Return to Political Business at Hand

The media driven personal debate that has been going on for months has damaged DIE LINKE. Instead of our platforms, it was personal questions that almost exclusively dominated the public media. We respect that our Chairman Oskar Lafontaine, with consideration of his current state of health, will decide in due time when and how to continue his political work. We respect as well the decision of our Party Secretary, Dietmar Bartsch, to withhold from assuming office in the next federal party convent, and thank him for his services.

From the incidents in the last month, we have learned: Personal debates that are run through the media are unacceptable not only to our members, but also to our voters. The Executive Committee, in cooperation with the Chairman of the Parliamentary faction of DIE LINKE, Gregor Gysi, and in collaboration with Chairpersons from each of the German state branches, will discuss suggestions for the future architecture of the party’s leadership as well as submissions to fill executive positions. These discussions are expected to allow for responsible cooperation and plurality in our party.

Moreover, we will take further measures in order to advance the cooperation between East and West state branches. For example, central points that we will continue to work towards include collective events from bodies of our Party from the old and new German states, the agreed basic conferences in the course of the program debate, partnerships between district chapters as well as the intensification of the political education in such a way that exchange, in regards to content questions between the different traditions, be productive. With this, we accomplish our responsibility to our party that we quickly return to the daily political business at hand. We ask all members and divisions to work on this together so the capacity of the party to act can be strengthened.

Our central promise is that we, as a unified social power, strive for peace, justice and a democratic breakup. We want to effectively fight against poverty, violence, social exclusion, and right-wing extremism. Regardless of all necessary debates, this can only be managed when we act collectively as a party.

Our party, as strong LEFT, is more important than ever before. The chaotically operated Black-Yellow (CDU-FDP) National Government is united only in the attempt to pass on the burden of the conflict to employees, retirees, and the unemployed populations. They abuse neo-liberal politics which virtually demands contradiction and resistance. The SPD and the Green Party play only the role of opposition in the German Federal Parliament. They are not regulating the power or exemplifying the necessary reliability for an alternative to the current Black-Yellow coalition. A capable LEFT is necessary for the opposition both in and outside the Parliament against the Black-Yellow social clear-cutting agenda, as well as to strengthen the new social ideas. At the same time DIE LINKE is responsible together with other social power projects to integrate an alternative to the Black-Yellow politics. These alternatives are becoming possible social majorities.

A year ago, with the re-entry into the State Parliament in Hessen, DIE LINKE achieved a successful start in the upcoming election year 2009. Together as a party, we took these and all following successes as hard-earned. We begin with these experiences from this past year. In the next month, our paramount goal is to achieve acceptance into the State Parliament in North Rhine-Westphalia. Just one Left faction guarantees a strong social voice in the State Parliament of Düsseldorf. Only when DIE LINKE has achieved this acceptance into the State Parliament, will there be a possible alternative to the Black-Yellow coalition in North Rhine-Westphalia. We call upon you: Support the election of the Comrades in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Likewise, we remain active outside Parliament. To us, this means confronting social deconstruction and privatization of public benefits in the same way as we confront racism, neo-fascism and war.

A wide social alliance is currently mobilizing in the East and West against the Nazi demonstration in Dresden on February 13th. DIE LINKE supports this alliance. We call upon all members and sympathizers to come to Dresden on February 13th to stop the Nazis. The Peace Movement is preparing diverse campaigns against the increase of the Federal Armed Forces mandate on January 28 and February 20. As DIE LINKE, we actively support these activities.

We want and will use the program debate to further integrate both our contextual and strategic positions. This will not happen without dispute. Such a dispute can, however, make our party attractive. If carried out appropriately, the entire party will benefit.

We must strengthen DIE LINKE.