Article from November 08, 2020 – 10:41
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – Despite constant criticism of the requirements in the second Corona partial lockdown, the Baden-Württemberg State Councilor for Civil Society and Citizen Participation is convinced that the population will maintain confidence in politics. “I am of the opinion that the citizens understand the dilemma very well,” said Gisela Erler (Greens) of the German Press Agency in Stuttgart. Even if there are injustices and losers. The federal and state governments have decided, unlike in the spring, only to shut down parts of public life. “It would only have been fair to either close everything – but that would be economically irresponsible. Or open everything. Then it’s fair, but deadly, “said Erler. Gastronomy and culture would have tried very hard and could also build on hygiene concepts again if the measures were scaled back. But the priority now is to reduce contacts. “The government has not forgotten the citizens,” emphasized Erler. “A pandemic, an epidemic situation is a situation in which we have to act quickly.” The attempt to contain this was done in the interests of the citizens. It is about avoiding overcrowded hospitals and death. It is normal for the governments to rely primarily on regulations. “They got used to it first,” she said. “In our case, however, the corona policy was debated in parliament and the regulations are discussed and reviewed by the state parliament.” With the current partial lockdown, those responsible would have responded to criticism from citizens. “In March it was said that families had allegedly been forgotten. You didn’t have that, but it was a burden. ” Now the priority is school and education. This time only parts of the economic cycle are affected by restrictions. But it is now important that the parliaments and the citizens have more to say, said Erler. To this end, Baden-Württemberg is setting up a Corona Citizens’ Forum, in which 40 to 50 randomly selected people are supposed to collect moods and make them visible. The board should be made up of half men and women, said Erler. Members should be from all ages and social classes. At the monthly meetings, both the government and interest groups could then present their views and citizens could form their own picture. The State Councilor named the Corona warning app as an example. A lot has been discussed here about data protection, for example. “But only associations were asked. It’s different from discussing with citizens. ” In view of the large amount of data that users make available to large corporations on the Internet, she can imagine that many would also have fewer concerns about the Corona app. “Especially when the offices can then more easily track contacts and can also more easily relax the restrictive measures,” says Erler. She would therefore also find such a citizens’ council on the corona consequences to be useful at the federal level. In the coming weeks, it will primarily depend on how the population behaves. “It remains to be seen whether people understand the warning shot and reduce contacts,” said Erler. If things are relaxed, it is important, for example with the help of the Citizens’ Forum, to find ways and means “to keep up this marathon”. That there are so many loud protests against the Corona measures in Baden-Württemberg – where the Greens started nine years ago to make the citizens more heard – for example in the form of the riots in downtown Stuttgart or as demos of the so-called “Lateral thinking” movement, Erler explained historically: “There has always been a critical citizenry in Baden-Württemberg. The so-called angry bourgeoisie has a strong tradition. Baden-Württemberg simply has a rebellious tradition. ” But overall satisfaction with the state and parties is increasing again throughout Germany, stressed Erler. «These are only apparent contradictions. The fact that you criticize something does not mean that you have lost confidence in politics as a whole. “
–
