Commentary

4th October 1998

Germany: Helmut's hat goes to new man

By Mervyn de Silva

Karl Marx was a German Ditto Engels. And it took another German to prove that das kapital works. Helmut Kohl.

Barbara Beck "Surveys Editor" of the Economist, which Karl Marx said was the best defender of capitalism observed:

"By the time the elections come round, Mr. Kohl, will have been in office for sixteen long years. Last year he overtook Konrad Adenauer, Germany's first post-war chancellor, who spent fourteen years in the job. And if he hangs on just a while longer, he might beat Bismark who with 19 years notched up the all-time record for German chancellors."

Already however the chances of beating Bismark's record were fading fast. Opinion polls agreed that nearly 70% of German voters had decided it was time for change. But the veteran Helmut Kohl respected the old rule.........when cornered, take the offensive. He reminded the electorate that "grand coalitions" had proved a disaster. He pointed to the "contradictions" in the policies of these allies.

"A grand coalition would be bad for Bonn", meaning that a strong alliance may be tempted to pursue adventurist policies. He tried to scare voters by reminding them that in the ring was the "Party of Democratic Socialism, the successor to East Germany's Communist party." In short "reds under the bed."

As the campaign advanced, it was clear that, both contenders tried to suggest a sinister GDR (East Germany) connection.

Of course, personalities also play a critical role.

As a result, the platform attacks on rivals and reports "planted" in the press get more nasty and crude as E-Day approaches. But rarely is as nasty and venomous as in the United States. And that explains why a large Air Force jet despatched by the White House to carry official observers to the recent Bosnian elections arrived in Sarajevo with scores of empty seats, said the Washinton Post. Every member of a planned Congressional delegation had withdrawn from the trip at the last minute. The reason? No great secret. Many of the members offered the same reason. It was their desire to be in the capital and "monitor the unfolding crisis over the Starr report to the House of Representatives on the "impeachment offences by President Bill Clinton." If its rival the New York Times which claims it reports "all the news that's fit to print", says that thousands of highly placed officials and businessmen in the world's capitals are keen to study the effect of political events and trends in their countries on "foreign policy-makers in the US, now claiming the most impressive title of all, the sole superpower. But not every country's ruling elite conforms to this behaviour pattern."

Japan is an economic superpower. But it is in serious trouble. "As statistics and despair pile up in the countries of Asia, it is becoming clear that the region's recession is deepening." Banks are shaky and corporate failures are feeding a sense of gloom.

Big business would not have taken too kindly to an article with the headline that "recession is worsening".

Back to Chancellor Kohl. On the frontpage and the TV screen was his successor Gerhard Schroeder greeted warmly by the heads of the diplomatic missions. He leads the Social Democratic Party (SPD). And he plans to have the "Greens", the Left-inclined party, in his coalition. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the SPD victory was a "tremendous thing".

And young Tony gets on very well with Fleet Street. The intelligent leader from US to India and Japan knows the importance of press relations......respect, frankness, and regular contact. No need for a Kohl War.........

Hulftsdorp Hill

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