Maxim Behar: Bulgaria’s National Interests: Honesty and Honor

Host (Lora Indzhova): "Your Day" continues, dear viewers. Thank you for being with us on this holiday edition of "Your Day." My next guests are Assoc. Prof. Valeria Kardashevska, a public speaking lecturer and communication expert Maxim Behar. Hello! I'm glad to see you in this format and on this holiday. Happy holiday!

Maxim: Good morning! Happy holiday!

Host: We invited you to look through the prism of this historical event at the messages of politicians—the prominent political figures—then and now. What's the difference? To what extent do they communicate properly? How do people unite? How do they divide? We are also talking about serious division nowadays. What is your reading of this day, first through a historical lens? Today, we celebrate a major goal achieved 139 years ago—The Unification of Bulgaria. Mr. Behar, do you agree with Assoc. Prof. Kardashevska regarding successful communication? I suspect what the answer will be, but I am curious, so I continue with my question: Were words more valued back then, or is there another reason why the communication and unification through the messages of the governors at the time succeeded?

Maxim: We are trying to compare the incomparable. What was 139 years ago has nothing in common with today, in 2024. Back then, it took days, perhaps weeks or months, for politicians' messages to reach the people—the voters, the Bulgarians. Moreover, at the time, no more than about a hundred people in Bulgaria, France, Italy, or anywhere else—in any country—were politicians, the people who had power and could speak—and the journalists listened to them. I don't know if there were newspapers in Bulgaria 139 years ago. But now, in 2024, we have four and a half million Bulgarians who have social media in their hands, and every one of them is sending all sorts of messages—whether early in the morning on a cup of coffee, something positive and good, or in the evening, after two shots of rakia, filling the atmosphere with hate. We return to the topic of politicians—their word means nothing because they say one thing in the morning and deny it by noon. There are many such examples.

Host: I said it this morning—it may not be relevant or correct to compare the periods literally. But rather, the focus I want to steer your contemplation towards is the weight of the words. Have the words, as in messages, become meaningless? Has the substance behind the politician speaking to the voter and later, when governing, speaking to the people—disappeared?

Maxim: No, it's not like that. Nowadays, words and messages are way more powerful because they arrive instantly and reach many people. Yes, we are indeed overwhelmed. Every morning, I'm sure, there isn't a person—a viewer of yours—who doesn't start with their mobile phone, laptop, or tablet, and we're overwhelmed with millions of words and messages. But in the end, they reach us very quickly and we have this unique opportunity, which we didn't have 139 years ago—to compare different people, opinions, and politicians. In this sense, our lives are much more colorful and interesting, and the words carry much more weight. But of course, when you have millions of messages every day, it's natural that few stand out and carry a lot of weight.

Host: I wish I could agree with your position regarding the weight of words, but somehow, I cannot fully—it's purely my personal opinion, not intending to bind anyone, and it is precisely because of the political rhetoric. Mr. Behar, the communication of politicians then and now surely cannot be compared in any way, by any criteria, simply because the times are different—we now have social media, and the contemporary era in general. But still, if you had to evaluate the communication then and now, what would your assessment be for the two historical periods?

Maxim: Communication is conducted through communication channels, and now they are drastically different from back then. See, no more than a hundred people in Bulgaria, from certain positions in the state, had the opportunity to send their messages to the people, and they were much more measured and more noticeable. Of course, actions are also important, but at the moment, we are talking about the messages that people hear and understand. Now is a much better time to send messages and prove your deeds. And we should not be worried that in Bulgaria, we can't avoid making some comparison between the political enthusiasm of those years and the great division of society and politics now. We shouldn't worry that we have 100 or 200 parties or a government cannot be formed. Just last week, in the same studio, I said that the political crisis will never end, because this is a political reality. What happens in the Parliament now reflects what is inside us, the Bulgarian people. There are people living in the same building, somewhere in the residential complexes, who can't look at each other. They may live on the same landing, meanwhile they can't look at each other and constantly argue. And all this is a reflection of our reality in parliament. We can't expect to see a strong political party that will have an absolute majority and will be in charge, and we will be very happy.

Host: As of today, we see this is no longer the case.

Maxim: And it will not happen, but that is the diversity of life. However, it does set exceptionally high criteria for politicians on how they talk to the voters, what to say, and when they say something, to act on it. If they don't keep their word, they can't be in politics, and we say goodbye to them!

Host: Is it a topic of discussion today that the goal then—139 years ago—The Unification of Principality of Bulgaria and the province of Eastern Rumelia was a grand goal, achieved through unity, and today, we cannot even announce that we have a majority in parliament, which is the basis of political life?

Maxim: We have a national goal. And this goal, for all of us in Bulgaria, is to live better, but it is somewhat vague. Because in '89-'90, communism collapsed, and all of us were super enthusiastic that we will live better, have a free market—that was the goal. Moreover, the idea was to have free media, because we couldn't envision a free market. And here we are - we have free media.

Host: This discussion about free media continues even today, just to say.

Maxim: But we have it, and this continuation is on a completely different plane and topics.

Host: That's right.

Maxim: We have it. At the time, we had a free market and were very enthusiastic. Then came the year '94, and we truly wanted to achieve something in World Football Championship in the US. And we did — we took 4th place, and it united us. That was a great goal. Everyone remembers '94—the whole of Bulgaria was out on the streets cheering for our National Football Team. Then we had another goal—the European Union. That was the biggest goal I remember over the past 30 years—to become part of the European Union, to be able to travel freely and to work freely. That is a huge goal that we have achieved.

Host: It is achieved, and by the way, we take it for granted now.

Maxim: Yes, we take it as if it was a given. 600,000 Bulgarians are working in Germany and in Spain there are 500,000 Bulgarians working. In Great Britain is a bit more difficult, but there's also a huge group of Bulgarians there. These are people who succeed abroad, earn money, support their parents here, and learn interesting things. Some of them return, and some of them do not. So, this was a huge goal that we have surpassed, and now, suddenly, we say we want to live better and have a stable government, but these are somewhat vague goals. But we have to get used to it because after the European Union, where more? Yes, the Organization for Economic Co-operation, OECD—a big target, to get in. However, it is somewhat outlying and will not affect the voting public significantly. In my opinion, now, in 2024, is the time for each of us, our family, our company, and our circle to set our own goal. I have my goals in business and my company. When I achieve those, I know I will pay good salaries and provide satisfactory work for many people. And if you achieve your goal—your program to have even more views, interesting guests and diverse topics—then we will live better.

Host: How is the national interest defined? Because I might perceive it one way, you—another. Who should we expect to define it so that we can resonate with it?

Maxim: Let's go back 139 years then since it's September 6th. Then and now, the national interest has been the same: for us to do our job honestly and honorably, as our ancestors did 139 years ago. And when we have good families, do good business, and are honest and honorable, there is nothing more valuable than that. When all or as many people in Bulgaria do this, then our state will become better. There is no more valuable and distinct national interest than doing our work well and being honest and honorable. It's that simple. There's no need for such big slogans or calls for us to be this or that way. We should do our work honestly and honorably as much as we can. Someone may earn 100 leva, another—1,000 leva, and a third may earn 100,000 leva, but it's important to do so with honest and honorable labor. This has happened in all developed democracies around the world for years.

Assoc. Prof. Valeria Kardashevska: These are the human values, and I absolutely agree. But besides them, our ancestors had a vision, and their goal was for Bulgaria to become one nation and be united. That's what happened during the Unification.

Maxim: But we are still a nation and a very good one at that.

Assoc. Prof. Valeria Kardashevska: We don't deny that.

Maxim: United, I would add.

Assoc. Prof. Valeria Kardashevska: Are we united?

Maxim: Yes, of course—we vote for different parties, which is 100% better than when we were "united" for all those 40 years, voting for a single party at 99%.

Assoc. Prof. Valeria Kardashevska: Undoubtedly, no one disputes that.

Maxim: We are united because we are Bulgarians and live in Bulgaria.

Assoc. Prof. Valeria Kardashevska: That's true, but do we have a common objective that we all strive towards? Back then, the goal was to unite the Principality with Eastern Rumelia, to become a free and democratic European state, as our ancestors understood it, to break away from Eurasia, from the empires, and be in charge of our fate.

Maxim: Yes, and the Bulgarian state has been like this for many years now.

Assoc. Prof. Valeria Kardashevska: Unfortunately, I think there is too much pressure on us, and it seems like we are losing that direction.

Host: As for whether we are united or divided, let's rewind because I'm again drawn to the focus on the political situation and terrain, perhaps because there are serious problems and turbulence at the moment. I don't know when we last had a regular government. However, President Rumen Radev, as the current president and head of state, has been accused several times by politicians and political observers, following his New Year's speeches, of dividing, rather than uniting, our society. Do we find topics and reasons for division fueled by politicians?

Maxim: There will always be such a thing because politicians have different political, sometimes economic, views. And since they are different, if they maintain a good tone, if there is no tension or arrogance in their words and messages, it will be reasonable.

Host: But all of that which you listed happens.

Maxim: Yes, it does. From time to time, it does. However, no one can judge another politician for having a different position.

Host: Different positions—yes. The question is, to what extent does this fuel division in society? But the three of us here probably won't answer it. The fact is that we are divided on some issues. On others, I hope we unite, not only around sports. One of my guests today, by the way, said it— it's good that we all rejoice and unite when a Bulgarian athlete returns with an Olympic medal, but it would be good to be united by a range of other topics, victories, and goals we've set.

Maxim: That's a point, of course. But I try to look at the important things or the bigger picture—we have freedom. Over these 30 years, some lost money, others lost properties, some succeeded, and others traveled abroad and stayed there. But Bulgaria retained its freedom—the freedom to express ourselves and do business—differently for everyone. And if that unites us—to keep this freedom and be tolerant and honest with each other—this country is priceless.

Host: You said something very important: perhaps, at the moment, we don't feel threatened enough for this unity to be visible—very true, but still, to conclude on an optimistic note, if, God forbid, we are threatened—literally this freedom is threatened—we will visibly unite. It's good to pay attention, however, to those smaller goals in the end so we don't reach that story with the hall and the ministers.

Maxim: I really think that we are united now. There isn't a Bulgarian, a viewer of yours, who doesn't want to live better, to earn better, and the same for their children and family—those dreams unite us. Many of us, the Bulgarian people, don't have a clear concept of how to achieve it. As my friend actor and film director Alexander Morfov says: "Everyone in Bulgaria wants to get rich, by noon if possible." And we have different paths and concepts of how to do it. Otherwise, we are united in wanting to live better and wanting Bulgaria to become a better country.

Host: I'm certain hardly anyone would say they don't want to live better. In the end, I want to finish by quoting writer Zdravka Evtimova, who says: "Let honesty be the continuation of the unification." And she called this path and this moment "the future of honesty." I really liked that. Do you see such a future of honesty?

Maxim: I see a future of transparency, which is actually the most critical factor for honesty. Now, our society, unlike 139 years ago, can be transparent, and every second, everyone can know everything about every other person. And I firmly believe that transparency is honesty. For example, I've been asked many times what corruption is, and I explain that if someone gives you an expensive gift to do some work for them, and you can share it with the media, it means you don't feel corrupt. However, if you're going to hide it in your pocket—an expensive pen, money, or whatever—then that means you're shady. This transparency to share everything and make everything transparent both in business and in your public position, in my opinion, will lead to ethics, which, along with honesty, are the most important things right now that should unite us.

Host: Thank you very much for being here for coming to the studio. People usually choose to travel on these holidays, but you stayed and participated in "Your Day." You shared many curious, meaningful, and key messages. I hope someone was listening and our viewers found it interesting. I wish you a pleasant holiday. Enjoy it, and I will see you very soon. That's how we will part because I'll be waiting for you again in our studio, and we will invite you to discuss likely more topical issues next time. Mr. Behar periodically enters as a political observer, Assoc. Prof. Kardashevska also does not shy away from this role, and you are key guests for us because we read through the words of politicians and their communication. And today's politicians definitely have a problem with communication. I hope someone heard you this time.

Maxim: Thank you, Lora, and congratulations on the wonderful show!

Watch the full interview here.