Nation-Building and Contested Identities - MEK

Nationalizing Minorities and Homeland Politicsb. he recommendation certifies that the applicant is of Hungarian nationalityand includes the followings,ba. application of the individual,bb. name, place and date of birth, permanent residence, and maidenname of the mother of applicant,bc. the name, the print of the official seal of the recommending organization,and the signature of the person acting on behalf of thisorganization,bd. the place and date of issue of the recommendation.(2) Recommendation issued for the spouse of non-Hungarian nationalityand for the child of minor age of the person under this Act, only certifiesthe family relationship between the applicant and a Hungarian personliving outside the borders.The Hungarian government, together with the political representativesof the Hungarian national minorities, will establish organizations thatwill collect the applications for the Hungarian Identity Card. The cardwill be issued by the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Hungary.The evaluating organizations will be selected in accordance with thefollowing principles:(3) The Government of the Republic of Hungary will recognize an organizationrepresenting the Hungarian communities in a given country asa recommending organization, that is able toa. represent the Hungarian community in its entirety living in a givencountry,b. provide for organizational and human resources for receiving andevaluating applications for recommendations.Besides the principle of the free choice of identity, the law includes several“objective” criteria for the definition of the Hungarian nation (at leastregarding those who live in the neighboring countries).One can draw the conclusion that ultimately the Hungarian state(with the assistance and contribution of the HSC) vindicates the right todecide who is Hungarian in the neighboring countries, advancing an“objective” definition of the Hungarian nation, based on ethnoculturalprinciples. The process of framing the law and the future application ofthe law can be perceived as a new institutionalization of the Hungariannation. Even if it does not affect Hungarian citizens, it presumably willhave effects – at least on a theoretical level – on the status of the non-ethnoculturalHungarians within Hungary as well. The law establishes a newrelationship between the Hungarian state and Hungarian individuals. The267