"United Left" initiative. This interview with Misslitz appeared in the November 23 issue of Sozialistische Zeitung, the paper of the United Socialist Party (VSP) in which members of the
Fourth International work. The interviewer was Angela Klein.
International Viewpoint #75 • December 11, 1989
EAST GERMANY
W HAT do you think of
recent events? Did the opening of the wall come too early, as Barbel Böhley said?
I must first of all point out that there are differing opinions: that is essential for the whole project. I will therefore sometimes say "we" and sometimes "T".
On this question, however, we are all of the same opinion. The wall was opened too late, not too early. It is understandable that thousands even millions, of citizens of the GDR are taking the opportunity to travel to the West. The way in which the opening up took place has created a bit of chaos, but that is no big problem. We are, however, also of the opinion that not only the opening up and the gaining of freedom to travel, but also the way in which this came about are an expression of the fact that we get our rights from above, from a leadership that uses them as safety valves.
This leadership, furthermore, is without perspectives, as is clear to everyone. To get ones rights from a leadership in these conditions is quite different from perceiving them as an expression of the popular will. Rights such as the right to travel could be sorted out by people for themselves. • What does that mean? What is the difference?
We are trying to develop some kind of direct democracy in this country, which involves forming people's committees out of representatives of the people, chosen by those that live in this country. That would be a real expression of popular sovereignty.
With the opening of the borders, many burning problems have been pushed into background. It is for example not clear how far the SED is going to stick to article leading role of the party, something tha would be called into question by elections. • The central demand at the moment is for free elections. In West Germany we understand this to mean, free elections to the House of the People. Is this how free elections are understood in the GDR, or is there an audience here for your Idea of another type of popular representation?
The situation at the moment is that propaganda for alternative conceptions is very patchy. Many ideas are disseminated by the Western media, and leftist concepts do not get much of a chance as far as the radio and television are concerned. Things are understood here in categories taken from the West. Thus, it is projects for bourgeois parliamentarianism that are favoured here. Also, until now the United Left has not had the opportunity to put its positions directly through its own press so as to influence the discussion. We have to rely on our own slender printing resources. We are trying to put forward our position through factory meetings and panel discussions and so on. This is not enough, and we are clear that we want to change this situation. Discussions are going on at various levels about how to develop an independent left press and also to develop some kind of paper for the discussion of theory, in which all the groups will be able to put forward their positions in detail. Then of course there are a lot of bureaucratic problems
We are intending to involve ourselves more in factory journals. The first attempts are being made there. Evidently we will take part in editing such journals.
At the moment whatever is most publicized is most discussed. Aktuelle Kamera [liberal East German TV programme] and the Western media have the advantage here.
• We are aware of two proposals from the opposition: firstly that there should be a referendum over the planned new electoral law, and secondly that the May local elections, whose results were falsified, should be rerun. This would make it possi ble for the opposition groups to strengthen their base and build themselves up. Do you support these proposals?
We certainly support the idea that there should be a Round Table that would allow all the groups, the parties in the governmental bloc, the SED and also the mass organizations to openly discuss different electoral conceptions in the media. In this way something that is urgently necessary will take place, that is to give some life to the concept of "free elections" and the specific differences will also find expression.
Our ideas about how free elections should look are quite different to those of the groups that support bourgeois parliamentarianism and multi-partyism on the West German model. We say that at the same time as the Round Table there should be a country-wide conference of workers' delegates
We are preparing for this in the factories along with other groups. It will take some time to realize this perspective, since people here are not used to taking personal responsibility for political decisions, although a wide process of politicization is now taking place.
Such a delegate conference could also consider the issue of forms of real participation and forms of factory self-management, as well as the rights and duties of independent factory councils. The election of such workers' councils would be, so to speak, the second step. The party and union organizations should orient towards this kind of elaboration of the demands of the workers.