It is my honour to greet the teachers and new graduates from the Faculty of Law Enforcement at the National University of Public Service.
No one starts a career in law enforcement by chance. The fundamental values and motivations which lead a young person to enter into the service of their country come first from home: they receive them from their parents and grandparents. Hungary will exist for as long as there are Hungarian families which raise their children to serve their homeland. I would therefore like to extend special greetings to the parents and grandparents of the young people taking their oaths today. We thank you for having raised such committed and brave men and women for Hungary.
Dear Young People,
You are about to enter into the service of your country. This will be a difficult task, demanding the whole person, both physically and spiritually. In this one can achieve nothing with half one’s heart and half one’s spirit, just as one cannot take an oath half-heartedly. The commitment to serve one’s country can only be made by strong and mature people: people who know the meaning of order, honour and camaraderie, and how vital and valuable they are. We are therefore proud of you, who have agreed even to risk your lives to comply with and enforce our country’s laws. A good salary is important, as is a secure future, and it is likewise important that you continuously feel that your country appreciates your work. The most important thing you should know and feel, however, is that through your work you are serving a higher cause that is more important than your person, and that stands above your personal life. You are joining the ranks of those who have maintained our Hungarian world for a thousand years. They have maintained order, peace and the public security needed for work and creation – and when life demanded it, they fought to regain the security which forms the foundations of our country’s economic growth and the advancement of the Hungarians.
Dear Oath-takers,
Hard work awaits you. In the past few years the world has changed radically. One sometimes cannot believe one’s own eyes. There are countries where those in uniform are not respected, or are treated as the enemy; and there are even places where leaders have openly taken sides with the forces of anarchy. They turn criminals into role models, and abandon, look down on and even despise those who keep order. Hungary is not such a country, and does not want to be one of those countries. Trouble, however, is not far from us. Right now our southern borders are under siege from groups of migrants – along with the people smugglers who leech off them, and the army of terrorists and radicals mixed among them. We hear an unbroken succession of news reports about brutal crimes committed by people who have abused the trust of the country that admitted them. We would never have thought that one day there would be cities in Europe where people no longer feel safe. Our cities and villages are islands of peace and calm by comparison. Hungary is one of the safest countries in Europe, where not only the majority can live in peace and security, but also every minority. There is an old Hungarian law: only that which we are able to defend is truly ours. This is also true of security.
This is your task, this is your mission. You must protect the security of Hungary, the Hungarian people and Hungarian families. The past few years have proved that even countries earlier believed to be rock solid can within moments find themselves on the brink of chaos. Therefore I ask you to be perpetually alert, strong and determined. Remember the lesson of Hungarian history: if we guards of Hungarian life weaken, we are doomed. If we listen to the bloodless flatterers, we are doomed. If we allow others to tell us who can live in the territory of Hungary, how to arrange life in our own country, how to raise our children, if we allow others to tell us how the Hungarian people should live, we are doomed. Do not forget that, as the guards of order, you create and maintain this security and calm for the Hungarian people: with your determination, your skills, your readiness to help and – when needed – your commanding presence and action. This was the example set by the Hungarian police during the waves of the pandemic, both when guarding our borders and in our settlements’ public spaces – with understanding and patience, but, when necessary, with rigour appropriate to the infraction. Thank you for that. We thank the Hungarian police. We thank them for their steadfastness.
Dear Oath-takers,
My wish is that you may remain faithful to your oath and have splendid careers in the police, the excise service, the prison system or in disaster management. Your country stands behind you, and will reward your service with respect and appreciation.
God above us all, Hungary before all else! I wish you strength, good health and great success in your years of service.