Ferenc Gyurcsány lambasts critics of the opposition

A pro-government and a liberal commentator criticize in unison former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány for suggesting that those on the Left who criticize the opposition are serving the government’s interests.

In a Facebook post, Ferenc Gyurcsány, leader of the Democratic Coalition, accused left-wing and liberal critics of the opposition of serving the interests of the government. The former left-wing Prime Minister wrote that even constructive criticism amounts to ‘treason and suicide’ and leads to the defeat of the opposition in undemocratic times when public discourse is dominated by what Ferenc Gyurcsány calls government manipulation and propaganda.

Magyar Hírlap’s Károly Bán interprets Ferenc Gyurcsány’s Facebook post as a criticism of the opposition parties. The pro-government columnist agrees with Gyurcsány that except for the Democratic Coalition, the opposition parties do not have a comprehensive vision of how to replace the current government’s policies. The Democratic Coalition’s vision, however, is not welcomed at all by Hungarian voters who have clear memories of Ferenc Gyurcsány’s Premiership, Bán suggests.

On 444.hu, László Szily contends that ‘Ferenc Gyurcsány has announced the end of democratic opposition politics’. The liberal pundit finds it strange that the leader of the Democratic Coalition party accuses the government of uprooting democracy and at the same time he wants to defeat it by silencing his own critics. Szily notes that such statements are alien to democratic politicians and wonders aloud if Ferenc Gyurcsány plans to use undemocratic tools against the government.

Tags: Gyurcsány, opposition