MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Minority Briefs No. 82
MINELRES moderator
[email protected]
Tue Dec 9 12:51:52 2003
Original sender: Divers Buletin <[email protected]>
No. 82 / December 8, 2003
DIVERS
- reporting ethnic diversity -
SUMMARY
1. NATIONAL DAY ORDINARILY CELEBRATED IN ROMANIA
2. MIHAI VITEAZU'S BUST, NO FINAL LOCATION BY YEAR END
3. MOST ETHNIC HUNGARIANS BELIEVE THAT ROMANIA IS ON THE WRONG WAY
4. ROMA CULTURE AND SPIRITUALITY AT GAUDEAMUS FAIR...
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NATIONAL DAY ORDINARILY CELEBRATED IN ROMANIA
ALBA-IULIA - Fireworks, Hora Unirii (Unity Romanian round dance) and
torches, official speeches and flower-crown lay-downs are the main
characteristics of the celebration on December 1 all over Romania,
including Harghita and Covasna counties with an ethnic Hungarian
majority. Speaking in Alba Iulia, President Ion Iliescu called on all
political forces and all citizens to remember the lessons of the 1918
unification and work together toward democracy, the rule of law, and the
country's national interests.
Even if for ethnic Hungarians Romania's national day has other
significance than the majority, both the Magyars as well as the
Romanians start tolerating and respecting their holidays. In a press
conference held in Miercurea Ciuc, Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania (UDMR) chairman, Marko Bela, stated that the Magyars should
honor Romania's National Day as citizens of this country, even if their
concepts about the day's significance are various. On the other hand,
the mayor of Miercurea-Ciuc municipal, Csedo Csaba Istvan, said in the
speech delivered on Romania's National Day that in case of Magyars from
Romania and Transylvania the day of December 1st has different
significance, namely related to the guarantee of the rights as a
minority and autonomy. Csedo Csaba Istvan said that Magyars should think
of the multiple questions and issues originating in the identity and
status as minorities. At the end of the speech, mayor of Miercurea Ciuc
municipal expressed his hope that Romanians and Magyars in the region
will walk together on the way towards European Community. (DIVERS)
summary
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MIHAI VITEAZU' S BUST, NO FINAL LOCATION BY YEAR END
TIRGU MURES - Mihai Viteazu' s statue, the latest donation of Prahova
County Board was unveiled on the National Day on a pedestal located in
front of Mures Prefect's Office, will have no final location by the end
of the year, thus its erecting is on controversial. The mayor of Tirgu
Mures said on December 2nd, in a press conference, that the final
erecting will be debated by the Local Board next year, adding that the
proposal as regards the statue of Rakoczi Francisc II, appointed in 1704
in Biserica din Cetate and which named a street not long ago, will be
accounted next year as well. (DIVERS)
summary
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MOST ETHNIC HUNGARIANS BELIEVE ROMANIA IS ON THE WRONG WAY
BUCHAREST - According to the data of a poll deployed on October 10-24,
at UDMR request, presented by the Center of Interethnic Relations
Center, canvassing Magyar-ethnicity population in Transylvania and
released on December 3, most of the Magyars (66.9%) in Romania deem that
the country is on the wrong way, while only 21.6% of the canvassed
believe it is on a good direction, instead 11.5% did not know what to
answer. According to the poll, there is a difference between the demands
of Magyar population living in Romania and UDMR concerns. Therefore,
Magyar electorate wished UDMR had concerned much more about small
incomes and the increase in pensions, about stopping inflation and
reducing unemployment, while the Union focused on the use of mother
language in justice, the autonomy of Magyar minority and the use of
mother language in schools. Being asked "Out of the Magyar politicians
in Romania, whom do you consider the fairest stand belongs to?", the
Magyars canvassed indicate Gyorgy Frunda (56.9% of the interviewed),
Marko Bela (53.5%) and Laszlo Tokes (39.9%). The next places, at
distance by few percents, are ranked by the MPs Attila Verestoy (17.8%),
Laszlo Borbely (14.6%) and Eckstein Peter Kovacs (13.9%). The last
positions of preferences are held, as the poll indicates, by the
radicals Katona Adam (4.1%) and Kato Jozsef (4.6%). In turn, Magyars do
not trust in Romania's president (67.4%), Parliament (66.5%), political
parties (65.6%), Government (61.1%), State companies (51.3%), unions
(50.3%) and SRI (50.1%). The trust of Magyars in PSD has increased since
2000 until this year from 6.1% to 19%, also indicates the poll.
According to it, 87.72% of the Magyars canvassed consider that 2000's
cooperation protocol of UDMR-PSD stood for a good decision, while only
12.28% showed disagreement.
summary
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ROMA CULTURE AND SPIRITUALITY AT BOOK FAIR
BUCHAREST - Roma Center for Public Policies "Aven Amentza" 's publishing
house launched on November 28th, part in Bucharest's Gaudeamus Book
Fair, three new books of Restituiri collection: "Rromii in istoria
Romaniei"- Roma people in Romania's history, "Basme, snoave, povesti
rrome" - Roma fairy-tales, anecdotes and stories", and "Purane Goghimata
- 1001 proverbe rrome" - Purane Goghimata - 1001 Roma sayings". As
University professor Delia Grigore said, "these three volumes offers the
reader introduction into the paradigms of Roma identity memory".
(DIVERS)
summary
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DIVERS is a weekly news bulletin edited by the Mediafax News Agency with
financial support from
Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center (EDRC) in Cluj.
For now, the full version of the bulletin is only available in Romanian
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