cop-out
NWO responds:
I am sorry, but that is something of a cop out. Will there be corruption in the process of privatizing the medical system? Of course. Will insiders benefit? No shit! This is true no matter what party does this. It may not be perfect, but this really has to happen, and as there was a possibility for doing this on a consensus basis (i.e., like it would happen in Austria) where the spoils would have been shared across the aisle (Remember Grippen). Nevertheless, some party needs to take the lead in the process and MSZP has done this out of necessity. FIDESZ has refused both on a principle basis [WE WANT OUR BELOVED SOCIALIST SYSTEM THAT KILLS PEOPLE] and a tactical basis to get involved, which means the Government has had to act alone. BTW, if FIDESZ had been willing to negotiate, they could have had a big impact on the shape of the restructuring, but their far right/far left support would have revolted on this. And God forbid that a Party actually adopt a correct policy position even if it may not appear to have been a useful political tactic. Anyway, it seems, as usual, FIDESZ wants to have its cake and eat it too. I saw in yesterday’s paper that Mikola Istvan, of all people, now is arguing that privately negotiated deals to privatize hospitals is not objectionable. I guess Mikola managed to get his hands in the pie!
Anyway, how best to minimize the outright theft and to improve the quality of the service? Clearly, it is to bring in foreign investors (strategic and financial) with the capital to invest and with the knowledge of how to make the sector work. Does this insure the process will be clean? No. But over time, it is the best chance for Hungary to get itself a better system.
