It has been said that comparison is the thief of joy, but in regards to family ties, I hope to be compared to my brother. He is one of the most intelligent, articulate, and politically savvy people I know, and as of late he has taken up essay writing about relevant national and global current events. He may be 15 years old, but his latest commentary about the Colombian and Hungarian referendums defies his age. Kudos to you and your newfound passion Tom.
Tom Talks: Colombian and Hungarian Referendums
October 2nd was quite a day in global politics. 43% of the Hungarian electorate and 38% of Colombia came out and voted on two deals. In Hungary, voters were asked whether or not they would accept a measly 827 refugees “even without the approval of the national assembly”, read the ballot paper (notice the unbiased wording). Across the Atlantic, Colombians were asked whether or not they would approve the peace treaty agreed to by president Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC, a militant left wing organization that has been at war with the Colombian government for over 55 years. So, what happened in each of these, and what does it mean? And what’s my take on it? Let’s dive in.
In Colombia, despite all polling saying projecting otherwise, low turnout gave the “No” side a slim victory, by just about four tenths of one percent. Former president Alvaro Uribe and his right wing allies cheered the result, saying that it was a no in regards to impunity for terrorists, not a no in regards to peace. Uribe has a point. The peace accords allow FARC members who confess to war crimes to get away with minimal punishment, and the group also gets 10 free seats in the Colombian government. This is a hard pill for many to swallow. However, Uribe is lying when he says this is about human rights. He belongs in a jail cell. Under his watch, paramilitaries actively worked together with the Colombian government, carrying out indiscriminate attacks on civilians. His war on terror was fought with terror itself. According to the UN, the government and paramilitary forces are responsible for 88% of the 175,000 civilian casualties since the conflict began in 1964. FARC is a menace too. They did however, agree to disarm, and the government has promised reparations towards the families who have been affected by the violence.
“Yes” votes came in from areas heavily affected by the conflict, showing the power of forgiveness and the desire by many to simply end the grotesque feud. In one town of less than 150 people that was once attacked by FARC, over 96% voted yes. Most no votes came from areas that voted heavily for Mr. Uribe in past elections and that never had endured the horrors of the civil war. The deal was never perfect. But compared to 2002, where they stood in steadfast opposition to any acquiescence, FARC gave up a lot in the accords. Peace is always better than war. And the Colombian voters made the wrong choice. A yes vote would spare the country from violence that has displaced thousands and prevented the blood of innocents from further soaking the streets. Although FARC has agreed to abide by the ceasefire agreed to in 2014, many are expected to go back in the mountains and join ELN, a group not included in the talks. A return to war is very possible.
Over in Hungary, people were given this question: “Do you want the European Union to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?” The question itself was not objective in nature, and was laced with xenophobia- “non-Hungarian citizens” seemed to imply that refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, etc. are somehow less human than Hungarians. The ruling party of Hungary, Fidesz, and its boss, Viktor Orban, campaigned heavily for a “No” vote. All over the country posters saying things like “Don’t take chances!” and “Did you know? Illegal immigrants are going to be resettled here”. Even more shameful is the fact that Fidesz participated hand in hand during the campaign with Jobbik, a far right, racialist party that discourages Jewish investment in Hungary. However, the referendum failed because of the lack of turnout- 44% was below the 50% threshold.
Although more than 98% said no, this will not matter. Orban largely failed due to the boycott of the election by the Socialist and Green parties, as well as the satirical two-tail dog party encouraging voters to spoil their ballot- over 200,000 did. This is a major blow to the far right, and it’s fantastic. Despite spending thousands on a largely caustic campaign to deny entrance of a mere 800-1400 people fleeing war, Orban lost. What Europe needs is cooperation, and “sovereignty” does not necessarily mean the right to close your borders during a humanitarian crisis, especially when Hungary has been a member of the European Union since 2004.
