Monday, May 31, 2021

Johannes Huber, May 20, 2021, Citizens Hour in the Bundestag

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 19/230, pp. 29541-29542. 

Right honorable Herr President. Ladies and gentlemen.

“We want to strengthen the people’s cooperation in the formation of the democratic will. For that, we will further develop and improve the means of petition.” With these words, the FDP and CDU/CSU already in the coalition contract of 2009 wanted to introduce a so-called citizens plenary procedure [Bürgerplenarverfahren] in the Bundestag. What to this day has happened? Nothing.

In the coalition contract of 2017 is: “We will institute an experts commission which shall prepare proposals as to whether and in which form our proven parliamentary representative democracy can be expanded by means of additional elements of citizens participation and direct democracy.” What has become of this? You may likely well surmise: Simply nothing. A few months before the end of the legislative period, the Groko [grand coalition] stands ever still at the starting blocks on the theme of citizens participation and you are simply motionless – not because you can do nothing, but quite simply because you do not want to.

On that account, the citizens in Germany require an alternative, we of the AfD. We want to venture more democracy and today introduce a citizens hour in the German Bundestag [Drucksache 19/29781]. In the citizens hour, a controversial exchange of views takes place on petitions with more than 100,000 co-signers. Consultation on the application with the petitioners themselves in a public hearing remains thereby unaffected and continues to take place. The importance of the citizens’ application thereby increases substantially by means of the deliberation in plenary session. The citizens’ concerns deserve more attention, and it would come to that if they were debated in plenary session live on public broadcasting or via an expanded parliamentary television which we also propose [Drucksache 19/29785].

With a citizens hour, the Bundestag draws nearer again to the citizens. There is finally a direct opportunity for the citizens themselves to decide which themes need be necessarily deliberated in plenary session. This would animate more citizens again for politics because now they themselves could control the government. This would also be a starting point for a broad social debate, again more characterized by that what counts is not the better scene design, but the better argument in the interest of the citizens.

The citizens are of course annoyed with politics because you all too often only simulate democracy. Just before the summer pause, a citizens council [Bürgerrat], and indeed the second, shall be commissioned by Bundestag President Schäuble. This superfluous body has in no respect a right to decide. It is thereby clear that citizens councils are much more a symptom of the crisis of parliamentarism than a solution thereof.

Democracy ultimately will not be inspired by means of state-financed citizens councils which – naturally by pure happenstance – will be supported by non-neutral, civil society organizations so as to produce purposeful, desired results. No, democracy first becomes a living thing by the cultivation of a tolerant debate culture open to result, which is oriented to the common good, and in which different opinions will not be defamed as hatred and incitement.

The introduction of a citizens hour as our alternative to citizens councils is such a step in the right direction for more democracy on the Federal level, a step which completely permits it to be more compatible with a thereby strengthened parliamentary democracy.

If you of the older parties now however nevertheless reject this motion, then it needs be asked: Of what actually are you afraid? Do you really have so much fear of the citizens that you may not for once permit in plenary session debate in detail on successful public petitions? That would really be a proof of incapacity.

Yet a rejection from you would have yet more drastic effects. Namely, it would show the citizens that we are not only the single delegation in the German Bundestag which is consistently committed to nationwide referendums on essential decisions, such as possible infringements of the basic rights, and to a direct democracy on the Swiss model. No, we are also the sole delegation which then wants to give the citizens a citizens hour in the Bundestag. We are thereby the most determined democrats in the German Bundestag.

Yet you can still prevent it. You need only vote in favor. So pull yourselves together; before all, the colleagues in committee! Let us make of our citizens committee a lever for more direct democracy and let us finally completely debate citizens petitions in plenary session.

Personally, I rejoice already at the first citizens hour in the German Bundestag. If the citizens be asked what the theme should be, then they presently say quite clearly on diverse platforms: “Prevent any obligatory vaccination of children.” Thus listen to the citizens!

Many thanks.

 

[trans: tem]