists from the disaster management, civil defense workers, soldiers, volunteers and employees of the water department
also took part in the defense, but it was good to see the many volunteers at the dams. Much of the country moved to avert the trouble. We are grateful to everyone who participated in the flood defense. I also visited several sections of the Danube, and as a volunteer – with my own shovel – I took part in the defense in Óbuda and in Kismaros, where we took 120 doses of fish juice to the experts of the disaster management and the soldiers serving there.

– What is your opinion about the fact that some people wanted to use the flood situation for political gain?

– I saw some politicians on the embankments who took pictures with brand new and untouched shovels and then disappeared from the embankments. In today’s world, the use of digital devices is everyday, so they took a lot of selfies to show how heroically they stood up. I think you can compete in terms of who put more sandbags on the embankments, who was there more often and who managed the defense. It is right if politicians from one side and the other vo
lunteer to participate in the defense. As Minister of the Interior Sándor Pintér put it, however, party politics have their place in the parliament, and flood defense on the embankments. The messages went not on the dams, but in the virtual space. The government, on the other hand, knows exactly what its task is, it doesn’t have to tell anyone what to do, it has a serious routine in flood protection.

– The autumn session of the parliament starts today. What priority topics does KDNP want to deal with in the coming months?

– The Christian Democratic People’s Party, KDNP, has always emphasized the importance of the family support system. KDNP is the party of families. We believe in families, not migration. This is key for us, as families are the future of Hungary. If the government implements measures that expand the system of family benefits, it is welcome for us. During the autumn session, we will also focus on this area. Currently, the government supports family formation with thirty family policy measures
worth HUF 3,300 billion. In the recent period, it became possible for special taxpayers to have easier access to the choc plus, the baby waiting loan and the village chok. In addition, the deadline for the baby loan was extended by two years for families who took out the loan in the two years following the summer of 2019. Traditionally, in line with the start of the school year, the September family allowance, gyes and gyed were transferred in advance. In addition to all of this, negotiations are also underway on the introduction of the skilled worker loan. We stand for Christian values, we think in terms of a strong nation-state, and we want to cooperate with Brussels on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation. We support the government far and wide to stand up for Hungarian interests in Brussels and elsewhere.

– During the spring session, he initiated a change in the law regarding self-service cash registers. Is it expected that a decision will be made on this in the fall?

– In more and more stores, w
e are encountering the problem – which pensioners’ organizations have previously indicated to us – that a lot of people are crowding the self-service cash registers, while there are no cash registers operated by natural persons anymore. It is necessary for customers to have the option of paying at the machine either with cash or card, but also with a cashier. We want to create a legal basis for this in the next period, once it has social support. It is also a problem that, instead of expanding employment, the machines take on the role of cashiers in stores. Most of these multinational companies came to Hungary because they can benefit from significant tax benefits in exchange for expanding employment, which is a priority goal of the government. If, on the other hand, only automatic cash registers appear in stores, cashier jobs will disappear.

– How long is the autumn session expected to last?

– The autumn session of the Parliament begins on Monday and is expected to end on December 20, with the final vote o
n the budget.

– What do you think about the fact that the EU continues to punish our country for its migration policies?

– They are ashamed and do not dare to admit that they are over a series of wrong decisions in Brussels. The processes are already irreversible in quite a few EU member states, as masses of migrants flooded these countries. This brings a fundamental change in the cultural and religious sense in many countries of the European Union (EU), and it also brings with it a change in behavioral norms. Sobriety and wisdom should be important qualities in decision-making, but they are far from it in Brussels. They are leading European countries astray, which is harmful to the future of the EU. Hungary will not pay the fines imposed in the migration ruling, negotiations have begun with Ylva Johansson, the Union’s High Commissioner for Internal Affairs, to end the daily fine of one million euros. – In addition to migration, Brussels’ opinion on the war has also remained unchanged. How can this be chang
ed?

– Instead of peace, more and more weapons and financial support are provided to Ukraine. I recognize the heroic stand of the Ukrainians, but I have said from the beginning that Russia and Ukraine are not in the same weight group, so we must strive for a ceasefire and peace as soon as possible, otherwise the situation will get worse and worse. Anyone who believed that the Russians could be defeated militarily was wrong. Despite the abundance of money and weapons, there is no resounding military success. This war cannot be decided on the battlefield, so a solution must be found at the negotiating table. Sooner or later a compromise peace treaty must be concluded. Thousands of people can’t be dying every day in a senseless conflict. Unfortunately, Brussels does not seem to be taking steps towards peace. The only ray of hope is the US presidential election, because if Donald Trump wins the election, there will be a high chance of peace in Europe. If it doesn’t happen like this, then a difficult period will f
ollow.

– In recent months, there have been two assassination attempts against Donald Trump, while previously they wanted to kill Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Why are those politicians who are on the side of peace attacked?

– It is clear that politicians who stand for peace are receiving life-threatening threats. He almost missed that no tragedy happened in the case of either Fico or Trump. In connection with the latest assassination attempt, it is shocking that within three to four hundred meters of Donald Trump there was a person with an AK-47 assault rifle in his hand, which can kill anyone within a kilometer. It could have been a very serious problem if the person was able to use the weapon, but luckily the security caught him.

Behind this, there are always instigators who transform the political discourse and make the style more aggressive. It is a fact that political violence has appeared in Western societies. Therefore, a high degree of wisdom is needed at home as well.

Source: KDNP