Free Democrat chairman János Kóka turned on Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány in Parliament yesterday, criticizing his government’s latest “Work, Knowledge and Ownership” program as flawed. Kóka said the plan is similar to the 100 Steps Program of 2005, in that it avoids solving problems at their root. As Kóka listed the forgotten program points, Gyurcsány left the hall, saying “how courageous Mr. Chairman has become.”
Cabinet ministers and state secretaries argued in favor of the program, reasoning that its goal is to help those in disadvantageous positions gain access to jobs. It will also modernize Hungarian education and give shares in state-run companies to broad sections of society, they said.
Social Affairs and Labor Minister Mónika Lamperth pledged billions of forints and legal amendments to provide jobs, while Education Minister István Hiller pledged Ft 130-140 billion to the New Knowledge program.
Opposition MPs countered that the government is doing nothing. Fidesz MP Máriusz Révész dismissed the plan with the words “New Crisis, New Socialist Program.” Previous projects were not implemented, he said, as the number of unemployed has risen by 150% since 2002, while companies have gone bankrupt en masse, while the quality of education has declined significantly.
