Hungarian president Pál Schmitt was embroiled in the controversy in early January, when journalists revealed that much of Schmitt's dissertation – Hungarian weekly HVG says 95%! - about the Olympic Games was apparently copied wholesale from the work of other authors. The committee says Schmitt's dissertation complied with the formal requirements of the time, despite the lack of footnotes and citations, a haphazard bibliography and other flaws. A three-page summary of the committee's 1,157-page report on Schmitt's thesis was released Tuesday.

The committee said that from page 34 to 50, the thesis is completely identical to a paper written by German sports sociologist Klaus Heinemann, and another 180 pages are partly identical to a paper written by the Bulgarian scholar, Nikolay Georgiev.

The committee also pointed to the lack of proper citations or bibliography and other significant lapses. The "split decision" by the committee boils down to a recognition that Schmitt's thesis was flawed, but that the responsibility for this lies with the former Sports University rather than Schmitt.

"If not an irregularity, it was certainly a formal mistake that the thesis is generally characterized by the insufficiency and lack of referencing which the supervisor at the time and the assessors of the thesis should have pointed out during the preparatory phase and in the pre-assessment," the report said. The Sports University made a mistake by not revealing these shortcomings and leading the writer to believe that the thesis met the requirements, it added. Schmitt has said he would respect the committee's decision but insisted that he did not plagiarize his dissertation. The issue of Schmitt's alleged plagiarism has been a "taboo" topic within the ranks of the ruling party, although off the record many of the party's politicians (and one notably on the record) have said if the allegations are true, the president would have to resign.

A commentary (http://www.freehungary.hu/comments/787-does-the-schmitt-case-really-exist.html) in Hungarian weekly Vasárnap Hírek says, that "There is no 'Schmitt case', there is only a 'Fidesz case'. Fidesz is the only party that has not commented on Schmitt's plagiary, though it was Fidesz who made Schmitt president. Relying on their two-third majority, Fidesz pushed Schmitt through the Parliament. No other political or civil powers backed the Fidesz candidate. They allude to the separation of powers, and leading Fidesz politicians say they and the Fidesz government have nothing to do with the president. This is not true, of course, and there is also a pitfall in their argument. It should be the party and not the government which comments on Schmitt's plagiary, once it is the parties that nominate candidates. It is a correct illustration of the political situation in Hungary that nobody has ever noticed this pitfall, and nobody can distinguish Fidesz as a party, and the government. Fidesz does not event want to make a distinction between the state, the government, the parliament, and itself."

 "ScHmITt hits the fan"

Refers to the scandal and damage from revelation that a written work by a person of power is a product of plagiarism. After the doctoral feces of Pal Schmitt, former president of Hungary (see also Piece of ScHmITt).

Usually widely publicized and followed by investigation and the resignation of the person implicated. When ScHmITt hits the fan, the damage done is not restricted to the person caught in fraud. The prestige and standing of the institution involved (publisher, university, etc.) is negatively affected, even when investigation and sanctions are carried out. Sometimes spillovers leave a long lasting stain on the reputation of an entire sector, e.g., the scientific community or even a country.

In addition to Mr. Schmitt, famous cases involved Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, former German defense minister; Silvana Koch-Mehrin, German MEP and former vice president of the European Parliament and Rama Yade, former secretary of state for sports in the French government.

You know ScHmITt hits the fan when the allegation of plagiarism is being vehemently denied.

Source: FreeHungary, All Hungary News, urbandictionary.com

Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 March 2012 13:09