Today we had the honor of meeting with Katalin Ertsey, an MP with the Green Party. On top of being able to learn from such an influential woman, the meeting was held in Parliament. How cool is that?! We were blown away by the beautiful neo-gothic architecture and design, and felt like tiny fish in a really big sea. Katalin discussed her path from the nonprofit sector, to the profit sector, and finally to politics. In each sector Katalin has worked to make a social difference, seeing much success throughout her career. These success have definitely not come without opposition and setbacks. The most trying time of her career seems to be her current position in politics. Not only is it hard from within Parliament, but it's also hard to gain the trust of the Hungarian people. Hungarians have a huge amount of trust issues when it comes to government and politicians. Katalin said that she used to be respected and thought highly of as a professional, but that attitudes have changed now that she is part of government. It is also extremely hard within government because of the large majority party that sits on Parliament. It's especially hard with 2/3rds vote in place, giving the majority party the capacity to pass whatever they please. It seems like Katalin has to fight especially hard just to get one idea heard. Most people would probably give up and say it's not worth it, but Katalin's passion and determination keep her fighting for what she believes in. Just to get into Parliament was a huge success, so it will be exciting to see how much she will do.
No comments:
Post a Comment