Waldheim
must go
THE POLITICAL BUREAU of Socialist Alternative
(SOAL), the Austrian section of the Fourth
International, issued the following statement on
February 19. URI WALDHEIM's political downtall was announced by ine report of the international com mission of historians. Although the statement was formulated in moderate terms, the commission came to the conclusion that Waldheim was an "important collaborator of the leadership centre." In plain language, that means that the man sitting in the president's chair today was involved in the organization of war crimes committed by the German army, including the "transfer" of Greek Jews to Auschwitz.
So, Waldheim was a pen-pusher criminal, a pen-pusher murderer, who built a career after the war and could not remember
"He was anxious to have his military past forgotten, and when this was no longer possible, to explain it away. In the commission's view, this forgetfulness is so fundamental that it would get no clarification from Waldheim to help in its work."
While essentially the report only confirms what Waldheim's critics have said, politically and psychologically it represents a breakthrough. It has now been documented, so to speak, just what sort of person is sitting in the presidential palace. At the New Austria rally, which was called at short notice for February 14, 6,000 people spontaneously marched to Waldheim's residence and called loudly for his his resignation. High-school women acted to "demolish" Waldheim themselves, taking down his picture from their classroom
Amongst the social democrats, the number of those demanding Waldheim's resignation is growing rapidly. Simon Wiesenthal is fed up with "the man the world trusts," and has stripped him of the last of his moral credibility in the bourgeois camp. Finally, out of fear of getting detached from the "Western world," even the industrial boss Herbert Krejci has argued that Waldheim should vacate his post. It is certain that in new presidential elections, Waldheim would suffer a severe rebuff.
Despite the change in mood, the social-democratic leadership and the union leadership in its train still have not had the nerve to call openly and directly for Waldheim's resignation. Vranitzky [the social-democratic premier] is, of course, taking more and more distance from the president ("further clarifications are necessary"). And the social-democratic national secretary, Keller, has taken to indulging in a certain kind of humor, "Austria can do without Waldheim but not without Vranitzky," which nonetheless indicates an unambiguous demand for the president's resignation.
Waldheim digs in his heels
So as "not to endanger the work of the government" — that is, dismantling nationalized industry, turning back the clock on pensions, freezing spending on social welfare and education, as well as the sidling up to the Europe of the monopolies — the next step is being left in the bony hands of the resident of the presidential palace.
Waldheim, however, continues to dig in his heels and rail at his critics — in his dreadful TV speech, for example, as "liars
Drawing by Plantu and slanderers." Therefore, the maximum pressure has to be brought to bear so that Waldheim will slip away as quickly as possible, hopefully before the March days [the anniversary of the Nazi occupation of Austria].
Concretely, the following needs to be done:
• Build committees focused on demanding Waldheim's resignation.
• Public demonstrations and actions to "get the rage out of your gut."
• Resolutions addressed to the social-democratic and union leaderships calling on them to speak out forthrightly and unconditionally for Waldheim's resignation and to work for it.
• Continuing and creatively developing the "Waldheim demolition action" of the high-school women.
• No "state ceremony" with Waldheim on March 11. The broadest possible mobilization for protest rallies and demonstrations on March 11 and 12
Waldheim must resign. Of course, it will not all be rosy after that, but the general conditions for the left would improve. It would give a great boost to a critical confrontation with Austria's fascist past.
Relentless exposure of historical guilt needed
The possible deal among the big parties to run a common conservative or "neutral"
YES- I LIED
AND MY
ABOUT MY
KNOWLEDGE OF
NAZI PAST...
WAR CRIMES...
BUT NO - I WILL
NEVER RESIGN
International Viewpoint • March 21, 1988
AND YES- MY LIES ARE
BRINGING DISGRACE TO AUSTRIA
THAT WOULD DESTROY PEOPLES
FAITH IN THEIR GOVERNMENT candidate for president has to be answered with the presentation of a candidate of the progressive forces. What is needed is not "patriotic damage limitation," that is, classcollaborationist togetherness, but relentless exposure of the historical guilt that until now has been "collaboratively" swept under the rug, and solutions for the most acute social problems facing all those who have to sell their labor power.
If Waldheim falls, then the game is also up for Mock and Co. [the People's Party, the main bourgeois party]. The demand for ending the Great Coalition [between the People's Party and the social democrats] would fall on more fruitful ground. New elections would be on the agenda, with some chance for a parliamentary majority (not a coalition) for the social democrats and Greens. *
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8 WASSERMAN