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In his TV address on Sunday’s national holiday, Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen once again presented himself as a fan of compromise. As he did at the beginning of the year, when government negotiations were at a delicate stage, he emphasized that compromise has “the greater good of all” in mind.
Anyone who says that a compromise means “both sides lose” is referring to a “bad compromise.” One that only pretends to be a solution and sidesteps the real problem.
“The sole and absolute truth”
The “good compromise” made Austria great; it was the “fruitful seed of the Second Republic.” Because: “We have learned the hard way that believing we possess the sole and absolute truth leads to ruin.”
In the Nazi concentration camps, Social Democrats, Christian Socialists, and Communists “came together, developed respect for one another, and recognized that a vibrant democracy and a free state can only survive through compromise.”
The challenges of the present should also be overcome with a willingness to compromise. After all, international politics and the economic and budgetary situation require courageous decisions. Van der Bellen mentions inflation, the economy, energy, health, education, and the climate crisis.
There is a chance for change for the better—even if it means making unpopular decisions. “It will hurt even more to change nothing,” says Van der Bellen, addressing politicians at the federal, state, and local levels of the governing and opposition parties.
But he also says to viewers: “Pull yourself together! Take courage! Austria is with you.”
- source: kurier.at/picture: orf.at
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