Worldwide phenomenon: The Social democrats work for the Rights
Categorie: Germany, Tomas HirschTomás Hirsch on tour – Berlin, 19th / 20th April 2006
On his tour through more than 25 European Cities Tomás Hirsch, presidential candidate in the last elections in Chile, spent as well three days in Berlin. During this time he had extensive talks with the Humanists, the supporters of Júntos Podemos Más in Berlin, the central committee of “Die Linke/ PDS” (the Left / Party of Democratic Socialism), an MDB of the same party, representatives of different organisations and foundations and further more with journalists of different left nationwide newspapers.
On the 19th of April Tomás Hirsch took his time for an intense exchange with the members of the Humanist Movement from Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Düsseldorf and Cologne. The former presidential candidate talked about the experience, which the broadest Chilean alliance of the left since the times of Allende gathered, its strategic orientation and also how the Europeans could advance into this direction. Later on the same day Hirsch was warmly welcomed by the Chile Friendship-Society and the Júntos Podemos Más Group of Berlin – many activists used the opportunity to congratulate the former candidate to the successful election campaign and to ask about the future process of the leftist alliance.
In these days Tomás Hirsch also met Helmut Scholz of the central committee of the Linke/ PDS, the MDB of the same party, Wolfgang Gehrke, and a representative of the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation; all meetings took place in a collegial and friendly atmosphere. The representative of the Humanist Party pointed out the increasing discrepancy between the public image of an economical successful country, in the way it is being promoted by the Chilean government, and a growing gap between rich and poor, a reality, which is – for 90% of all Chileans – far away from this polished up image. The Left-Party/ PDS expressed its interest in supporting the unity of the European and Latin-American left and promised its support for Júntos Podemos Más. Furthermore they invited the Chilean left alliance to participate in the opposing event to the summit of Latin American and European heads of government in May in Vienna.
Titled “The Raise of the Latinamerican Left”, the Humanist Party and Júntos Podemos Más organised a public event on the 20th of April followed by a discussion, where approx. 120 participants of the whole spectrum of the left, 15 different social organisations and parties, representatives of the Embassies of Chile and Venezuela as well as journalists were present. Hirsch highlighted again, that the promotion of Chile’s positive image, as being the most successful representative of the neo-liberal model in Latin America, is just in the interest of the governing parties, the international financial lobby and multinational enterprises. Education and social systems are privatised, the multinationals only pay very low or no taxes at all. While for example the national enterprise CODELCO hauls yearly 30% of the local copper and pays 5 Billion US $ taxes, the multinationals – hauling 70% of the country’s copper – pay taxes of only 80 Million Dollars. Mid of the 90ies the water-system of Santiago de Chile was privatised and sold for 80 Million Dollars to a Spanish-French Group. Six years later this group could sell the water-enterprise for 840 Million.
Of the current Chilean head of government, Michelle Bachelet, Tomás Hirsch only expects minor cosmetic changes: In opposition to the rightists the social democrats always present themselves as a minor worse, blackmailing the voters in each elections to vote for them in order to avoid an assumption of power by the rights – whereas, because of their entanglement with the economies, they later simply implement the same conservative and neo liberal politics. Hirsch also pointed out certain similarities to the European and the German political situation.
In order to achieve the goal of a more just society the Chilean left alliance – built by the Humanist Party, the Chilean CP and further 53 social and political organisations – will continue to work and intensify its contacts to Latin American and European groups. Referring to the bolivarian revolution Hirsch stated, that the problems faced, could only be solved by a regional politic of integration.
During his stay in Berlin Tomás Hirsch gave interviews to three nationwide left newspapers: the taz (daily), Junge Welt (Young World) and Neues Deutschland (New Germany).