
O governo de centro-direita da Hungria, comandado pelo primeiro-ministro
Viktor Orbán, vem recebendo fortes
pressões para que revogue uma nova lei de mídia, considerada retrógrada por violar a liberdade de expressão. Dentre os críticos, encontram-se os filósofos
Agnes Heller,
Mihály Vajda e
Sándor Radnóti. Recentemente, o jornal governista
Magyar Nemzet (“Nação Húngara”), iniciou uma campanha contra os professores afirmando que eles teriam desviado verba pública em suas pesquisas.
Jürgen Habermas e Julian Nida-Rüdelin publicaram ontem um
artigo no jornal alemão Süddeutsche pedindo que a União Europeia analise a referida lei e as práticas do governo húngaro em relação aos acadêmicos.
Um abaixo-assinado em solidariedade aos filósofos pode ser encontrado aqui:
http://www.petitiononline.com/logosz/petition.html
Open Letter to Viktor Orbán from the New School in New York
Dr. Viktor ORBÁN
Prime Minister
Miniszterelnöki Hivatal
Kossuth Lajos tér 2.
1055 Budapest
Hungary
Dear Prime Minister Orbán:
31 January 2011, New School for Social Research,
We note with deep consternation and anger the recent campaign that has been going on against our friends, the important Hungarian philosophers Agnes Heller, Mihály Vajda, Sándor Radnóti and several others in the daily Magyar Nemzet and other press and media organs in Hungary.
As it is clear from the first relevant article, claiming with considerable exaggeration that the authors in question were “almost “daily” harsh critics of the actors of conservative political life” the campaign is politically motivated. [Magyar Nemzet “Félmilliárdot „kutattak el” Hellerék” 2011. január 8.] Wild accusations are being made concerning the granting and use of research funds in open scientific competitions to over thirty philosophical researchers (supposedly ½ billion forints =2 million dollars) granted at different times, to different projects, in different packages, to people in no respect representing any sort of group or led by any particular individuals. Yet expressions like the “Heller Band” and “Heller and her band” are being used. There seems to be coordination between a legal investigation opened up by the government official responsible for corruption against two projects, and the journalistic campaign in Magyar Nemzet. [“Heller és Vajda pályázata már a rendőrségen” 2011. január 21.] We find the reported claims against the only two projects formally charged, one led by Heller and the other by Vajda, trivial and insignificant, given both what has been mentioned as inappropriate use of funds (travel expenses, creation of a database, buying computer hard and software), as well as the very large number of young researchers who were funded in these research projects, the relatively small amounts received by each researcher, and the considerable philosophical output linked to the now completed projects. We also find the singling out of these projects in particular, among a heterogenous set of humanities and social science projects very strange as well. Thus we cannot do otherwise than suspect even deeper political motivation than revealed by Magyar Nemzet itself. If by no means on a daily bases, Heller, Radnóti and the others have indeed been among the most eloquent critics of a government that in their view, right or wrong, has already significantly constricted the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court after an unfavorable judgement, retroactively nationalized and reduced the amount of private pensions, has plans to produce a new constitution without genuine consensus, consultation or popular ratification, and finally, and most threateningly, has passed a media and press law potentially but seriously endangering the freedom of the electronic media and printed press in Hungary. Recalling attacks from the 1970s, that forced Agnes Heller then into exile, whatever the exact role of Hungarian political leaders this time, the current attacks very much seem to be motivated by the desire to intimidate, suppress or at least discredit political opposition and criticism. If famous, internationally known and highly productive intellectuals can be so treated, less known younger scholars and potential critics would have very much to fear.
We, scholars associated with the intellectual community of the New School for Social Research in New York where Agnes Heller is Professor Emerita demand that the campaign against her and other philosophers be ceased. We ask you at the very least to distance yourself and your government from the press attacks. We are confident that the legal investigation, that should remain fully independent, will find nothing. But there is a responsibility also to make sure that philosophers to whom – as you are in excellent position to know - a democratic Hungary owes a great deal do not suffer grievous and unjustified harm to their reputation.
Signed (in alphabetical order):
Zed Adams, Philosophy, New School for Social Research (NSSR)
Andrew Arato Sociology, NSSR
Seyla Benhabib, Philosophy, Yale University, Formerly at the NSSR
Jay Bernstein, Philosophy, NSSR
Richard Bernstein, Philosophy, NSSR
Jean Cohen, Politics, Columbia University
Simon Critchley, Chair, Philosophy, NSSR
James Dodd, Philosophy, New School for Socail Research
Bernard Flynn, Philosophy, NSSR
Nancy Fraser, Politics and Philosophy, NSSR
Rainer Forst, Frankfurt, Former Heuss Professor NSSR
Judith Friedlander, Hunter College, former Dean of the NSSR
Jan Gross, History, Princeton University
Irena Grudzinska-Gross, Polish Academy of Sciences
Paul Kottner, Philosophy and Liberal Studies, NSSR
Dmitri Nikulin, Philosophy, NSSR
Arien Mack, Editor, Social Research
Elzbieta Matynia, Sociology, NSSR
Cristoph Menke, Frankfurt, Former Heuss Professor, NSSR
Adam Michnik, Doctor honoris causa, NSSR
Marta Petrusewicz, Hunter College, CUNY
Ross Poole, Politics, NSSR
Yirmiyahu Yovel, Professor Emeritus in Philosophy, NSSR
Judith Walz
Eli Zaretsky, History, NSSR
PS: Thanks, Leiter Reports, for the
link.
